The Minnesota Historical Society is developing an extensive, hands-on exhibit designed to bring the rich cultural tapestry of Minnesota into vivid focus. Visitors to “Then Now Wow” (the exhibit's working title was "Our Minnesota") at the Minnesota History Center will explore the state’s distinctive places and meet the people who have made their homes here.
The Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grant allowed the Library at Minnesota State University, Mankato to acquire 17 new manuscript collections and fill in gaps for 3 additional collections.
The primary mission of the Library at Minnesota State University, Mankato is to support the curriculum of the University, with the secondary mission being to serve as a regional information center for the residents of southern Minnesota. The Legacy grant made possible the acquisition of Minnesota focused microfilm that will have an enduring value to both the campus and the region.
A professional quality book documenting the stories of refugees in Minnesota is now in print. The book, "This Much I Can Tell You", was self-published by the Minnesota Council of Chuches Refugee Service. It is a compilation of eighteen stories told by local refugees, from nine different countries, who have resettled in Minnesota after fleeing their country of origin. The 980 books printed through this project make important refugee histories accessible to a wider Minnesota audience.
To implement a self-guided walking tour of the city of Pine River, Heritage Group North Inc. purchased thirteen kiosk displays and installed them at various historic building sites. Each kiosk, made of recycled plastic, displays historic information and photographs from an earlier period. In addition to the kiosks, a tri-fold brochure was designed showing the locations of the walking tour. They are available at the Pine River Chamber Information Center. The walking tour serves to remind residents and visitors of the inherent history to be found in many of the city's structures.
Local television station (KTTC) donated 485 BETA videos and 557 16mm films to the History Center of Olmsted County. New storage methods and materials were implemented to preserve and stabilize these donations. The historic collection was sorted, organized and rehoused into archival containers which were then labeled, cataloged and entered into a Past Perfect database.
This valuable resource, now stored in the HCOC research library, has been made more accessible to the public.
Partner Organizations: Historic St. Paul, The St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission and Ramsey County Historical Society.
Traditionally, the goal of historic properties surveys is to collect information to make determinations of National Register eligibility or local landmark designation. This ACHF project took that objective a step further.
In order to more closely meet national museum standards, the MDC purchased the StEPS program and created a PastPerfect database that recorded information on 4,037 objects in their collections. Objects documenting Iron Range history were identified and inventoried. The inventory process included moving an object to a processing location, writing descriptions, researching the objects function and name, noting the objects location and then entering the data collected into the database. Then the object was re-packaged and returned to its home location.
Banners, displays and educational tools were used to create an exhibit telling the history of the Iron Range through the personal narrative of 10 area residents. Research of these individuals was conducted using primary sources from the Iron Range including: oral histories, census reports, newspaper articles and maps. The life and times of each individual gives a perspective of the Iron Range from a specific time period and cultural climate.
To conduct a conservation survey of 95 works of Francis Lee Jaques housed at three Minnesota museums.
A conservation survey was conducted for the artworks of Francis Lee Jacques from the Bell Museum, the Jacques Art Center and the St. Louis county Historical Society. Nine out of 95 works out were identified and prioritized based on condition. Each of the nine works received a treatment proposal and an estimate for its conservation needs.
To document and archive the untold stories of Lao refugees in Minnesota, nine Lao families, totaling 13 individuals, were intervewed. The recountings of their historical experiences living in war, living in refugee camps and the transition and settlement of their immigration to Minnesota were recorded on video tape. The video footage was professionally edited, uploaded to Youtube and posted on the Lao Oral History Archives website.
The grant enabled the Fergus Falls Public Library to supplement and fill gaps in their collection with 13 popular titles on Minnesota history. As the "reference center" for the Viking Library System they are often called upon to locate information on Minnesota, both for local people and those far afield who reach them via telephone or e-mail and the 13 titles they received would help fill them.
To record, transcribe, and translate Ojibwe language oral histories that will be used to augment Oshkaabewis Native Journal, and digitally add the journal and back issues to the Bemidji State University website.
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.
To increase access to arts and cultural heritage programming at the Rock County Fair by building an Outdoor Exhibition and Performance Area. The new center will provide a space for demonstrations, presentations, musical performances, and interactive activities in a high traffic area that also accommodates large crowds.
Buffalo Community Orchestra will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, 2011 at the Performing Arts Center of Buffalo High School. Following the travel theme of earlier 2010-11 concerts ("To Transylvania and Beyond," "Destination: North Pole
"To Transylvania and Beyond," an Orchestral Concert for all ages, was presented on October 30, 2010 at the Buffalo High School Performing Arts Center. Conductor Foster Beyers provided insight into the music in a pre-concert "Conductor Chat" at 6:30. The M
On Saturday, February 12, 2011, Fine Arts Programming at the College of Saint Benedict will present one public performance by dance company Pilobolus in the Escher Auditorium, Benedicta Arts Center. Prior to the performance, Fine Arts Programming will hos
MNHS cares for more than 100,000 cubic feet of hard-copy government records and manuscript collections dating from the territorial period to the present. To access the vast majority of these holdings, researchers must currently visit the History Center or make other special arrangements. In FY16, MNHS began piloting small projects to develop and test workflow and to identify and plan equipment and space needs. In FY17, MNHS will add staff to begin responding to patron requests for manuscript and state archives digitization in advance of a full rollout of the scan-on-demand process next year.
