**The Red Light Houses' annual Arts Fest was the collective's last hurrah as a community venue on Aug. 26. The surrounding community gathered in the garage one last time to watch local artists perform.**

Story and photos by Azhae’la Hanson, Reporter

On a quiet block on the border of North Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center, a red house stands on the corner. For the last three years, a red lamp illuminated a path into what some saw as a home and others as a haven.

Inside, music drifted from a converted garage-turned gallery — a community venue, where local singers recorded demos, poets read under the glow of string lights, and artists showcased their work late into the evening to doting crowds.

The Red Light House felt like the only place of its kind for many in the queer and BIPOC arts community.

In August, they were shut down by the City of Brooklyn Center and are now seeking a new venue to host community events.

It’s a queer women-led arts collective that offers versatile, intimate arts experiences in North Minneapolis. It was founded in 2022 by two best friends, Jenny Zander and Elena Bagne. The two bought the Red Light House and spent months renovating the property into a safe place of belonging, of art, and as a launching pad for upcoming artists.

“It was the only thing we could do at the time,” Zander said. “Getting a brick-and-mortar business in a commercially zoned area is really expensive. So buying a house and combining where we lived and worked, that just made sense.”

The collective helps local artists record their music in their garage. In July, local Liberian artist Caesar Weah spent the day in The Red Light House’s garage recording his single “HOWUCOMINON,” and prepared to perform it later that summer during the collective's Art Fest.

Historically, queer spaces have always existed on the margins.

“We’re in the underground scene, sure,” Zander laughed. “But it’s a beacon, we are light.”

The name “Red Light House” was more than just a nod to its color; it was a symbol of resistance and warmth, a guiding light amidst political conditions where queer and BIPOC artists often struggled to find accessible spaces to perform.

Soon after its founding, word spread fast.

Local musicians, visual artists, and poets, many of whom are queer, and many people of color, began to find their way there.

“We started having people come from out of state just to perform in the garage,” Zander said. “It blew our minds.”

During the last Arts Fest, founder Elena Bagne, former Co-director Key Rose, and founder Jenny Zander stood in their community arts installation, which read “have the courage to create the space in which you fit.”

By 2025, the Red Light House had hosted over 75 events: open mics, art shows, film screenings, an annual arts festival and music nights that filled the backyard with laughter, sound, and color.

“It felt intentional,” Lauren Coleman said, an artist and longtime participant. “Every piece of art, every performance, it all felt sweet and necessary. Like we were building something together.”

But as the community grew, so did the city's attention. In July, Brooklyn Center officials warned the collective that they were operating in violation of residential zoning laws and that they couldn't host large public gatherings.

Faced with mounting pressure from citations, the founders made the painful decision to stop. Their final event was their annual arts fest on Aug. 26. The news was devastating to the community they’ve built.

“It’s heartbreaking,” David Glasgow said, an attendee at the August arts fest. “So many people do good things for their community, and instead of being helped to make it legitimate, they get shut down. You don’t often hear the story where the city says, ‘Let me help you keep this going’.”

Although they hit a wall with hosting events on their property, the arts collective immediately began pivoting to “keep the light on” for their community of artists.

In October, just two months after closing, the group reemerged with an outdoor fashion show called Weathering Together, funded by a Springboard For The Arts grant. The fashion show took place at the Kroening Nature Center and explored the impact of industrialization on North Minneapolis and how communities find resilience in the face of harm.

Collective Member, Nova, performed an original poem at the Red Light Houses' “Weathering Together” event in October. It was the collective's first community event since pivoting from its home-based community venue.

“We’ve been blessed with working with other incredible people who share in our vision. This show felt grounded, a confirmation that The Red Light House is more than just a place, it’s an idea,” Bagne said. “It’s a feeling, that a home is what you make it and who you make it with. I’m excited for what’s to come, and I want to thank everyone who has been a part of our journey thus far.”

They have an active GoFundMe to raise the money to relocate into their own commercial space.

“The true queer spaces that survive are the ones that own their ground,” Zander said. “Ownership is power. That’s what we’re working toward.”

A queer arts beacon fights to keep its light on