Watermark Art Center

Watermark Art Center is a non-profit, member-supported organization in Bemidji, Minnesota, dedicated to nurturing, exhibiting, and promoting the visual arts. Housed in a former grocery store on Lake Bemidji, the center offers four rotating galleries featuring regional and national artists, including dedicated spaces for Indigenous artwork and Bemidji State University's ceramic and print collections. Beyond exhibitions, Watermark hosts community events, performances, and art classes for all skill levels, and operates SHOP 505, a retail gallery offering handmade work on consignment from regional makers. Each July, the organization presents the Watermark Art Festival, drawing thousands of visitors and more than 100 art vendors to Bemidji's waterfront. Watermark traces its roots to 1982, when the Bemidji Community Arts Council merged with the Bemidji Art Center Association to form the Bemidji Community Arts Center, later renamed Watermark Art Center in 2014.