#20 - The Road to Crossings at Carnegie - with Marie Marvin Artwork

A Brush With Life

Casual conversations with artists, musicians, farmers and so many other creative, fascinating folks from southeast Minnesota. Let's find out how they got here, what inspires them, what challenges them and how they work.

A Brush With Life is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeast Minnesota Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

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A Brush With Life

#20 - The Road to Crossings at Carnegie - with Marie Marvin

November 12, 2025 • Susan Waughtal • Season 1 • Episode 20

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With plenty of guts and gusto, Marie Marvin turned an old Carnegie Library in Zumbrota, MN, into a hub of creativity. The building was bursting with art, whimsy, artists working, children learning, sometimes even people doing yoga. At night it hummed with fabulous music concerts, artist openings, and poetry readings. Marie has a way of encouraging the artist inside everyone.

The road to Crossings was not an easy or obvious path. Listen in as Marie shares her story, and how after a lifetime of trying to find what she was meant to do with her life, she finally found it.

After 16 years of showcasing and celebrating the arts in Zumbrota, Marie retired two years ago to focus on family and her own personal pursuits. Crossings was sold to Virginia Cooper, who carries on the arts legacy as "Crossings Art Center."