About the Rebel Loon Archive

The Rebel Loon Archive preserves and publishes visual and written art responding to current issues in Minnesota.

Extraordinary art is often dismissed because it is created by ordinary people: those outside the traditional art world, who hesitate to even call themselves artists. The Rebel Loon Archive welcomes these voices, juxtaposing them with work by award-winning artists and authors. This helps build collections with diverse, fresh perspectives and visual language.

These artworks will be primary sources for future generations. For example, much of the art preserved in the Archive is not documented outside of the artist’s original post on social media. More concretely, hundreds of protest signs were donated to us after No Kings 3 rather than being destroyed.

The Archive will publicize submitted works through art books, museum exhibits, and a publicly accessible digital archive, so that these artworks can be appreciated and studied far into the future.

As of August 2026, more than 550 artists so far have come together to contribute their work to the Archive. All art is used with explicit permission, and artists retain all rights to their work. Artists are never charged any kind of fee to share work with the Archive, and all artists published in a physical volume receive a complimentary copy. The Archive exists because of artists’ generosity, and while we hope to someday be able to pay honoraria for selected pieces, treating our artists with dignity and respect is the least we can do.

This art matters, but people matter more. The Rebel Loon Archive is proud to financially support the Immigrant Defense Network, UNIDOS MN, Friends of the Boundary Waters, and other vetted causes with a portion of sales proceeds. If you are considering donating to the Rebel Loon Archive but are considering giving to mutual aid instead, choose mutual aid every time.

The Rebel Loon Archive is fiscally sponsored by Springboard for the Arts.

Art credit: Love, Minneapolis by Eliza Wheeler

Updates

Art Exhibition

In May and June, the Rebel Loon Archive displayed nearly 50 artworks in its first exhibition, hosted at True North Studio by ARTrageous Adventures. An evening celebrating the exhibition was attended by approximately 200 people, and Kare11 documented the event here.

From June 6th through July 18th, many original works shared with the Archive were displayed for the first time at the Torrance Art Museum in Los Angeles in the exhibit We Are Minnesota: Art as Resistance.

Art credit: I’m Not Mad At You by Chanel Sassybury, acrylic on wood, 20×20×1”, 2026.

Art Against Metro Surge

The Archive is currently preparing its flagship publication: The Rebel Loon Archive: Art Against Operation Metro Surge, a 250-page hardcover art book featuring 300 artists responding to Operation Metro Surge and related events in Minnesota.

Curated from nearly 1,000 submissions, the book preserves these artworks as a lasting historical and cultural record.

Preorder your copy here. Books are expected to ship in September.

Art credit: Standing Together by Meredith Johanson, watercolor and India ink, 7×9”, 2026.

Fundraising Gala

On October 15th, join us from 6-9pm at the Landmark Center in St. Paul. The Rebel Loon Archive is partnering with the Ramsey County Historical Society to host a fundraising gala.

Featuring live and silent auctions, live music, local art, and catering by Owamni, the event will support both the Archive’s ongoing preservation work and local community organizations including the Immigrant Defense Network.

The theme is “Migration,” so consider which aspect of migration (or creature!) might inspire your outfit. All interpretations, from subtle to dramatic, are welcome.

Tickets and more information are available at https://givebutter.com/c/rla-2026 .

Art credit: Rebel Loon Archive Logo by Ike Whiting, crop art, 2026. Logo designed by @bambikhan.

Upcoming Publications

We are excited to regularly publish 50-60 page softcover books of art focusing on one particular artist, theme, or medium. Through October 1, we’ll be accepting art related to the Boundary Waters here for a Spring 2027 hardcover coffee table art book.

Here’s our tentative list of future publications:

Protest Portraits by Lisa Yednorowicz

Early 2027: Boundary Waters Canoeing Area: Sacred Wilderness

Later 2027: Resistance Quilts & Textiles

Resistance Tattoos & Crop Art

AI & Data Centers

Art credit: Mexican Lady with Common Loon by Mary Perez, acrylic, 14×14”, 2026.

Digital Archive

The digital archive is the beating heart of the Rebel Loon Archive. Working in partnership with the Ramsey County Historical Society, we will soon begin creating a publicly-accessible online catalog of all the artwork that has been submitted to the Archive.

This catalog will be searchable by topic, and will be a valuable resource for artists as well as academics.

Art credit: A Day in the Life of a Minneapolis 8th Grader by Eleanor K, marker on paper, 2026.

Social Media

Come join the conversation on Facebook! Nearly 8,000 followers keep things lively, and we share plenty of artwork. Take a peek, and click “follow” while you’re there. Maybe you’ll be the person who officially pushes us over the line to 8,000!

We also are active on Instagram, and regularly share new art and updates there.

Art credit (in Facebook cover photo): Minnesota Pushes Back by Steve Sack, digital, 2026. stevesack.substack.com

FAQs & Transparency

  • The Rebel Loon Archive was founded and is directed by Erica Helander, a Minnesotan writer and editor. The project is supported by a small working team composed of design professionals, curatorial advisors, archivists, and administrative contributors. Some team members will be compensated at fair market rates for professional services, while others are contributing their time in a volunteer capacity.

    The Rebel Loon Archive operates as a limited liability company (LLC) and is fiscally sponsored by Springboard for the Arts, a Twin Cities nonprofit.

    Fiscal sponsorship provides accountability in finances and curatorial responsibility, and helps keep the Archive’s mission consistent as it grows.

  • Absolutely!

    Submit art related to ICE, Operation Metro Surge, and immigration enforcement at bit.ly/rebel-loon.

    Art addressing the Boundary Waters (BWCA) is accepted through September 1st at bit.ly/bwca-art.

  • While use of AI in general is a nuanced subject, artwork generated with AI is NOT accepted into the Rebel Loon Archive. Artists are required to disclose use of generative AI in the creative process upon submission.

    There are applications where AI is an appropriate tool. We firmly believe that the creation of art is not one of them. Human intellect, creativity, and collaboration are always worth the extra time and effort.

    (And frankly, we’d much rather see “bad” art made by human hands than yet another yellowish, overcrowded AI-generated knockoff.)

  • Tickets are available now for the Rebel Loon Archive gala on October 15th. You can find tickets and more information here.

  • Yes, submissions are accepted through a form that collects files and metadata while addressing rights, compensation, merchandising opportunities, and loans/donations.

    This form has been reviewed by an intellectual property lawyer and serves as a good faith agreement between artists and the Rebel Loon Archive.

    Some artists have chosen to provide additional documentation for their agreement with the Archive, and those are honored and recorded.

    In short, artists retain all rights to publish and sell their work elsewhere, while the Rebel Loon Archive receives rights to reproduce the work in digital and print format with artist credit. This right of reproduction is intended for preserving and publicizing the artist’s work, and allows the Archive to share work online, in exhibits, and in published works.

    The submission form includes details on how to revoke Archive permissions if artists decide to do so. The Archive will then make a good faith effort to remove the artwork from online platforms.

    Currently, the Archive does not financially compensate artists for submitting work. In the future, as grants and donations allow, one of the Archive’s goals is to provide honorariums for artists who are selected for publication in physical works or exhibits.

  • Community giving will be documented with summaries published online and updates provided to backers and collaborators.

    The Archive’s collaborating institutions will receive a detailed financial report for accountability’s sake.