Buy artwork from $2 to $2,000 at Minneapolis College of Art and Design's annual art sale

It's not Christmas, but at Minneapolis College of Art and Design's 27th Annual Art Sale, it's starting to feel a lot like it.

This year potential buyers can browse among nearly 7,000 works of art — created by some 500 artists — Thursday through Saturday. Artwork prices range from $2 to $2,000.

The MCAD Art Sale gives younger artists a boost, offering them a chance to learn about pricing their work and networking in person. For alumni, it's a chance to connect with artists in the community and make some extra money.

"The art sale started with three staff members 27 years ago, and it was really a modest event," MCAD Art Sale organizer Grace Bridgeford said. "It's grown to represent so many people within our MCAD artist community, and it takes two weeks to install this three-day shopping experience. I feel really proud to steward over it. It's the best visual representation of our creative community."

Two years ago, organizers opened the MCAD Art Sale to all alumni, rather than only alumni who had graduated within the past five years. Artists can sell up to 20 pieces. Alumni can price their work up to $2,000 rather than capping it at $1,500.

This year, artists' artwork will be clustered together as collections, all located in the same place. A portion of artwork sales also goes toward student scholarships. Last year, the art sale paid out $450,000 to artists and $100,000 for student scholarships.

"The art sale has always kind of been our unofficial homecoming," Bridgeford added.

Artist Ellen Thomson has been painting for more than 25 years and works regularly with Gallery 360 in Minneapolis. She's been participating in the MCAD art sale since 2016 and usually sells 80% of what she puts into it. One year her artworks earned $13,000 in the sale. She works by day as a web and UX designer but has started to rely on the art sale income.

"The last couple of years, I've been using it to set up a fund for my son for college," she said.

Artist Noah Thomalla, a senior at MCAD majoring in sculpture, will be doing the show for the first time. He will sell three medium-sized paintings for around $300 each. Previously, he sold work via social media and through an exhibition at the end of a study abroad experience.

"There are people that sell works every single time they post something [on Instagram], and they're not even represented by a gallery," he said. "Or maybe they're posting things and that's how they get gallery access. I think it's a way different time than before, and it's a tool for every artist to brand and market themselves and create an artistic identity."

For students like Thomalla who are preparing to enter the art market, the MCAD Art Sale is a steppingstone.

"I think that's why I'm a big fan of the art sale, because we're all doing this all through social media now," he said. "Also because we're all students, we don't have the experience of just being in a room with our work on display, talking to people in the industry, trying to network, trying to get a brand, and also just trying to get people to see our work."

MCAD 27th Annual Art Sale

When: 6-9 p.m. Thu., 6-9 p.m. Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat.

Where: Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 2501 Stevens Av. S., Mpls.

Cost: $175 Thu. (VIP ticket sales for Thu. end Wed. at 5 p.m.), $30 Fri., free on Sat. For tickets and more info, visit mcadartsale.com.