Address: 3000 University Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis, MN, 55414
Upcoming Events: Jump to Textile Center for Fiber Art Events
Website: Textile Center
Phone: 612-436-0464
Experience a day of creativity and fun for the whole family at the Textile Center in Minneapolis. While much of this national center for fiber art is geared toward adult makers, they do offer classes for kids and families, birthday parties, and summer camps. The galleries are open to the general public and can make a low-key introduction to art galleries and museums for young kids.
About the Textile Center
The Textile Center was formed by a group of fiber artists and patrons and incorporated in 1994. As an umbrella arts organization for fiber artists and textile arts groups, the Textile Center’s mission includes:
- Providing inspiration and support to fiber artists.
- Increasing public access to and education about fiber art.
- Fostering and promoting diversity in all areas of fiber art.
- Preserving fiber art skills and traditions.
- Providing a central networking and resource facility for fiber artists.
Galleries at the Textile Center
Galleries are free and open to the public when the Center is open. We like small galleries with small children to nurture appreciation for viewing art. Unlike with big museums, there is no temptation to stretch the visit beyond the child’s natural attention span. Textile art tends to fall into the folk art category, which generally uses easy-to-find materials. As you walk through the gallery, look for inspiration and discuss ways you could make your own textile art at home: “Should we make a collage wall hanging with fabric scraps?” “Macrame looks fun!”” I wonder what kind of stuffies we could create at home?”
- “Should we make a collage wall hanging with fabric scraps?”
- “Macrame looks fun! Could we do that?”
- “I wonder what kind of stuffies we could create at home?”
Parking is available, but the Center is situated across the street from a METRO Green Line station. This is a great outing to combine with a train ride. There is a nearby Fresh Thyme Market, and in warmer weather, you can walk to the Witch’s Hat Water Tower at Tower Hill Park to have a picnic and engage in some physical activity before hopping the train to head home.
Tours
Self-guided tours are always free. If you have a bigger group, you can book a paid tour, which will include a teaching artist and a hands-on activity.
A Garden to Dye For
A Garden to Dye For is a dye plant garden located on the west side of the Textile Center and cared for by master gardener, Wanda Friedrich. The Center is currently working on adding educational signage to help explain the uses of the various plants. The public is encouraged to stop by and enjoy the garden.
Textile Center Library
The textile libraries contain thousands of books, magazines and publications about the textile arts. You can search the Catalog online. Although only members can check out materials, this could come in handy for school projects.
Birthday Parties at the Textile Center
The Textile Center offers private Group Make & Take Experiences that are ideal for a creative birthday party. These events can be one-on-one or for up to 30 participants and include up to 90 minutes of instruction. Crafts include Shibori -Style Tie Dye, felted accessories, Boro-stitched coasters or bookmarks, needlework, beginner sewing machine skills, visible mending or contemporary tapestry weaving.
For more birthday party ideas, visit our Ultimate Guide to Birthday Parties in the Twin Cities.
Youth Fiber Art Guild
The Youth Fiber Art Guild encourages children to explore the fiber arts, textile traditions and diverse cultures all year. The Guild hopes to instill leadership and organization skills while deepening participant commitment to service and inter-generational interactions.
Membership is $80/year and includes 8 monthly kits with the tools and materials necessary to make a different fiber arts project from around the world.
You can find this and other unique membership gifts in our guide: Membership – The No-Clutter Gift of Together Time.
Summer Camps at the Textile Center
The center offers summer camps all summer, offer topics such as Dye Garden Explorers; Pride Camp; ¡Celebre el Arte Textil!; Young Entrepreneurs Fashion Camp; Reduce, Reuse, Refashion; and From Farm to Fabric.
Featured in Guide to Twin Cities Summer Camps, we share annual information on dates and prices in our guide.
Related Articles:
- Twin Cities Birthday Parties for Kids: Creative Arts
- Twin Cities Summer Camps: Art Camps
- Holiday Shopping Events
Useful Links:
- Find parking information here.
- Search the Library Catalog.
- For more information visit the Youth Fiber Art website.
- Find Youth & Family Classes, Workshops & Camps
- Book a Group Make & Take Class
Share Your Experience/Tips:
We would love to hear your thoughts and parental tips. Share your experiences and any information you think other parents would find useful. Leave us a comment below.Upcoming Family-Friendly Events
- Textile Center Fiber Art Camp - 06/22/2026 - 08/14/2026 - 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Fun Past Events We Hope to See Again
- Textile Center Llama Fest (FREE) - 08/29/2025 - 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
- Fiber Art for All: Growing Community (FREE) - 02/21/2026 - 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Please Note: FamilyFunTwinCities.com is an independent website run by Twin Cities families for Twin Cities families. We attempt to include the information we find most essential as parents. We make every effort to keep up with changes. However, we are not employed by or connected to this venue, and information sometimes changes without our knowledge. We recommend calling or checking the venue’s website for up-to-date information.
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