Digital Exhibit Planning for Norwegian-American Commemorations in Minnesota
To plan and research several Norwegian-American historical topics for a digital exhibit in preparation for several commemorations, including a 2025 conference on migration.
$5,982,000 the first year and $7,000,000 the second year are for statewide historic and cultural grants to local, county, regional, or other historical or cultural organizations or for activities to preserve significant historic and cultural resources. Money must be distributed through a competitive grant process. The Minnesota Historical Society must administer the money using established grant mechanisms, with assistance from the advisory committee created under Laws 2009, chapter 172, article 4, section 2, subdivision 4, paragraph (b), item (ii).
Available upon request. Contact: grants@mnhs.org
SHORT TERM:
Our short term goals have been accomplished. The research report has been archived and a bibliography of resources has been made available online (https://naha.stolaf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2025-Commemoration-R…)
INTERMEDIATE:
Our intermediate indicators are still in-progress as we develop online resources to map Norwegian-American places in the Twin Cities based on David Mauk's publication Heart of the Heartland. Once the online resources for the mapping project and digital exhibit from this research have been developed, NAHA will share more about this research project funded by the Minnesota Legacy Grants.
LONG TERM:
It is still too early to confirm that our long-term indicators will be achieved, but we expect that this research, bibliography of resources, and future exhibit will lead to increased research and citations, especially as we approach 2025 NAHA's centennial and the bicentennial of organized Norwegian migration. Already, we can point to the following:
2025 Seminar hosted by the Norwegian-American Historical Association at St. Olaf College to commemorate 200 years of organized Norwegian migration. During this seminar, we plan to highlight collections in the NAHA archives used in this research.
NAHA will continue to work with faculty at St. Olaf College and other institutions to incorporate this content into curriculum and stimulate research. For example, NAHA has:
Visited a first-year seminar at St. Olaf College, taught by Dr. Nora Vosberg, focused on heritage and identity.
Visited a St. Olaf Nordic Studies class taught by Dr. Kari Lie Dorer focused on her research and upcoming book on St. Olaf founder B.J. Muus and his divorce case (See https://pages.stolaf.edu/dorer/translation-fru-muus-klage/).
Visited a St. Olaf History class on U.S. Immigration taught by University of Minnesota PhD candidate Gengwu Wang.
Visited a St. Olaf Norwegian class taught by Dr. Jenna Coughlin focused on materials in Norwegian to understand the change in language in Norwegian America.
Developed fellowships to be awarded in 2024. This includes an Archives Fellowship to promote exploration into new understandings of the Norwegian-American experience as articulated in the Association's research prospectus. Preference will be given to projects that rely heavily on collections in the archives of the Norwegian-American Historical Association.
Available upon request, grants@mnhs.org