Viking Library System Legacy Grant SFY 2012 - SFY 2013

Minnesota Book Award 25th Anniversary Galas – Regional Support

In a two-day series of four companion events in four communities, Perham, Elbow Lake, Alexandria and Fergus Falls, Minnesota authors William Durbin, Lorna Landvik, Anton Treuer and Kao Kalia Yang made public presentations on writing in general and their award-winning works specifically. Audiences were enthralled as they learned about the body of work the authors had published, the process each uses in writing and the publishing industry. Lorna Landvik entertained in her hilarious style as she talked about her journey from improvisational and stand-up comedian to author. Anton Treuer answered questions on contemporary American Indian culture in his casual no-holds-barred format. And Koa Kalia Yang kept the audience engrossed with her personal struggles of her Hmong family and their immigration from a refugee camp in Thailand to the United States.

Revisiting Twain’s Mississippi

Revisiting Twain’s Mississippi: New Photographs by Chris Faust was a seven-week photography exhibition sponsored by Viking Library System and hosted by the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center. The exhibit, which included cyanotypes by H.P. Bosse, paired with contemporary photographs taken by Chris Faust from similar vantage points, was enhanced by four additional programs that took place during the exhibit.

Artist Talk by Photographer Chris Faust

At the exhibit opening, Chris Faust discussed his inspiration and challenges in photographing sites documented by H.P. Bosse from 1882-1892. Faust showed slides and remarked on the geographic, architectural and ecological changes he noted over two decades.

Two-day school residency featuring musician Charlie Maguire

The sixth grade classes in New York Mills Elementary School visited the photography exhibit to become familiar with it and to choose a personally meaningful photo. Following the field trip, Charlie Maguire worked with the classes, taught students how to play the spoons and accompany him while he played guitar and sang. Then each class wrote an original song about the Mississippi River based on a photograph from the exhibit. The residency ended with an all-school concert, which included each class performing their song for the school.

Charlie Maguire in Concert: Featuring Songs of the Mississippi

In a concert at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, Charlie Maguire performed songs inspired by the Mississippi River, all original or traditional songs. Maguire introduced each song with an informative story, providing historical context.

Twilight of the Mississippi

The documentary film Twilight of the Mississippi chronicles the journey of the Unseen Ghost Brigade, a theatre troupe who built a raft and traveled down the Mississippi River, exploring “the hidden American, a patchwork of mysterious, conflicting worlds, with the river cutting through the middle of them all.” These accompanying events encouraged many more people to view the exhibit and engage in conversation about the Mississippi River and its future.