This traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution chronicles the history and experiences of Indian Americans in the United States. A Minnesota-themed extension will augment the exhibit, which opens April 30, 2016, containing artifacts that illustrate stories of Indian Americans in Minnesota and their contributions, culture, and accomplishments. The Minnesota section will be co-created by representatives of the state's Indian American community, who will advise MNHS on a community-based marketing strategy.
To increase the Steele County Fair's capacity to showcase children's art by purchasing new display materials. Portable wall panels will allow work to be hung in a gallery type fashion, and offer more surface area to display children's art.
The Minnesota Historical Society is administering grants to organizations to support civics education programs for Minnesota's youth. Civics education provides students with an understanding of the democratic foundation of our national, state, and local government and constitutional principles. Programs run by Kids Voting St. Paul, the Learning Law and Democracy Foundation, and the YMCA has been funded with this money.
The mission of the Minnesota Civil War Commemoration Task Force is to promote and share the rich history of the American Civil War and Minnesota's connection to it. With support from the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, the task force oversees the development of statewide, balanced activities commemorating the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War and Minnesota's involvement in it and the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.
The Historic Recognition Grant program will preserve, recognize, and promote the historic legacy of Minnesota, with a focus on commemoration of Minnesota's role in the American Civil War via a grave registration database to identify all known Minnesota Civil War soldiers buried in Minnesota and those Minnesotans buried outside the state is the first of three projects being administered by MNHS in cooperation with the state's Civil War Commemoration Task Force are in development
Cornerstone Academy, the preservation education partnership of the Preservation Alliance and MNHS, launched in 2014. The statewide preservation education program has developed a training series for homeowners, community members, and professionals in fields that frequently interact with historic buildings and districts. Last year, hundreds of property owners across the state participated in more than 40 workshops. Courses included Understanding Historic Tax Credits, Handyman Special, Repairing Old Windows, and Why Old is Green: Sustainability in Older Homes.
Throughout FY12 and FY13, Minnesota Historical Society staff members have reached out to and met with many groups and individuals to gather their opinions and recommendations regarding an exhibit on and the commemoration of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. Staff met with tribal councils in Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota, individuals from tribes in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest and residents of Brown and Nicollet Counties. In addition, the Society sponsored the "We Gather Together As One" Dakota nationwide conference in Minneapolis and St.
This mobile tour offers intriguing stories and reflections about historic sites along the Minnesota River Valley, the people who lived there and the lasting impact of the U.S. Dakota War of 1862.
MNHS is developing new curricula, programs, and resources to engage students in learning about Minnesota history. In FY16 a full review of online resources for the K-12 audience will be completed and an action plan put in place to update content and the design of online curriculum offered to K-12 teachers and students. In addition, staff are working with the Oliver Kelley Farm to create new curricula and programs on agriculture, history, and STEM for K-12 teachers and students. Two new programs will be developed and piloted at the Oliver Kelley Farm in FY16.
Increasing the public's online access to the Minnesota Historical Society's permanent collection remains a top priority of the Collections Department. ACHF collections assistants continued to increase public access to the MNHS collection through the digitization of over 1,300 additional records published to our online database in FY14. In FY15, over 1,500 additional records were digitized and published to the database. These items focused primarily on American Indian material culture, World War I and recent acquisitions.
Increasing the public's online access to the MNHS permanent collections remains a top priority for the Collections Department. Since the beginning of FY16 (July 1, 2015), over 1,000 artifacts have been digitally photographed and cataloged. (About a third of the artifacts have been published to our online catalog.) This included American Indian material culture (338 items) as well as recent acquisitions and artifacts associated with the Minnesota State Fair (200 items) and popular music in Minnesota (345 items).
The Historic Recognition Grant program will preserve, recognize, and promote the historic legacy of Minnesota, with a focus on commemoration of Minnesota's role in the American Civil War via creation of a digital Civil War resource to aid student instruction for sixth and seventh grade teachers is the third of three projects being administered by MNHS in cooperation with the state's Civil War Commemoration Task Force are in development
Minnesota Historical Society staff are working to serve Twin Cities area schools with increasingly diverse demographics. Staff are providing more support services for students competing in History Day and American Indian History Day. Staff are also promoting and recruiting students for programs that engage students in history like the American Indian Museum Fellowship Program and the Summer History Immersion Program. These funds also provide general staff and logistical support for diversity outreach efforts.
Through this partnership, undergraduate students representing all five ACTC college campuses participated in a summer-long course designed to increase knowledge about the museum field. Students also interned at Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools, mentoring students participating in the History Day program. ACTC Fellows also visited leading museums in the midwest to compare and contrast the Minnesota Historical Society with other cultural institutions regarding content learned in class.
An engineering professional conducted a review of the Bois Forte Heritage Center HVAC systems, their operation, capacity and capability to maintain tight temperature and humidity conditions. In addition, they presented recommendations for addressing current concerns and improving systems performance and efficiency.
Development is underway on a number of future History Center exhibitions that will explore rich stories of Minnesota's past. Major exhibitions will center on how Minnesotans have played, the national impact of the 18th Amendment and Prohibition, the Vietnam War experience and its legacy, and professional football and the Vikings. Other exhibitions will highlight the variety of communities in the state and will bring the fascinating collections of the Minnesota Historical Society to public view.
