Viking Library System Legacy Grant SFY 2018 - SFY 2019

Secondary school students from the Fergus Falls Public Library and Pelican Rapids Public Library traveled by coach bus to Chaska High School to attend the 2018 Twin Cities Teen Lit Con. The feedback was tremendous. Very few, if any, of these students would have been able to travel to the event without the sponsorship from Legacy funding. All of the students met authors or had books signed, and the students gained a much deeper understanding of the writing process from contemporary authors of young adult literature.

Children's Art Workshops with Fiber Artist Torri Hanna and Printmaker Michael Weatherly
In two-hour workshops held in six libraries over the 2018 MEA school break, fiber artist Torri Hanna and printmaker Michael Weatherly led school-aged children in artmaking endeavors. During classes on Thursday and Friday, Hanna taught children the skill of finger-knitting to make scarves in Wheaton, Elbow Lake, Alexandria, and Morris. On Friday, Weatherly traveled to Perham and New York Mills to instruct participants how to create mono-prints with natural objects. While the workshops were targeted to youth, a small number of adults were able to take part as space permitted.

Participants learned specific creative skills. A child unfamiliar with finger knitting wrote, "[I liked] learning something new [that] I can do at home, too." A young printmaker wrote, "I like painting the [printing) plates and then pressing it, too!" The step-by-step and personal instruction transformed all participants into artists regardless of skill. A 6-year-old wrote, "I like to finger knit. Still learning. Fun." A participant of the printmaking class wrote, "[I liked] all of it. [Printmaking] was fun. It was kind of hard but this is so cool!"

Hiring local artists was a priority in the planning process: Hanna lives in Fergus Falls, while Weatherly resides in Elbow Lake. The artists worked well with children. A child in Wheaton wrote, "[I liked] the good teacher, fun, and learning how to finger knit. I would like [Torri] to come again." Indeed, the New York Mills Public Library director was so impressed with Weatherly's skill and ability to work with children that she hired him for an Urban Printmaking event held outside the library during a community summer festival.

Patrick Scully in "Leaves of Grass - Illuminated"
Minneapolis actor and playwright Patrick Scully presented a one-man, original theatrical production revealing the complexity of the life and times of Walt Whitman, the nineteenth century American poet. The performance at Fergus Falls Public Library blended literature, history, and theatre, featuring readings from Whitman's published works and unpublished letters.

As one respondent noted, Scully was "a great entertainer and historian." The event was described by another as "Excellent!" Attendees learned "a lot about the backgrounds behind [Whitman's] work" and "really got a feel for Whitman's surliness to create and also be true to himself." Another wrote,"I wasn't aware of his connection to figures like Thoreau, Emerson, Lincoln, etc."

Access to a program of this caliber in western Minnesota was significant, as the librarian hosting the program explained, "It was a treat to have this event [in March 2019] before it shows at the Guthrie this summer. Attendees were very pleased with the event, and people who didn't have a chance to attend were still impressed that we offered a program of this quality."

Forest City Stockade Bus Trip - Participants traveled by coach to the annual Summer Rendezvous at the Forest City Stockade in August 2019, where participants toured historic buildings, watched artisans at work, and participated in games of pioneers in the 1800s. During the ride to Litchfield, Otter Tail County Historical Society education coordinator Miss Hermes provided background about the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 that prompted settlers to build the Stockade.

The original proposal was for the library group to participate in the Summer Rendezvous activities. However, when the funding application was under review, a Legacy Steering Committee member (the director of the Pope County Historical Museum) pointed out that the project lacked essential historical context regarding the U.S.-Dakota War. In response to this concern, Viking Library System arranged for Hermes to join the trip. Her educational pieces offered a richer experience that included the Dakota perspective from that dynamic time and place.
Bus trip participants' comments were resoundingly positive and included:
"[I learned a lot] very labor intense lifestyle [of the while settlers in the 1860s]."
"The information given on the bus trip [about the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862] was good."
"This was awesome."
"Amazing!"

One Book, Second Chaper: Virtual Author Conversation of "A Good Time for the Truth" - In a Zoom webinar in September 2020, Minnesota writers Heid E. Erdrich, Shannon Gibney, David Lawrence Grant, and Bao Phi joined facilitator Dr. Kandace Creel Falcon in a conversation about their essays in "A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota." Authors read from and reflected upon their essays, then pondered questions posed by Dr. Falcon. The program had 53 participants who were encouraged to submit questions before the event. Both Fergus Falls Public Library and Morris Public Library held online discussions of the book prior to the program, as did Viking Library System member library directors.
The program supported the One Book | One Minnesota aim "to bring Minnesotans closer together during this time of distance and adversity." Participants were moved by the program.
Comments included:
"I...loved listening to a panel of POC. That alone gave me a new perspective on white spaces."
"I like the honesty and courage that it took to tell their stories exposing racism in all its forms in Minnesota."
"Knowing that the authors are real people dealing with real emotion and being willing to share that with the world made all the difference to me. As an educator in rural Minnesota, these authentic experiences are not readily available for our community."