The Twin Cities have always had a healthy local arts community. It boasts at least two world-class art museums, as well as a smattering of independent art galleries at a level of quantity and quality that would surprise most outsiders. The scene has thrived largely due to the support of local arts patrons and corporate philanthropists like Target.

You might think a year of economic recession would impede the art scene's growth. By all appearances it's just the opposite: In 2010, the Twin Cities saw a burst of new independently run galleries. New venues such as Cult Status, XYandZ, Tarnish & Gold, CO Exhibitions and Nevermind Gallery opened, as did a newly relocated Rosalux Gallery. In addition to galleries that opened in 2009 -- Pink Hobo, 1419 and Gallery 13 -- these grass-roots art spaces have become some of the more active in town.

Many of the new galleries are artist-run. Cult Status Gallery, a cooperative venture managed by painter Erin Sayer, merges the talent of artist collectives 33 Design and Mpls Deth Crew. "I think the proliferation of artist-run galleries is indicative of a new independent art culture," Sayer says. "Artists -- especially in Minneapolis and smaller-sized cities -- are no longer slave to the highbrow gallery scene that was prevalent for so long." And as in the case of the increasing visibility of Cult Status artists like Deuce 7 and Rudy Fig, the Internet comes into play, exposing local artists on a national scale in a way that wouldn't have been possible in the past.

Rosalux Gallery director Terrence Payne concurs, crediting the upswing of artist-run spaces with "the freedom and access to exposure that artists now enjoy," as well as social media. "The community has become closer while growing at the same time," he adds.

Or as Mike Davis -- screenprinter, graphic designer and co-owner of the artist-run CO Exhibitions -- puts it: "I wouldn't want to eat a meal cooked by a chef who hates food."

Despite the apparent growth, the scene took a few blows in 2010. Flanders Contemporary Art, Art of This Gallery and Sellout Gallery all turned off their lights, as did design shop ROBOTlove. The beloved Soo Visual Arts Center downsized to a smaller space, and the underground publication Art Review & Preview (ARP) went out of print. Meanwhile, even major institutions like the Walker Art Center have shown signs of financial struggle.

"Galleries opening and closing is nothing new," says Kristoffer Knutson, co-director of mplsart.com and owner of ROBOTlove. But Knutson concedes that the art scene has definitely moved to a more DIY, independent spirit, which is reflected in most of the artwork being exhibited, like activist art and street art. He attributes the shift to the economic downturn.

The downside? It comes down to the bottom line. Independent and nonprofit galleries lack a network of buyers and dealer relations that commercial spaces such as Weinstein Gallery and Circa Gallery tout, Knutson explains.

"Unfortunately, Minneapolis hasn't really had a buyer-driven market for some time," Knutson says. "But perhaps this fresh crop of galleries can help to cultivate a new group of collectors."