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Clear to partly cloudy. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
Updated: July 10, 2026 @ 9:37 pm
Photo from MMAM
Associate Curator of Climate & Clean Water Kamala Nair shows off the site of the Minnesota Marine Art Museum upcoming rooftop solar project.
Photo from MMAM
Associate Curator of Climate & Clean Water Kamala Nair shows off the site of the Minnesota Marine Art Museum upcoming rooftop solar project.
The Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM) was awarded a $75,000 grant from the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative (FCI) in 2025 to install a rooftop solar array, further advancing the museum’s commitment to environmental stewardship and reducing its carbon footprint.
MMAM was one of 74 visual arts institutions nationwide selected as part of the 2025 FCI grantee cohort, with grants totaling $3.4 million, part of a national effort to promote energy efficiency and climate resilience within the cultural sector.
Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, MMAM is an art museum with a unique focus on content that fosters dialogue about water. The proposed Minnesota Marine Art Museum Climate rooftop solar array will further the institution’s dedication to cultivating sustainability through both public programming and internal operations.
The MMAM rooftop solar array has been organized in collaboration with both Solar Bear and BlueSky Electric Company. Solar Bear is the only Native American/minority owned solar installation company in the state of Minnesota, founded by Robert Blake, a citizen of the Red Lake Nation. Alongside Blake, Solar Bear’s Project Manager, Jan Hubbard, has played an instrumental role in setting the stage for the MMAM rooftop solar array project. The installation of the solar array project will be carried out by BlueSky Electric Company, a highly trusted and pioneering company in renewable energy sources, based in Brooklyn Park, Minn. This collaboration reflects MMAM’s growing commitment to environmental justice and statewide climate solutions.
The solar array project will install 280 rooftop solar panels with a total capacity of 163.84 kW, covering approximately half of the museum’s roof. The system is expected to generate an estimated 177,691 kWh of electricity annually, providing roughly 50% of MMAM’s yearly energy needs. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, the installation will reduce the museum’s carbon emissions by approximately 152 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.
Following an internal assessment and consultation with MMAM’s Clean Water and Climate Task Force, an eight-person advisory group appointed by the museum’s Board of Directors, the museum sought guidance from Native Sun Community Powered Solar Development (NSCPSD), a Native-led nonprofit dedicated to advancing renewable energy, energy efficiency, and a just energy transition. NSCPSD introduced MMAM to Solar Bear in 2023, recognizing the firm’s expertise and alignment with the museum’s mission.
Buildings are currently the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 37% of total emissions. By installing this solar system, MMAM not only takes a major step toward achieving its sustainability goals but also provides a model for how museums can collaborate with pioneering climate leaders to lower emissions, reduce long-term energy costs, and engage the public in meaningful conversations about clean energy.
“This is a very exciting and necessary next step in reducing our environmental impact,” said Kamala Nair, MMAM’s Associate Curator of Climate & Clean Water. “This solar installation will allow us to demonstrate climate leadership through action, and show that we value sustainability outside of our exhibitions as well. Through this investment and support from the Frankenthaler Foundation, we are prioritizing our community, our planet, and therefore our future.”
The Frankenthaler Climate Initiative is the first nationwide program to support energy efficiency and clean energy use for the visual arts and the largest private national grantmaking program to address climate action through cultural institutions. Building on the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s commitment to social impact philanthropy and to catalyzing positive change on critical issues in the arts, the Foundation leads FCI in association with Environment & Culture Partners, a nonprofit that creates relationships and leads collaborations that engage the cultural sector in broader climate action; and Green Design Collaborative (GDC), an environmental design consultancy that optimizes building projects through expert collaboration to create a cost-effective, low-carbon future.
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