The Hennepin History Museum offers a series of rotating exhibits focusing on everything from historic toys to technology; each exhibition is designed to reflect a piece of the Hennepin County story.
Current exhibits in the galleries are:
The Minneapolis Aquatennial Crown Jewels
Runs July 16-24, 2010
The Works of Josephine Lutz Rollins
Closes November 21st, 2010
The Luxton Park Painters: A Retrospective, 1960-2006
Closes October 2010
Hennepin County Goes to the Movies
Closes July 18th, 2010
The Century of the Child
Permanent Exhibition
Upcoming exhibits...
Curiosities & Remnants I
Opens September 25, 2010
Jewels of the Earth
Opens December 4th, 2010
Click here view our Calendar of Events page.
The Hennepin History Museum Presents the
Minneapolis Aquatennial Crown Jewels
The exhibition will run July 16-24 2010.

This year the Hennepin
History Museum will showcase the "Crown Jewels" of Minneapolis
Aquatennial Royalty. On exhibition will be eight crowns, including the
brilliantly bejeweled Hobe crown, first worn in 1948 by Aquatennial
Queen of the Lakes, Patty McLane. The piece is copied from a crown
which won first prize in The Exhibition of Arts and Crafts in Florence,
Italy in 1906. Designed by James D. Dougherty and crafted by George
Hatlestad and Lawrence Hensel, the crown exhibits emerald green
semi-precious stones, blood colored garnets, seed pearls, rubies, and
silver filigree work. It was created by William Hobe and produced by
the J.B. Hudson Company.
The Works of Josephine Lutz Rollins
Open through November 21, 2010
This exhibition looks at a selection of works from the Paul Frederick Johnson collection which was given to the Hennepin History Museum in 2009 and includes paintings and drawings (c. 1940-1987) by Minnesota artist, Josephine Lutz Rollins. There will be an opening celebration on June 5th at 6pm with guest speaker, Julie L'Enfant of the College of Visual Arts.

The Luxton Park Painters: A Retrospective, 1960-2006
Open through October 5, 2010
This exhibition looks at the work of the women who organized the Luxton Park Painters group in the 1950s. It includes works by founder, Norma Olson, as well as members of the Luxton Park Painters: Susie Kolstad, Jere Purple, Maggie Moulton, Judy Horns, and Betty Feilzer.

Hennepin County Goes to the Movies
Open through July 18th***
This exhibition looks at the movie theatres of Hennepin County through photographs, newspaper coverage, and artifacts. The exhibition will be set against a backdrop of vintage movie magazines from the stunning private collections of Hennepin County collector, Paul Johnson.
Join us in enjoying this visual feast!
The Century of the Child

This Hennepin History Museum exhibition looks at growing up in Hennepin County through a series of “time stations” that examine educating, entertaining, dressing, and putting children to work. You will see how these things impacted a century of kids and shaped the world we live in today. This exhibit will look at everything from rolling hoops to the hula hoops…
You will also glimpse the darker side of Hennepin County through subjects such as child labor, abuse, and the notorious baby farms that proliferated in Hennepin County at the turn of the 20th Century.
This unique exhibition will be a presentation of children's daily life seldom seen elsewhere.
Curiosities and Remnants I
Opens September 25, 2010
This exhibition is the first in a series of ongoing exhibitions which will look at curiosities and oddities from around Hennepin County. This first installment will highlight some of Hennepin History Museum's most unusual artifacts including the unique remains of a podiatrist's collection, a giant bellows, and a selection of archival artifacts.
Jewels of the Earth:
Objects from the hands of the Ojibwa and Dakota people
Opens December 4th, 2010
This exhibition showcases the HHM Native American collections including beadwork, quillwork, basketry, costumes, and historic photographs of the Ojibwa and Dakota people.