Saturday night: The Minnesota Museum of American Art's much ballyhooed Project Space will open at last. Since closing its galleries more than three years ago, the MMAA has gypsied around the state, showing pieces from its collection in St. Peter, Duluth and spots between to keep the museum's identity and hopes alive while director Kristin Makholm raised money, hired new staff and sought a permanent home. The Project Space is a step toward the latter goal. Located in St. Paul's historic Pioneer Building, it's a temporary site that will sample the collection, showcase local art and house educational programs. The inaugural show, "Painting the Place Between," is a landscape-inspired display of quasi-abstract paintings by regional talents Betsy Byers, Jil Evans, Holly Swift and Andrew Wykes, who created "12 Hours of Sunset," shown here. During December it will be open only for special programs on four occasions, all free: the opening celebration Saturday from 7:30-10 p.m.; a performance at 7 p.m. Dec. 6; a multimedia event at 7 p.m. Dec. 7, and an artist talk at 7 p.m. Dec. 14. (Pioneer Building, 4th & Robert Sts., St. Paul. Hours in 2013: 4-9 p.m. Thu.-Fri; noon-5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Ends Feb. 17. Free. www.mmaa.org)