[3] At the Mid-west Women's Artists' Conference in Michigan in 1975, attendees from Minneapolis learned about the practicalities of maintaining a cooperatively run gallery.
They limited the membership to 40 people, who were required to pay dues, attend monthly meetings, and spend at least 300 hours annually on activities related to the organization and gallery.
Designed by Patricia Olson, the periodical featured fiction and poetry from Minnesota women in addition to articles on art.
The journal's editorial committee was chaired by Susan McDonald, Alice Towle, Marty Nash and Elizabeth Erickson until 1985 when Phyllis Wiener took over.
[12] Informed by cultural feminism, WARM Journal was one of the few interdisciplinary publications in the area and for a time it was the only art magazine published regularly in the Twin Cities.
[15] In October 1986, WARM hosted a national conference at the Minneapolis Plaza Hotel called "The Contemporary Women in the Visual Arts".
[17] Shortly after the opening of the nearby Target Center sports complex in October 1990, parking and traffic problems worsened and the gallery experienced a decline in visitors.
They retained the non-profit and the Mentor Program, moving to an office on University Avenue in St. Paul before relocating to the Women's Building on Rice Street.
In addition to its educational and professional programs, WARM maintains an online art registry of local and regional artists and publishes an e-newsletter.
WARM served as a key Midwestern node in the early feminist art movement in the United States.
[20] The University of Minnesota's Weisman Art Museum held an exhibition of work from 12 of WARM's long-term members in 2006.