Creation and Implementation of Family Programming for Richfield Historical Society

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,120
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Richfield Historical Society
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
In Progress
Start Date
January 2013
End Date
January 2014
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Hennepin
Hennepin
Project Overview
To increase accessibility to Richfield history for K-12 audiences.
Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications
Minnesota Historical Society Governing Board: William R. Stoeri, President Missy S. Thompson, Vice President Ruth Huss, Vice President D. Stephen Elliott, Secretary Dean M. Nelson, Treasurer Suzanne Blue Brenda J. Child Robert Bruininks Judith S. Corson D. Stephen Elliott Phyllis Rawls Goff William D. Green David R. Hakensen Ruth S. Huss Martha Kaemmer Dennis L. Lamkin David M. Larson Charles Mahar Dean M. Nelson Elizabeth M. Nordlie Dennis Nguyen Peter R. Reis Hussein Samatar Simon Stevens Susan Kenny Stevens William R. Stoeri Karen Wilson Thissen Missy Staples Thompson Eleanor Winston Ex-Officio: Mark Dayton, Governor Yvonne Prattner Solon Lieutenant Governor Mark Ritchie, Secretary of State Lori Swanson, Attorney General Rebecca Otto, State Auditor
Advisory Group Members and Qualifications
Historic Resources Advisory Committee Mark Peterson, Winona (Chair) - Executive Director, Winona County Historical Society - Governor's appointee to Minnesota Sesquicentennial and Minnesota Humanities Commissions - Qualified in history, historic preservation and history museum administration Leanne Brown, Eden Prairie - Director of Development, Carver County Library/Library Foundation - Formerly, Executive Director, Carver County Historical Society - Qualified in history, project management and museum studies Jack Byers, Minneapolis - Manager, Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development Department (CPED) - Manages CPED's Preservation and Design Section - Qualified in historic preservation, architecture, urban geography and planning Tamara Edevold, Bagley - Executive Director, Clearwater County Historical Society - Active in Minnesota's Historic Northwest, regional historical organization - Qualified in history, archaeology, anthropology and history museum administration Ram Gada, Eden Prairie - Engineer - Active in the documentation of Minnesota's East Indian community - State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB), former member - Qualified in engineering, energy consulting and grants administration William Latady, Tower - Bois Forte Deputy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer - Curator, Bois Forte Heritage Museum - Qualified in archaeology, anthropology, historic preservation and history museum administration Benjamin Vander Kooi, Luverne - Attorney practicing as Vander Kooi Law Offices, P.A., in Luverne, MN - Active in Vote Yes! Campaign - Past chair, MN State Arts Board - Advisor, National Trust for Historic Preservation - Qualified in historic preservation, nonprofit and grants administration Brenda Child, Minneapolis - Chair, Department of American Indian Studies, University of Minnesota - Enrolled member, Red Lake Nation - Qualified in history, American Studies and American Indian Studies Nicole Foss, Bemidji - Executive Director, Beltrami County Historical Society, Bemidji, MN - Qualified in anthropology, historical archaeology, library and museum fields Kris Kiesling, Roseville - Director of Archives and Special Collections at University of MN Libraries - State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) member - Qualified in library and archives, digital services and history Jan Louwagie, Marshall - Coordinator, Southwest Minnesota Regional Research Center, Southwest Minnesota State University - Founding member of Society for the Study of Local and Regional History - Former member of State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) - Qualified in history and archival administration Ann Meline, Saint Cloud - Deputy Director, Stearns History Museum, St. Cloud - Formerly Assistant Director/Public Programs managing Exhibits, Collections and Education Departments - Former grant reviewer for Institute of Museum and Library Services - Qualified in history, nonprofit and museum administration Peter Reis, White Bear Lake - President, White Bear Lake Area Historical Society - Chair, Minnesota Historical Society's Grants Review Committee - Qualified in history and nonprofit and grants administration William Stoeri, Minneapolis - Ex-officio member (president of the MHS Board) Missy Staples Thompson, Saint Paul - Ex-officio member (treasurer of the MHS Board)
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota for 2011 Chapter 6, Article 4, Subdivision 5, Statewide Historic and Cultural Grants.
Appropriation Language

Statewide Historic and Cultural Grants. $5,250,000 the first year and $5,250,000 the second year are for history programs and projects operated or conducted by or through local, county, regional, or other historical or cultural organizations; or for activities to preserve significant historic and cultural resources.

2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$1,120
Direct expenses
$1,120
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Despite the completion of only one of the two proposed program initiatives, all short-term goals as stated in the grant application have been fully achieved. Observation of pilot programs at both the RHS museum campus, and Richfield Middle School showed that visitors were fully engaged in program activities, and that groups collaborated to problem-solve. Program participants were able to make decisions that moved individual program narratives forward in a logical/understandable way. While the public program proved more illustrative of the programs success in promoting cross-generational participation (given the varied age demographics among public users), both the public and Middle School based programs did engage a visitors representative of diverse communities.

Intermediate and long-term results have yet to be achieved, as the project is still largely in the pilot stages. This represents a setback when measured against the original proposal's stated work-plan benchmarks. However, these setbacks were related to several significant and unanticipated changes that deeply affected all operational aspects of the Richfield Historical Society - namely the departure of our Executive Director Jodi Larson, as well as the premature departure of T.J. Malaskee, the contractor hired to lead this program development initiative.

The initial success of the "Minnesota Territory: 1851" program as an education outreach initiative has poised RHS for success in achieving the long-range goals associated with this program initiative. Based on the success of in-school pilot programs in 2013, Richfield Middle School has already requested that RHS return in the fall of 2014 to offer the program again. This is a huge success for RHS, as the society has been struggling to develop school-aged programming that attracts local teachers and their students.

Recipient Board Members
Bill Walker, David Larson, Reed Bornholdt, John Bjostad, John Lindley, David Butler, David Melcher, Buzz Petersen, Todd Chase, Steven Larson, Ruthann Clay
Project Manager
First Name
Jodi
Last Name
Larson
Organization Name
Richfield Historical Society
Street Address
6901 Lyndale Avenue S
City
Richfield
State
MN
Zip Code
55423
Phone
612-798-6140
Administered By
Administered by
Location

345 W. Kellogg Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155

Phone
651-259-3000