To reduce wear on fifty Minneapolis high school yearbooks, dating from 1890-1922, they were made accessible to the public through digitization. This highly used collection is housed in the Minneapolis Central Library's Special Collection.
The digitized books can now be found online at the Hennepin County Library homepage and on its Special Collections page. They are searchable by keyword or can be veiwed page-by-page.
A consultant was hired to research and assemble materials to implement plans for the Summer 2011 Walking and Biking Tours to historic resources in the city of Minneapolis. Tour guides were recruited and 29 neighborhood routes were chosen. A brochure was created. A tour page was developed on the Preserve Minneapolis website and advertisements were posted in magazines , newspapers and on various non-profit websites. Preserve Minneapolis collaborated on this project with AIA MN and the Minneapolis HPC.
The goal of the Historic Old Highland Project is to use the social history and architectural documentation to update and expand an existing self-guided Walking Tour Guide of significant properties in the Old Highland neighborhood.
To hire a qualified consultant to write a historic structure report for the Alliance Francaise building, a contributing structure in the Warehouse District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
To hire a qualified consultant to develop a Historic Structure Report that will help preserve the Riley Lucas Bartholomew House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
To hire a consultant to develop the first phase of a Historic Structures Report for the Alliance Francaise building, part of the Minneapolis Warehouse Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
In the third year of this project, MNHS staff continued to inventory and rehouse archaeological collections from Historic Fort Snelling. As part of MNHS involvement with the University of Minnesota's Heritage Collaborative, student interns spent the 2015 fall semester assisting project staff with inventory and research. Artifact data was shared with University faculty for use in their courses. To date, over 98,000 catalog records have been created, describing more than 180,000 artifacts recovered during archaeological excavations at Historic Fort Snelling.
Telling Queer History will support the collection and preservation of personal oral histories from LGBTQIA+ communities in rural Minnesota; historical research for our archives and LGBTQ+ history walking tours; and community outreach in greater Minnesota. This grant will also support the early development of a series of supplemental curriculum products detailing Minnesota LGBTQ+ history, creating a potential new earned revenue stream for TQH.
Minnesota, home to the largest Somali population in the United States, lacks resources for students to access knowledge and representations of Somalia. The Somali Museum of Minnesota will offer students immersive field trips illuminating the history and arts of traditional Somali society by subsidizing admission fees, integrating elders as immersive guides on tours, and developing take-home curriculum materials.
Through this partnership, University of Minnesota and ACTC students from diverse backgrounds explored the museum field and issues related to diversity and museums during a semester-long course followed by a paid internship. The program also engages students in discussions on the underrepresentation of communities of color and American Indian nations in historical organizations and public history graduate programs. The class is offered in the fall for ACTC students and as a spring semester course at the University of Minnesota.
Through this partnership, U of M and ACTC students from diverse backgrounds explored the museum field and issues related to diversity and museums through a fall semester-long course for ACTC students and a spring semester course at the university, followed by a paid internship at MNHS, the Somali Museum of Minnesota, Mia, and other organizations.
This project will involve the creation of a new theater room to be included in the Hmong Cultural Center Museum and Library. The theater room will allow visiting groups and walk-in visitors to view clips of historical documentaries about the Hmong diaspora and Hmong American Experience as part of their museum experience.
The Hmong Cultural Heritage Initiative is intended to both preserve and spread awareness and knowledge of Hmong culture in a comprehensive and multifaceted manner by supporting several outreach initiatives of the Hmong Cultural Center Museum.
“Preserving Hmong Cultural Farming Traditions” is a project devoted to documenting, through photography, videography, and oral interviews, the unique agricultural practices, traditions, and stories of Hmong farmers. Farming is an intrinsic element of Hmong heritage and identity. But very little of the knowledge and experience of Hmong farmers is being passed down to Hmong youth. This project will document and preserve Hmong farming stories and agricultural traditions for future generations.
The Legacy of Hmong Immigrants: Wat Tham Krabok Project will encourage communications and understanding between generations and across cultures, specifically the legacy and experiences of the last wave of Hmong refugees, the Wat Tham Krabok immigrants. We hope that this new project will encourage communications and understanding between Hmong generations and across cultures; especially the project encompass the experiences of a minority within a minority.
Hmong Museum will develop and streamline its online educational offerings through a series of online web exhibitions, collections, and enhanced curriculum.
The Hmong American Day non-profit would like to collaborate with Hmong for Native Speakers courses in the Osseo School District at Park Center Senior High and at Osseo Senior High to provide a culturally relevant education.
The New HCC Storefront Museum Implementation Project will involve the development of a guided tour app & new curriculum for school groups based on MN's K-12 standards. The project will also include a new strategic marketing plan to assist the museum in achieving future attendance & outreach goals. Finally, a new tour guide will be hired to meet public demand for tours in the new museum space which is intended to promote cross-cultural awareness and understanding of Hmong culture and history.
Filmmakers Kazua Melissa Vang, Yeej Moua, and May Lee-Yang will complete a documentary that look at how the pandemic transformed the way the Twin Cities Hmong community say goodbye to the dead.
This project is a workshop series project aimed to preserve cultural heritage by transferring knowledge on HMong batik and indigo textile art, a traditional practice lost to HMong Minnesotans. Workshops will be led by Artist Ka Oskar Ly, and include HMong elders, youth, families, educators, and broader community members, who will immerse in the HMong batik practice. These sessions will provide valuable insights into shared oral history, symbolism, and techniques, emphasizing comprehension of the entire process and its cultural significance.
Our book titled Staring Down the Tiger: Stories of Hmong American Women, provides a platform to tell stories of Hmong women—stories that are often left unheard. The collection of the stories in the book were developed during a writing retreat that provided emotional and technical writing support to nearly 30 women. The writing retreat was invaluable in helping non writers uncover and creatively share their stories. We are requesting $5,000 to create a personal development workbook that will supplement the book offering readers their own virtual experience of the writing retreat.
In May of 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a surprise visit to Smith Foundry, located in the East Phillips neighborhood. The EPA found nine violations of the federal Clean Air Act, including emissions of PM 2.5 and lead at levels two times higher than the state allowed limits. Since the results of this report were uncovered, EPIC has been organizing with community members and a coalition of partners to galvanize the local vitriol in a productive way.
Adrian Holliday is creating a Black/BIPOC led program that shares outdoor and fishing fundamentals for Black, BIPOC and underserved youth through mini camps. The program will offer mini camps to teach outdoor education and safety, nature explorations, and provide an intro to learning how to fish for local kids. The program will offer a safe space for kids to learn from an experienced outdoor/fisherman and gain access to resources and tools that are not often available in these communities.
While Hong De Wu Guan, Inc., will continue and expand its current roster of cultural programs and classes through FY24/25, much of the organization's increasing efforts during the time period of this grant will be towards the successful launch of a 6- or 12-week after-school Lion Dance program. This pilot program will be a model upon which all subsequent programs can iterate and expand upon.
While Hong De Wu Guan, Inc., will continue and expand its current roster of cultural programs and classes through FY24/25, much of the organization's increasing efforts during the time period of this grant will be towards the successful launch of a 16 week after-school Lion Dance program. This pilot program will be a model upon which all subsequent programs can iterate and expand upon.
Our new project, Honor the Past, Preserve the Future: Hmong 18 Clans Custom and Cultural Preservation Project, is to preserve the history, traditional, and changing lives of the Hmong Minnesotans.
Red Wing Arts will facilitate a collaboration beginning the process of healing the historical trauma that
divides the Dakota and Red Wing residents. Leaders of the Prairie Island Indian Community, Goodhue County
and Red Wing Arts will use the power of the arts to host engagement and cultural education arts experiences
that provide space for healing, improved mental health and connection. A mural designed by tribal members
will be installed in downtown Red Wing will symbolize this initiative.
To document in 10 oral history interviews the history of basketball in and around Minneapolis as a lens onto the issues and dynamics of race/racism, community engagement, politics, unrest, and social change in Minnesota and around the nation.
