New York Mills Regional Cultural Center

Creativity, community vitality, and arts!

Located in the rural farm and manufacturing town of New York Mills, Minnesota, is a rural hub for creativity, community vitality, and lifelong learning in the arts. We offer visitors intimate opportunities to encounter art and artists in our 80-seat concert listening room, two art galleries in a historic building, a gift store featuring local artists, an artist residency program, a sculpture park, and a variety of opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Since our incorporation in 1990, we have been passionate about connecting people to artists and rich cultural experiences in rural Minnesota, celebrating the local and being a window to the world.

The Cultural Center’s two-story 1818’s era brick building is a beautifully restored example of prairie architecture. The Center features two art galleries with gallery exhibits all year long featuring the work of regional artists. A fine gift store featuring the work of more than 80 regional artists provides opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind art.

The Center is home to the nationally renowned Great American Think-Off. Approaching its 25th year in 2017, the Think-Off is an exhibition of civil disagreement between powerful ideas being explored by everyday people. Designed to bring philosophy down from the ivory towers of academia and make it accessible for all, the contest has received national acclaim including coverage by C-SPAN, the New York Times, and The Today Show. The Cultural Center hosts this annual philosophy contest and encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to participate. To get a better sense of the Great American Think-Off, a number of videos, articles, photos and audio recordings, as well as past winning essays, can be found on the event website