You’ll hear a lot about collectible design galleries in cities like Miami, New York, London and Milan. Minneapolis? Not so much. It’s a challenge that designer Victoria Sass, founder of Prospect Refuge Studio, has decided to take on personally by opening a gallery dedicated to exhibiting functional art and design, which will debut in the city’s Northeast neighborhood later this month.

With Prospect Refuge Gallery, Sass has a vision of “exporting the Midwest” by highlighting regional talent while also “importing the world” by enlisting a far-flung selection of artists and makers to exhibit in the space. For the inaugural exhibition, she’s found a way to do both, tapping Jeremy Anderson, a New York–based ceramist and designer who was born and raised in Minnesota. For “Homecoming: Objects of Origin,” Anderson (who also co-founded lighting design studio Apparatus) was inspired by the photography of Bernd and Hilla Becher, a German duo known for their documentation of industrial architecture. The 21-piece collection features lighting and ceramics that draw on forms that are synonymous with rural life, including water towers and silos. “Those shapes are like characters in the rural landscape,” he says. “Growing up in Minnesota and having family across the Midwest, it’s a concept that really resonates with me. It was an opportunity, through my own process of making, to do some storytelling.”

Sculptural vessels that will be featured in Anderson’s exhibit “Homecoming: Objects of Origin” Courtesy of Prospect Refuge Gallery

While it’s relatively common for an interior designer to open a home furnishings shop and highlight a few favorite makers, Sass was curious to try a different approach. “I feel like there is a saturated market of home stores. I wanted to create a place [for] artists who aren’t necessarily working in the design world, who make pieces that might feel tangential to design, but could do a small collection with us that allows them an introduction into the design world,” she explains. She also feels that collectible design can serve as a gateway for consumers who may not have a lot of exposure to fine art: “It’s an entry point for a lot of people. Functional art that you can live with gives consumers a chance to dip their toe in and gain an understanding about craft and value.”

Sass acknowledges that the fine art scene in the Twin Cities is not as robust as in larger cities, but she feels that there is an ingrained appreciation for good design that’s waiting to be nurtured. Blu Dot, Room & Board, Hennepin Made and Cambria are all headquartered in Minneapolis, and there’s a rich community of independent furniture makers and ceramists in the region as well. Though there are artisans aplenty, Sass says that she’s seen a hesitancy to self-promote from local makers—something she attributes to the humble nature of Midwesterners. “There’s a contentment that people have here that I think is unique. People don’t necessarily want 100 commissions or a lot of press. They’re happy to just do the work,” she explains. “I want to be their bullhorn and champion what’s happening here. I think starting with Jeremy as our first exhibitionist, showing artists from this region someone who came from here and is doing work unlike anyone else—I hope he can be a model for what’s possible. And for me, I’d love to be the gallery representation for the region, and be a sort of chauffeur between the artisans here and the rest of the world.”

Those same Midwestern values that might keep artisans from seeking the limelight are also what make the region a perfect place to exhibit work of a high caliber. “When you think of qualities like modesty, frugality—these are beautiful, amazing values that people hold here,” says Sass. “When you pair that with the taste level in the region, which is very high, you end up with clients who choose really thoughtfully. They put a lot of thought into the pieces that they fill their lives with. It is meaningful. It is valuable. They invest, and they invest for generations. If someone buys a piece of work from our gallery, it’s going to be with the intention to hand it down to their children and grandchildren.”

Anderson’s exhibit opens June 13 and will run through August; Sass is already beginning to think about what future exhibitions might look like, with plans to explore showing a more regional artisan in tandem with one from a more mainstream market. She’s also toying with the idea of curated group shows, highlighting a select number of pieces from multiple designers. “I’m obviously not trying to do everything, but I think that providing a viable financial revenue stream for artists to live and work here would be great, and I think the home space can be lucrative once makers find a clientele,” she says.

Anderson was inspired by rural architectural forms, like water towers and silos for the lighting in the exhibitCourtesy of Prospect Refuge Gallery

She also hopes that once this proverbial door is open, it may lead to more opportunities for diverse voices in the Twin Cities and beyond. “We have an incredible Hmong population here, as well as a major Somali population. There’s so much diversity here that I can’t speak to, but I can help start a conversation around collectible design here,” she says. “From there, maybe we can get more complex and start to talk about what it means to be Midwestern, and what modern Midwestern art and design looks like.”

For Anderson, whose main representation is through the London-based Gallery Fumi, the prospect of bringing his work to a new community where collectible design is less accessible is exciting. “I was talking to a colleague recently who was toying with the idea of doing a collectible design fair in Naples, Italy, simply because it’s not an obvious choice but there’s an appetite for good design there,” says Anderson. “I think Victoria is tapping into this zeitgeist of wanting to take design outside of the obvious environments.”

Sass points to the development of the artisan community in the Hudson Valley over the past decade, noting that well-versed interior designers and homeowners alike are searching for different experiences when it comes to sourcing. “I go to Frieze and Design Miami, and I love those shows, and I know that not everyone wants to look beyond the beaten path,” she says. “But if you like emerging artists and you want to find a diamond in the rough, come to the Midwest. I’ll help you find them.”