Our Story
The North Suburban Center for the Arts (NSCA) has served the greater Twin Cities since 1979. Our organization started as a grassroots, women-led effort to create a place for creatives to gather in the Twin Cities’ north metro region and continues to fill a crucial gap for our surrounding communities.
We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Fridley with a mission to foster community through engagement with the arts. (Note: From 1988-2021, we operated under the name the Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts.)
At the NSCA, we believe art is a powerful tool for connection, growth, accessibility, & innovation. Our programs create opportunities that encourage a lifelong connection to the arts. We serve artists, creatives, and community members alike, highlighting the creative networks at play in our community.
Our History
MARJORIE GLASS (1923-2007) was the first Executive Director of the North Suburban Center for the Arts (NSCA). In the late 1970s, St. Anthony resident Phyllis Williams sought to bring an art center to the Twin Cities' north metro suburbs, akin to what already existed in southern suburbs like Edina and Minnetonka. However, Williams fell ill, allowing Marjorie to step in her role and lead the organization. Soon after, Marjorie secured the NSCA's first home in a former health club, located in the lower level of a shopping center in St. Anthony. The NSCA opened its doors and hosted classes and exhibitions, garnering significant public interest right away.
After less than a decade, Marjorie facilitated the transition of the NSCA from St. Anthony to Fridley. In 1988, the NSCA moved to the Banfill-Locke House, in part due to the approval of a Community Development Block Grant from the City of Fridley, and changed the organization's name to the Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts, a name it held until 2021.
Our makers market (Marjorie’s Market) is an ode to the women-led, grassroots efforts to bring the arts to the Twin Cities' north metro and create opportunity through creativity.