Field Note

Staff and volunteers with Gammelgården Museum of Scandia received assistance from MNHS Local History Services and the Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museum’s Mutual Assistance Team on April 12. A collection of books had been damaged by mold, and everyone came together to sort through the collection and triage the situation. The work included documenting items that would be disposed of and isolating items that will be given more consideration for cleaning and treatment. There is more work that the Gammelgården team will do but a lot was accomplished that day. 

Heritage Preservation Grants

Small Grant Deadline
The next small grant deadline (requests of $10,000 or less) for the MHCHG program is Friday, July 12, 2024.

Grants Office Webinar: The One Trick to Polish Your Large Grant Application
July 18 @ 2 to 3 pm (CT) - Online: Your organization is in the large legacy round. You’ve sent us your pre-application. We’ve sent back one to three pages of comments and advice. These comments can help you rewrite an application with a better chance of funding success. But why do we send the comments that we send? We will edit an example application using a pre-app comment letter. Join us for this webinar to learn and discuss how to use the grants office feedback to your advantage. 

Join online: meet.google.com/zwx-krei-com
Join by phone: ‪(US) +1 386-361-3086‬  PIN: ‪420 891 978‬#

Grants Office YouTube Playlist »

From the Blog

This week's blog post is from the Ramsey County Historical Society. Have a blog? Let us know!

The Fraud of the Century
A chance meeting in the Ramsey County jail in early 1923 led to one of the longest criminal trials in St. Paul history. The story that unfolded there—slowly, very slowly—had the elements of a nineteenth-century novel, or maybe a farce, or even an opera: a hapless (or conniving) widow; a venal (or impossibly clueless) public official; a cynical con man (or a big dreamer in over his head); ethnic pride exploited; life savings ravaged; backs stabbed; and (probably) justice finally served. It’s no wonder that, on some days of trial, spectators would not leave their seats for fear of losing them. The Daily News called it “perhaps the most spectacular case in the history of the courts of the northwest.” Continue Reading »

More MN Blog posts

• New Sweden Creamery: A Small Community’s Rich Dairy Legacy - Nicollet County Historical Society
• In case of rain -  U of MN Libraries
• 4-H Clubs of Renville County: 1975 - Renville County Historical Society
• John O. Renkes Old Calendars - Brandon History Center
• New MDL Exhibit: Founding Colleges and Universities - Minnesota Digital Library News

From the Tube

This week's post is from the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum. Have a video channel or podcast? Let us know!

More MN Tube posts

• Thomsen Bowling Alley and Pool Hall - New Prague Area Historical Society
• Lynn McWatt Remembers Her Mother, Katie McWatt - MAAHMG
• "Good Luck, and I'll Be Seeing You"  Keeping in Touch During WWII - Stearns History Museum
• Part 1: Turnblad Mansion Architecture Series - American Swedish Institute
• History of Manomin County: Early Fridley - Fridley Historical Society

Heritage Preservation YouTube Playlist »

Job Opportunities

Minnesota Historical Society's Job Announcement, Internship, Fellowship, and Volunteer Opportunity pages.

MNHS

• Facilities Maintenance Technician - Mille Lacs Indian Museum & Trading Post

LOCAL

• Executive Director - Giants of the Earth Heritage Center, Spring Grove, MN
• Assistant or Associate Curator of Native American Art - Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN
• Student Engagement & Learning Specialist - Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
• Bookkeeper/HR Generalist - The Bakken Museum, Minneapolis, MN

REGIONAL

• Paintings Conservator Limited Term - Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
• Archivist II – Jim Dan Hill Library, University of Wisconsin, Superior, WIDevelopment
• Coordinator - Sioux City Public Museum, Sioux City, IA
• Membership & Development Coordinator - West Des Moines Historical Society, West Des Moines, IA

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

• Manager of Communications and Development – Spurlock Museum, Urbana, IL
• Digital Archivist - DePaul University, Chicago, IL
• Collections Technician - Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago, IL
• Division Director of Recreation and Museum Services - Glenview Park District, Glenview, IL
• Account Technician II -  Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, IL
• Digitization Specialist - Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, IN
• Early Childhood Program Coordinator - Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, IN
• Senior Curator of History and Culture - Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, IN
• Historic Site Interpreter - T.C. Steele State Historic Site, Indiana State Museum,    Nashville, IN
• Program Developer - Angel Mounds State Historic Site, Indiana State Museum, Evansville, IN
• Arts-Based Wellness Experiences Manager (Health and Wellness Specialist) - Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
• Fundraising Events Manager - Detroit Historical Society, Detroit, MI
• Registrar/Collections Manager - Frankenmuth Historical Museum, Frankenmuth, MI
• Director of Design and Discovery - University of Michigan Library, Ann Arbor, MI
• Director - Crispus Attucks History and Culture Center, York, PA
• Assistant Photograph Conservator - Northeast Document Conservation Center, Andover, MA
• Executive Director - Textile Society of America, Baltimore, MD
• Manager, IT Operations and Security - Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Winnipeg, MB
• Curator of Indigenous Collections - Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, ON
• Collections Manager & Registrar - Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, ON

Additional Job Postings in the Field »

Do History Here

Image used with permission. From the collections of the Milaca Area Historical Society.

Submit your history organization's news and events to localhistorynews@mnhs.org.

Presentation: Creative Coffee Chat Kick-Off with speaker Corey Martin, MD
July 18 @ 6:30 to 7:30 pm - Buffalo: Wright County Historical Society - Nationally renowned Speaker and motivator Corey Martin officially kicks off the launch of a new program, Creative Coffee Chats, aimed at combating social isolation & loneliness. Dr Martin is an expert on the negative effects of social isolation & the dangers of loneliness to our health. Cost: Free. Learn more »

Class: Silver Cleaning and Caring
July 20 @ 10 to 1 pm - St. Paul: Hmong Museum is partnering with the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC) to offer a workshop on Cleaning and Caring for Silver. Participants may bring a piece of silver jewelry or coin to learn on. The MACC team has developed a special cleaning method for Hmong silver that is on clothing, so you can even bring a money bag or belt! Each participant will take home samples of cleaning supplies that are demonstrated in this workshop. Cost: $10 to $40. Learn more »

Presentation: Ojibwe Elder, History of the Anishinaabe Families of the Area
July 27 @ 2 pm - Cook Cnty: Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center - Billy Blackwell will speak about the history of the Anishinaabe families that lived on Gunflint Lake, Saganaga Lake, and other areas. Location: Seagull Community Center along the Gunflint Trail. Cost: Free. Learn more »

Event: Spelmansstämman – Celebrating Swedish and Hmong Music and Culture in 2024
August 17 @ 10 am to 4 pm - Scandia: Gammelgården Museum and Scandia Heritage Alliance join forces to offer a free family-friendly event featuring Swedish and Hmong folk music, dance, and other art forms – such as poetry and spoken word. There also will be Swedish and Hmong children’s history and art activities; an arts & crafts fair; artist demonstrations; and historic building tours. Both Swedish and Hmong food and beverages will be available. Learn more »

Class: Sip and Make Art - Hmong Themed Moss Art
August 20 @ 4 to 7 pm - St. Paul: Hmong Museum - Moss art is a modern art style using preserved pieces of nature such as moss, driftwood, floral, and reclaimed Hmong textiles. This multidimensional art is a no-maintenance, sustainable wall and decor option to add a touch of greenery without the upkeep of live plants. Bring the green and wooden nature indoors all year round. Learn more »

Presentation: Voice From Pejuhutazizi
August 21 @ 6:30 pm - Wilmar: Kandiyohi County Historical Society - Walter Labatte, Jr. and Teresa Peterson will present a rich trove of stories from Pejuhutazizi K’api, the place where they dig the yellow medicine—now also known as the Upper Sioux Indian Community in Minnesota. Cost: free. Learn more »

Explore Minnesota - State of MN's Tourism website
Listings: History & Heritage Events | Historic Exhibits | Lectures & Workshops
Submit an event »

Continuing Education

Highlighted Museum: Peder Engelstad Pioneer Village, operated by the Pennington County Historical Society, Thief River Falls MN.

Fundamentals of Nonprofit Budgeting
July 30 @ 9 am to 12 pm (CT) - Online: Propel Nonprofits - Learn to use budgeting as another tool for you to tell the story of your organization’s plans, priorities, and aspirations.  Propel’s 10-step budgeting process will also highlight ways to engage your board as well as staff across the organization. Cost: $80. Learn more »

Safeguarding Collections
August 20 @ 12 to 1 pm (CT) - Online: Connecting to Collections Care -  Has your cultural institution hosted late night events with food and drink? Filmed TV or movie productions? Or perhaps had a motorcycle drive through the building that exhibit or store collections. Safeguarding collections can be a difficult task and determining which risks should be prioritized for mitigation is never easy. Compounding this, it’s becoming more and more commonplace for museums to host myriad events or engage in novel promotional activities. But there are ways collections stewardships can advocate for the safety of our collections while maintaining access. Join this C2C Care program to delve deeper into the type of issues collection stewards and other museum professionals encounter as at small and mid-sized institutions when presented with this type of situation. Cost: Free. Learn more »

TIPS & TOOLS

• Creating Accessible Exhibit Labels - Gaylord

Additional Educational Opportunities »

Funding & Awards

Minnesota Severe Storms and Flooding 
A major disaster declaration was made on June 28, 2024 for the event that occurred
beginning on June 16, 2024.

Public Assistance is currently available for Categories A-G in the following 22 Minnesota counties:

Blue Earth, Carver, Cass, Cook, Cottonwood, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Jackson, Lake, Le Sueur, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rice, Rock, St. Louis, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Watonwan (County)

• Process of Public Assistance Grants | FEMA.gov
• Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide Version 4 | FEMA.gov

As damages continue to be assessed, disaster assistance may continue to be updated.
Information on DR-4797 can be found at 4797 | FEMA.gov.
 
For cultural institutions or arts organizations impacted please encourage those fill out one of the following Rapid Damage Assessment Forms:  

• Cultural Institutions  
• Arts Organizations
• Individual Artists and Performing Groups

Cultural institutions, arts organizations, and artists and performing groups can call the National Heritage Responders hotline: (202) 661-8068. The National Heritage Responders, a team of trained conservators and collections care professionals administered by the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, are available 24/7 to provide advice and guidance.

Members of the public and individual artists who have questions about saving family heirlooms and personal collections can email the National Heritage Responders at NHRpublichelpline@culturalheritage.org.

HENTF’s Save Your Family Treasures guidance is available at Save Your Family Treasures | FEMA.gov. Here you can find the downloadable FEMA fact sheets “After the Flood: Advice for Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures” and “Salvaging Water-Damaged Family Valuables and Heirlooms,” available in multiple languages. 

Please convey any questions to Kara Griffin at fema-hentf@fema.dhs.gov.

Additional Funding Opportunities »

News

MN Digital Newspaper Hub - June 2024 content update
A content update to the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub today added 1,692 new issues and 28,341 new newspaper pages.

New publicly available titles & date spans:

• St. Paul sun (St. Paul, Minn.) 1951-1964
• Willmar tribune (Willmar, Minn.) 1928-1931 added
• Willmar weekly tribune (Willmar, Minn.) 1931
• Nordstern (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1927-1928 added

Featured Book Art and Artifact: Murals from the Minneapolis Uprising, Edited by Leesa Kelly and Howard Oransky University of Minnesota Press.	Featured Article Minnesota History Going Out, Diving In: Uncovering Queer History in Minneapolis Volume 69, Issue 1, 2024	Featured Article MNopedia 1976 Presidential Election in Minnesota Featured MNopedia Article
Minnesota History Organizations Directory  • County, Chapters, and Local • Statewide/Topical Historical • Regional History Coalitions • Professional Organizations	Minnesota Main Streets Reinvigorate your community's commercial district.	Preservation Specialists Directory Look up products or services.

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