We provide opportunities to artists, in all stages of their careers, for
GROWTH, EXPLORATION and CREATIVE RISK-TAKING.

Burl Gallery is a small, women-led nonprofit community art gallery rooted in one simple belief: ART is for EVERYONE.

We cultivate an inclusive, accessible community space where artists of all backgrounds and experience levels are
free to explore, experiment, and share their work. We believe creativity thrives without limits — and that
bold ideas, proud achievements, and works in progress all deserve a place to be seen.

All artists are warmly welcome here.

A Bit of History & Our Mission

The roots of Burl Gallery go back to 1997, when it was first established in Lowertown, Saint Paul as an artist co-op
under the name of AZ Gallery.  Like so many others, the pandemic hit our local arts community especially hard. 
The co-op dissolved in 2021 — but within that challenge, we saw an opportunity. 
And opportunity to reimagine how we could better serve, support and uplift the artists around us.

That vision became a community-centered space — a gallery rooted in the values of equity, accessibility and
inclusion — where all are welcome; promoting the principle that “art if for everyone”. 

At its core, OUR MISSION is to provide free and open access to exhibition opportunities by removing the
traditional barriers that often limit artistic participation.  This means the elimination of submission fees,
commissions and restrictive guidelines around content, medium, materials or themes.

Since our journey began, we’ve engaged with & supported close to 900 artists!  

We are BUILDING a COMMUNITY.

Lowertown History

In 1989, the City of Saint Paul invited Artspace to redevelop the six-story warehouse built in 1908 by the Northern
Pacific Railway. The result was the Northern Warehouse Artists’ Cooperative (NWAC), a self-governing,
democratically run artists’ cooperative, one of the first such live-work spaces in the country to be developed.
The Burl Gallery (formerly AZ Gallery) made it’s home in a rustic street-level storefront in 1997, now situated next to
CHS Field and the St. Paul Farmer’s Market.