Banana Leaf Collective

12/14/2023

11/06/2023

Banana Leaf Collective stands in solidarity with Palestinian liberation. We call for an immediate ceasefire; an end to Israeli occupation; an end to US military funding to Israel; and urgent delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid.

This letter spoke to us as a collective of artists exploring the intersection of storytelling, mutual aid practices, and cultural work. In this moment especially, we’re mindful of our responsibility to speak out against systems of oppression.

Artist friends, you can sign this letter at: https://againstapartheid.art/sign

05/19/2023

FRIENDS! OUR ART-A-WHIRL FESTIVITIES BEGIN TOMORROW! 🌸🎨🖼️🎼🎸Here’s a quick overview to help you plan your weekend!

Our studio is located at 1302 2nd St NE, Suite 220A. You can search “Banana Leaf Collective” in Google Maps! We’re upstairs in a building with NO ELEVATOR (please let us know if we can support you in any way). The entrance is between the Dangerous Man brewery and growler shop entrances. Look for our chalkboard sign! DM us if you get lost.

SATURDAY, 1-5PM - POP-UP MARKET
We will be hosting a handful of makers in our studio space. Come say hi to , , , , .gaoh, and .wy. There will be art prints, zines, comics, pottery, tarot readings, trinkets, and more!

SATURDAY, 7-10PM - SHOWCASE
DOORS OPEN AT 7, SHOW BEGINS 7:30
After the market, we’ll transition to an intimate showcase with live performances! Our wonderful lineup includes , , , , , , and . Space is limited - grab your tickets at the link in our bio! $10-$20 sliding scale. No promises that tickets will be available at the door!

SUNDAY, 1-5PM - OPEN STUDIO
Swing by Sunday afternoon for community art making! We’ll be making collages together and compiling them into zines. Supplies will be provided, but you’re more than welcome to bring your own. This will also be a great opportunity to learn about Banana Leaf Collective; meet our members; and how to get involved.

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, ALL DAY - BEER FUNDRAISER
Make sure to stop by our downstairs neighbors for a beer! A dollar of every 7&7 West Coast IPA poured on Saturday and Sunday will go towards Banana Leaf Collective. They will also be hosting a tie dye party from 1-4pm on Sunday.

We’re excited to see y’all! 💖

05/18/2023

Introducing our wonderful Art-A-Whirl pop-up market makers! Swing by on Saturday from 1 - 5pm to snag comics, zines, and trinkets. We’ll even have tarot readings!

is a Minneapolis artist, comics maker, zine author, and punk crafter with an ardor for nature. Their work focuses on color, q***r liberation, autobiographical journalism, and the poetry of growing things.

(they/she) is a cartoonist and illustrator based in North Minneapolis. Their work focuses on telling personal stories of mental health and self-identity through fictional slice of life scenarios. Hawwa is also the owner of twin cities pop-up shop, HawwaBe Comic Shop, selling new and used comics featuring primarily black stories, and owner of Harami Girl Press, offering self-publishing printing services.

creates works that are inspired by the things she grew up with and enjoyed during childhood. Her range of work includes digital art, stationery, decoden trinkets, polymer/resin/acrylic jewelry, keychains, accessories, and more!

makes zines and comics that bring a critical power lens to science, technology, epistemology, and forms of knowledge-making, and an experiential + ethnic studies lens to her second generation Chinese American experience and other muddled/messy parts of her life. Current zine themes include equity and exclusion in science museums, dismantling the myth of scientific objectivity, second gen language feels, and saucy union/labor valentines!
gaoh was born in China and raised in Indiana and Kentucky. Once, they studied moral philosophy and ecology; cooked noodles; and sold produce. Now, they draw stories about home--in all its forms, with all its complications. In spite of everything, they believe the world can be made a beautiful place.
wy is a tarot reader and spiritual counselor in St. Paul, MN. Wennicha combines messages from her spirit guides, the tarot, and numerology to provide empowerment and guidance for clients, especially when they experience feelings of overwhelmness and discomfort.

05/17/2023

Only THREE more days until our Art-A-Whirl weekend! Introducing the rest of our performers — John Jamison II, BakiBakiBaki, Filthy Kittens, and 5ifthhouse.

is a Rhetoric/Art student at Metropolitan State University, and was born and raised in North Minneapolis. John has been a performer in the Twin Cities for over 10 years and has performed on stages like Children’s Theatre Company, Ordway, Theatre Latte Da, Penumbra, Dakota Jazz Club, Guthrie Theater, Artistry, History Theater, and plenty more. The production you can catch him next in will be “Godspell” at Artistry in Bloomington, MN. If you’re looking for some yogic centering, you can take his Yoga Classes at Radiant Life Yoga in South Minneapolis.

is a black native artist from north Minneapolis that primarily works with shadow puppetry, poetry and short filmmaking. They are also a zine artist and host zine workshops once a month as fundraisers, in the name of fighting housing and security and disability justice. Follow them on Instagram, at a lovers war, to find out when and where.

started in Minneapolis in March of 2022, with general tendencies toward folk rock. In addition to new material, their songbook reaches into previous bands and solo projects involving Filthy Kittens members. The current full band lineup includes Henry James Patterson, Mitchell Nelson, Desmond Lawrence, and Irene Manning. Filthy Kittens released their first single “Mr. Tambourine Man” and their first album, “Trouble in Mayberry,” in January 2023 ahead of a release show at the 7th St Entry. The album is a collection of songs about love, small towns, childhood, and light politics.

is a experimental merging of artist Yawa Glen and SoulFlower. A soft p***y psychedelic sound emanates from their instruments. 5ifthhouse is based on the experience of creation, personal and collaboratively.

Tickets are required for the showcase portion of our Art-A-Whirl weekend! Grab them at the link in our bio.

05/11/2023

Only 9 more days until our Art-A-Whirl activities kickoff! ✨🌸 We’ll be introducing our performers and makers until then. Meet three of our showcase performers: Phrol, Human Error, and Alicia Thao!

is a music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and general enthusiast. His passion around music is based on the genuine connections he’s made along the way, and reflects on the things he makes and the people he associates with.

is a Minneapolis trio from the mud. Making music from home, their DIY sound is as rounded as it is harsh. Focused on rap, fragments of alternative and pop echo throughout their work.

is a q***r HMong American singer-songwriter who is Tulsa-raised and Saint Paul-based. Well-versed in a variety of genres, she identifies as an experimental indie/folk/soul/RnB performing artist. Her songwriting often explores her Asian American identity, growing pains, mental health, q***rness, and love.

Tickets are required for the showcase portion of Art-A-Whirl weekend! Grab them at the link in our bio.

Event details:
Saturday, May 20 from 7 - 10pm
Banana Leaf Collective studio
1302 2nd St. NE, Suite 220A

05/08/2023

MARK YOUR CALENDARS ‼️ Banana Leaf Collective is participating in Art-a-Whirl, an annual open studio tour in NE Minneapolis! Over the weekend of May 20-21, we’ll be hosting a pop-up market, live performance showcase, and a cozy community art-making session. All three events are a great opportunity to check out our studio space and connect with some amazing local artists.

Featured makers: .gaoh, , , .wy,

Performances by: , , , , , ,

Before or after the show, plan to visit our neighbors at ! They will select a beer of the day — $1 from each one sold will go towards Banana Leaf Collective. Note: beers cannot be consumed upstairs in our studio.

TICKETS ONLY NEED TO BE PURCHASED FOR THE LIVE PERFORMANCES SHOWCASE PORTION OF THE WEEKEND! Tickets are sliding scale from $10 - $20! After compensation to our performers, the rest of the proceeds will go toward paying our studio rent.

Learn more and grab your tickets at the link in our bio! Stay tuned for more details! ✨🌸

04/13/2023

TODAY’S THE DAY! Pretty please come thru for our spring pop-up tonight. We’ll have a wonderful lineup of vendors slinging art at our studio: , .macrames, , .bb, , , and

Tonight will also be a great opportunity to see the space and learn more about our collective! Banana Leaf Collective will also be selling zines, mini art prints, stickers, and ceramic goods by Meti.

Our space is at 1302 2nd Street NE, Suite 220A in NE Minneapolis. Enter through a glass door downstairs (we’ll tape up a sign as well). Use the code 0413 # to get in (the # is important). Go up the stairs and enter through the door on your right! Reminder that our space is on the second floor of a building without elevators and is NOT wheelchair accessible. Please let us know if we can support you in any way.

04/12/2023

Introducing the last vendor in our wonderful line up: Casper Warren Art!

Casper Warren is a Minneapolis artist, comics maker, zine author, and punk crafter with an ardor for nature. They are rampantly mixed media, but are in a long term relationship with colored pencils. Their work focuses on color, q***r liberation, autobiographical journalism, and the poetry of growing things.

Join us at our spring pop-up market! We’ll be at the studio (1302 2nd Street NE, Suite 220A) this Thursday from 5 - 8pm!