October 1, 2021
Hennepin History Museum is pleased to announce a period of free museum admission through the generous support of our neighbors at North Bay Companies. As we continue to create inspiring programs and exhibits, sponsorships like this allow the museum to reach new audiences, invest in original new research, and deepen our community relationships.
For decades, the museum has been a resource to the community: sharing stories of our county through our magazine, assisting researchers in our archives and library, and highlighting our history, both well-known and unknown, through public programs and exhibits. Through the many challenges we all faced this last year, this community connection became even more important. We know that a community searching for answers benefits from an organization that tells our history and helps people understand their past to inform the future.
The exhibits on display now at the museum are excellent examples of how stories from our community can bring us together and provide context to our current experiences. In our main gallery, HUMAN TOLL: A Public History of 35W recounts the decisions made and the lives displaced by the construction of Interstate 35W through South Minneapolis, a freeway that continues to influence the surrounding community. In our upstairs gallery, we are hosting HOME OF MEMORIES: Portraits and Stories of Iraqi Minnesotans, a photography exhibit presented by the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project and curated by local artist collective CarryOn Homes. This beautiful exhibit shares the lives and experiences of our Iraqi American neighbors and reminds us of our shared visions for this place we call home.
Everyone in our community should have access to these important stories. Through the pandemic, we were able to reach new audiences through free online programming. That success renewed our commitment to expanding access in the museum building through free admission to our exhibit galleries and library. Now with the help of North Bay Companies, we are pleased to offer this amenity and improve access to the history and stories we have to tell.
John Crippen
Executive Director