The Oral History office worked with the Department of Inclusion and Community Engagement on an oral history project related to the History Center's 2015 exhibit Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair. Interviewer Mica Anders-Turner completed 10 interviews to complement the exhibit. Plans for FY17 include seven interviews focused on African American cabin- and resort-owners at Lake Adney (Crow Wing County), and working with the nonprofit Oromo Community of Minnesota to document the stories of Oromo immigrants, an Ethiopian ethnic group.
The Oral History office worked with MNHS's Inclusion and Community Engagement staff on an oral history project related to the History Center's 2015 exhibit Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair. Interviewer Mica Anders-Turner completed 10 interviews to complement the Inspiring Beauty exhibit.
The Duluth Children’s Museum continues to grow dramatically, in large part from the investments of the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Legacy funding support over the last three years.
The ambient groundwater monitoring network collects samples for contaminants of emerging concern such as pharmaceuticals, insect repellents, bisphenol A, and alkylphenol detergent breakdown products. This project will fill a data gap by collecting water samples for organophosphate flame retardants and PFAS. Samples will be collected from 135 wells and tested for organophosphate flame retardants and selected wells for PFAS.
Thanks to the support of the Minnesota Humanities Center in 2019, Otter Cove Children's Museum was able to complete the design, building, and installation of a variety of exhibits and interactive art features prior to our grand opening. Despite a delayed opening and months of limited operations due to the pandemic, Otter Cove's first year has been nothing short of incredible, attracting 17,299 children and families from 289 unique zip codes (179 of them in MN), 27 states, and 4 countries! Our guests have been so impressed that we have such a a high-quality facility in a rural region.
MNHS Press will publish a book on the 120-year history of the Minnesota State Capitol and its role as the heart of civic life in the state, a place for celebrations, demonstrations, arguments and accomplishments. The book will include stories of its construction and restoration, fine art and furnishings, laborers and craftspeople, and politics and lifestyles within our "house of democracy."
Wilderness Inquiry engages 20,000 Minnesotans through outdoor adventures, promoting equity in access to outdoor activities, places, and careers and supporting stewardship and conservation values for current and future generations.
The Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program (CPL) is managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to provide competitive matching grants of up to $400,000 to local, regional, state, and national non-profit organizations and governments. Grant activities include the enhancement, restoration, or protection of forests, wetlands, prairies, and habitat for fish, game, or wildlife in Minnesota. A match of at least 10% from nonstate sources was required for grants of $100,000 or less, and a match of at least 15% from nonstate sources was required for grants over $100,000.
The Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program is managed by the Department of Natural Resources to provide competitive matching grants to local, regional, state, and national non-profit organizations, including governments.
The special program series Outdoors EXTRA is designed to offer programs at Minnesota state parks and trails with less visitation. Programs are led by guest presenters and are often beyond the skill level of existing staff. Examples of programs are live music; live animal programs, such as an eagle program; or rock climbing programs.
The Division of Parks and Trails is engaged in critical work to connect people to the outdoors. As part of the work in this project area, the new touch-screen kiosk project will increase awareness about outdoor recreation opportunities at Minnesota state parks and trails among underrepresented groups by creating and installing accessible, touch-screen kiosks with information in multiple languages, in high-traffic, family-oriented locations. Connection plans deliver Minnesota State Parks and Trails' messages to new audiences.
We will lift up Minnesota American Indian arts, culture, and heritage and increase our audience through five new activities: presenting “Reunion of the Buffalo Herd”; staging a full production of Tatanka for video recording; establishing an annual RedTalks Symposium; creating a live interview series featuring American Indian elders and traditional healers; and creating an American Indian Artists Hub to promote our artists.
