Minnesota Humanities Center

CONDUCTS AND SUPPORTS CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA.

THE MISSION OF THE MINNESOTA HUMANITIES CENTER (MHC) IS TO CONNECT OUR PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE BY BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING AND SPARK CHANGE. OUR VISION IS A JUST SOCIETY THAT IS CURIOUS, CONNECTED, AND COMPASSIONATE.MHC COLLABORATES WITH INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES TO BRING TRANSFORMATIONAL HUMANITIES PROGRAMMING INTO THE LIVES OF MINNESOTANS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. USING STORY AS A CATALYST, WE PRODUCE, CREATE, AND SUPPORT PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS THAT EXPLORE A RANGE OF SUBJECTS. FOUNDED IN 1971, MHC IS AN INDEPENDENT NONPROFIT AFFILIATED WITH AND SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES, MINNESOTA GENERAL OPERATING AND LEGACY FUNDING. MHC IS ALSO A GRANT-MAKING ORGANIZATION AND OPERATES A FULL-SERVICE EVENT CENTER IN A HISTORIC BUILDING ON ST. PAUL'S EAST SIDE.DURING FISCAL YEAR 2019, MHC USED OUR FUNDS IN THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM AREAS: EDUCATION INITIATIVES - FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS AND PROVIDING RESOURCES THAT HELP CLASSROOMS BECOME MORE INCLUSIVE. RESEARCH DEMONSTRATES THAT STRONG RELATIONSHIPS ARE AT THE ROOT OF EDUCATIONAL TRANSFORMATION. BY USING THE HUMANITIES TO DEEPEN UNDERSTANDING ACROSS CULTURAL AND LIVED EXPERIENCES, RELATIONSHIPS THRIVE AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT INCREASES. IN FY2019, 840 EDUCATORS ATTENDED 24 EVENTS INCLUDING: THE EDUCATOR INSTITUTE, A WEEKLONG ANNUAL WORKSHOP, TEACHES EDUCATORS TO UTILIZE MHC'S ABSENT NARRATIVES APPROACH IN THEIR CLASSROOMS TO STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS WITH STUDENTS. ROUTINELY DESCRIBED AS "TRANSFORMATIVE" BY PARTICIPANTS, THE INSTITUTE IS LED BY A TEAM OF CONSULTANTS WHOSE EXPERTISE AND APPROACHES DRAMATICALLY CHANGE PERSPECTIVES AND CLASSROOM PRACTICES. INCREASE ENGAGEMENT THROUGH ABSENT NARRATIVES IS A DAY-LONG WORKSHOP THAT INTRODUCES CORE STRATEGIES FOR CREATING AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE OR CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT. PARTICIPANTS PRACTICE HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES THAT WILL HELP THEM ENGAGE OTHERS WITH RESPECT AND EMPATHY. ADDITIONALLY, EDUCATORS AND THE COMMUNITY BENEFIT FROM MHC-PRODUCED RESOURCES THAT SUPPORT EDUCATORS AND PROFESSIONALS IN BRINGING TYPICALLY ABSENT NARRATIVES INTO CURRICULUM, PUBLIC LIFE, AND WORKPLACES. THE ABSENT NARRATIVES RESOURCE COLLECTION PROVIDES FREE ACCESS TO MORE THAN 1,000 READY-TO-USE VIDEOS, BOOKS, TEACHER GUIDES, AND READINGS. RESOURCES INCLUDE WORKS CO-CREATED WITH PARTNERS TO FILL A COMMUNITY NEED SUCH AS SOMALI BILINGUAL FOLKTALES, VOICES FROM THE LATINO COMMUNITY, AND A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE MINNESOTA TRIBAL NATIONS. A NEW RESOURCE PUBLISHED IN FALL 2019, "CROSSROADS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF RESILIENCE AND HOPE BY YOUNG SOMALI WRITERS", INCLUDES THE AUTHENTIC, FIRST-HAND STORIES OF MINNESOTA'S SOMALI YOUTH. THIS BOOK SERVES AS A RESOURCE FOR EDUCATORS, STUDENTS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC, BUILDING UNDERSTANDING AMONG CULTURES AND EMPOWERING SOMALI YOUTH.VETERANS' VOICES - EXPLORES THE FULL LIFE EXPERIENCE OF VETERANS. DEVELOPED IN 2012 WITH THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, THIS PROGRAM DRAWS ON THE POWER OF THE HUMANITIES TO SHAPE THE NARRATIVE OF VETERANS, HONORING THEIR MANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO COMMUNITY, STATE, AND COUNTRY. THIS PROGRAM EMPOWERS ALL MINNESOTA VETERANS TO SPEAK IN THEIR OWN VOICES THROUGH STORYTELLING, ART, THEATER, DISCUSSION GROUPS, AND MORE. IN FY2019, 625 INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATED IN 13 EVENTS INCLUDING: EDUCATOR SALONS FACILITATED CONVERSATIONS WITH POST-SECONDARY EDUCATORS ABOUT THE CHALLENGES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF TEACHING VETERANS DURING REINTEGRATION INTO CIVILIAN LIFE. WARRIOR WRITERS WORKSHOPS THROUGHOUT THE STATE HELPED VETERANS FIND THEIR VOICE, PROCESS THEIR EXPERIENCES, AND CONNECT WITH OTHERS THROUGH ORIGINAL POETRY, PROSE, ESSAYS, MEMOIRS, AND MORE. THE 2019 VETERANS' VOICES AWARD CEREMONY CELEBRATED THE OUTSTANDING WORK OF MINNESOTA'S VETERANS BY HONORING SELECTED WRITTEN WORKS FROM VETERANS ACROSS THE STATE. "WE ARE WATER MN" EXPLORES THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE HUMANITIES AND WATER THROUGH AN EXHIBIT, PUBLIC EVENTS, AND EDUCATOR RESOURCES. THE TRAVELING EXHIBIT ENGAGES MINNESOTANS WITH OUR STATE'S MOST IMPORTANT NATURAL RESOURCE THROUGH PERSONAL STORIES, HISTORICAL MATERIALS, AND SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION. THIS INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP HAS FOSTERED RICH PARTNERSHIPS AMONG COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, AND STATEWIDE NONPROFITS. PARTNERS INCLUDE THE MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY, THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND THE MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION. IN ITS SECOND TOUR OF THE STATE, "WE ARE WATER MN" VISITED EIGHT NEW PARTNER SITES STATEWIDE FROM OCTOBER 2018 TO NOVEMBER 2019 WITH ATTENDANCE OF 42,075. NATIVE NATIONS OF MINNESOTA - PROGRAMMING HAS BEEN A GROWING FOCAL AREA FOR THE ORGANIZATION. IT AMPLIFIES THE VOICES AND HISTORIES OF DAKOTA AND OJIBWE PEOPLE, PROVIDING AN INTRODUCTION TO STORIES THAT HAVE OFTEN BEEN LEFT OUT OF OUR STATE'S HISTORY. MHC IS A LEADER IN ADVOCATING THAT TRUER STORIES OF OUR STATE'S HISTORY AND PLACES BE SHARED WITH PUBLIC AUDIENCES. WHY TREATIES MATTER: SELF-GOVERNMENT IN THE DAKOTA AND OJIBWE NATIONS IS A NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED TRAVELING EXHIBIT CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MINNESOTA INDIAN AFFAIRS COUNCIL AND THE SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN. THE AWARD-WINNING EXHIBIT EXPLORES RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DAKOTA AND OJIBWE INDIAN NATIONS AND THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IN THIS PLACE WE NOW CALL MINNESOTA. A PERMANENT EXHIBIT IS ON DISPLAY AT THE MINNESOTA STATE CAPITOL, AND A TOURING EXHIBIT VISITED 10 NEW LOCATIONS STATEWIDE FROM JULY 2018 TO JUNE 2019, ADDING TO A TOTAL OF MORE THAN 100 TOUR LOCATIONS SINCE IT STARTED TRAVELING THE STATE IN 2011. LEARNING FROM PLACE: BDOTE SHARES DAKOTA TRADITIONS AND PERSPECTIVES RELATED TO SITES OF SIGNIFICANCE IN THE TWIN CITIES METRO AREA ON A DAY-LONG IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE. PARTICIPANTS LEARN TO CHALLENGE TYPICAL ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT MINNESOTA HISTORY AS THEY HEAR ABOUT EVENTS THAT SHAPED THESE SITES. INITIALLY CONCEIVED AS AN EDUCATOR EXPERIENCE, WE HAVE OFFERED THE TRIP TO PUBLIC AUDIENCES AND LOCAL INSTITUTIONS FOR FIVE YEARS DUE TO INTENSIVE INTEREST. IN FY2019, 360 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN 9 TRIPS. GRANTMAKING: IN 2019, WE LAUNCHED TWO EXCITING NEW GRANTMAKING PROGRAMS THAT OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOTH LARGE AND SMALL ORGANIZATIONS. THE COMMUNITY PARTNER FUND IS A TWO-YEAR FUNDING OPPORTUNITY CENTERED IN MHC'S ABSENT NARRATIVES APPROACH THAT FOSTERS COLLABORATION BETWEEN TWO OR MORE NEIGHBORHOOD OR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO ADDRESS COMMUNITY-IDENTIFIED GOALS AND OPPORTUNITIES. GRANTS OF $100,000 EACH WERE AWARDED TO MINNESOTA PRISON WRITING WORKSHOP AND THE NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN BOARDING SCHOOL HEALING COALITION IN FALL 2019. A SECOND NEW PROGRAM, THE HUMANITIES INNOVATION LAB, SUPPORTS INNOVATIVE IDEAS THAT BLEND HUMANITIES PRACTICES AND SUBJECT MATTER. OPEN TO INDIVIDUALS OR ORGANIZATIONS WHO HAVE A HUMANITIES-FOCUSED IDEA THEY WANT TO EXPLORE, TEST, OR DEVELOP, PROJECTS MUST HAVE A PUBLIC-FACING IMPACT AND AUDIENCE. WE FUNDED 11 PROJECTS TOTALING $20,100 IN FY2019.TRUTH AND TRANSFORMATION: CHANGING RACIAL NARRATIVES IN MEDIA HELPED MINNESOTA MEDIA PROFESSIONALS UNCOVER AND DISMANTLE ASSUMPTIONS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO PROBLEMATIC RACIAL NARRATIVES PERPETUATED BY THE MEDIA. USING MHC'S ABSENT NARRATIVES APPROACH, WE WORKED WITH COMMUNITIES FREQUENTLY MARGINALIZED BY MAINSTREAM MEDIA TO SHARE THEIR STORIES AND AMPLIFY COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS TO NARRATIVE CHANGE. IN MARCH 2019, THE PROJECT CULMINATED AT A TWO-DAY STATEWIDE CONFERENCE THAT HELPED 275 PROFESSIONALS CHANGE THEIR APPROACH AND PRACTICES TO MORE JUSTLY REPRESENT THE LIVED EXPERIENCES, STORIES, AND PERSPECTIVES OF THE PEOPLE REPRESENTED. MHC PARTNERED WITH HAMLINE UNIVERSITY, KMOJ-FM, MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO, PILLSBURY UNITED COMMUNITIES, AND THREE SIXTY JOURNALISM. LEGACY PROGRAMS AND PURPOSES - MHC RECEIVED AN APPROPRIATION FROM THE CLEAN WATER, LAND AND LEGACY AMENDMENT FOR PROGRAMS AND PURPOSES FOR THE 2020-2021 BIENNIUM. A PORTION OF THESE FUNDS ARE USED TO SUPPORT OUR PROGRAMS, SERVING MINNESOTAN'S STATEWIDE. LEGACY PASS-THROUGH APPROPRIATIONS - IN 2019, MHC ADMINISTERED 6 DIRECT APPROPRIATIONS AND ONE COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM TOTALING $1,647,335 FROM THE MINNESOTA GENERAL OPERATING FUND AND THE CLEAN WATER, LAND AND LEGACY AMENDMENT FOR THE 2017-2019 BIENNIUM. GRANTEES INCLUDE FIVE CHILDREN'S MUSEUMS, THREE CIVICS EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS, VETERANS DEFENSE PROJECT, HUNGER SOLUTIONS, A SOMALI MUSEUM AND SEVERAL SOMALI COMMUNITY PROGRAMS.

MHC OPERATES A FULL-SERVICE EVENT CENTER, AS CREATED BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE IN 1996. IN ADDITION TO HOUSING MHC'S PROGRAMS, THIS RESTORED ARCHITECTURAL LANDMARK SERVES AS A GATHERING PLACE FOR EDUCATORS, SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS, OTHER NONPROFITS, STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, STATE AGENCIES AND COMMUNITY GROUPS SEEKING TO IMPROVE BOTH THEIR INDIVIDUAL WORK AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL MINNESOTANS, BY PROVIDING HIGH-QUALITY, COST EFFECTIVE MEETING AND EVENT SPACE FOR EDUCATIONAL AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND STAFF EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT. IN 2019, THE HUMANITIES CENTER HOSTED 375 MEETINGS AND EVENTS IN ITS MEETING AND EVENT SPACES, SERVING NEARLY 11,000 PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.