Doug Ohman will also present at the Kittson County Historical Society and in Kelliher and Fosston in early May.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                            

Open April 3 – April 21

Kittson County History Museum in Lake Bronson

Reception and Program on April 21 to

Honor Exhibit & Of the Year Award Winners

Warren, MN. The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council is pleased to announce the NW Annual Art Exhibit is at the Kittson County History Museum in Lake Bronson from April 3 until April 21.

Adult artists from our 7 county- service region (Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Polk, Pennington, Roseau, and Red Lake Falls) have entered 68 pieces of art and students have entered 59 pieces, including oil, acrylic, watercolor painting, pencil drawings, pen and ink, pottery, sculpture, fiber art, glass mosaic, and mixed media. and are competing for $2,300.00 in cash awards. Attendees at the exhibit can vote for People’s Choice. Exhibit cash award winners will be chosen while the exhibit is on display by Pat Danielson, a qualified juror from Grand Forks. They will be recognized and receive their check at the Artist Reception.

The exhibit is at the Kittson County History Museum at 332 East Main Street, Lake Bronson and will be open for the public to view art and vote for People’s Choice on Mondays through Fridays from 9 AM to 5 PM. Watch our website and Facebook page for additional evening and weekend hours. Visit https://northwestminnesotaartscouncil.org/blog/nw-annual-art-exhibit-is-open-april-3-21.

There will be a reception and program on April 21 at the Kittson County History Museum. The exhibit will open at noon that day. Mingling and light refreshments will start at 2:00 PM with the program at 3:00 PM. Of the Year Awards will be presented to Potter Betsy Saurdiff for the NW Star Award — Lifetime Achievement, Musician Randy Larson for Artist of the Year, and Radio Host Rom Ogaard for Arts Advocate of the Year, in addition to exhibit awards. Randy Larson will play the music with his adult children. The Exhibit and Reception are open to the public and free to attend. Many pieces of art are for sale and the public is encouraged to shop. Purchases can be marked as sold and picked up on April 21 after the reception. The exhibit provides an opportunity to see what our regional adult and student artists are creating in their studio spaces and in the classroom. The reception is a wonderful day of celebrating the arts in our region.

Visit our website for more information at www.NWArtsCouncil.org. Funding for these awards is provided by the McKnight Foundation and the Minnesota State Legislature.

Contact: Mara Hanel

April 2, 2024                                                                           218-745-8886 

Warren, MN                                                                            director@NWArtsCouncil.org

DINNER AND A CONCERT April 27 in Shevlin

The Clearwater County Historical Society and the Clearwater Lutheran Church have again teamed up to offer an evening of good food, music, and stories on Saturday, April 27. A free-will donation will be accepted for both events.

The Clearwater Lutheran Church will offer a dinner from 5:00- 6:30 before the concert. At 7:00 Musical Guest, Renee Vaughan will take the stage offering “Folk Music and the Nordic Newcomers: 1st Generation Scandinavian Immigrant Musicians to Clearwater County and greater Minnesota.”

During the mid to late 1800s, Minnesota became the chosen homeland for thousands of Scandinavian immigrants, including some of the most skilled musicians from their villages.  Renee’s presentation highlights their lives and includes a few who immigrated to Minerva in Clearwater County and right next door in Solway, in the late 1800s.  Back in the old country, these musicians’ legacies live on and their favorite tunes continue to be played.

This is the Third Annual “Dinner and a Concert” program offered by the Clearwater County Historical Society and the Clearwater Lutheran church. Both the dinner and the concert will be held at the Clearwater Lutheran Church in Shevlin. Proceeds from the evening will support church and historical society activities.

BEMIDJI, MN – Film Screening of En Avant L’Étoile Du Nord with Christine Loÿs
Beltrami County History Center invites you to a film screening for En Avant l’Etoile du Nord: Ou La Joie
De “Vie” on Tuesday, August 15, at 5:30 PM at Beltrami County History Center (130 Minnesota Ave.
SW, Bemidji). En Avant l’Etoile du Nord: Ou La Joie De “Vie” is a documentary by independent journalist
Christine Loÿs exploring French history, heritage, and identity in Minnesota. The film is 62 minutes long;
Ms. Loÿs will attend to introduce and answer questions about her film.
In place of admission, free-will donations support Ms. Loÿs’ future research. Seats are limited; please
reserve a seat to ensure your spot for the screening!
Christine Loÿs lives in Paris, France. Originally a teacher, she has been an independent journalist for over
30 years and contributes to many media, including television. She developed her English writing and
storytelling skills, mainly in the medical press on health and medical topics. She also writes about
current affairs and economics for women’s magazines like Marie-Claire and more political ones like
L’Evénement du Jeudi under Jean-François Khan, Jeune Afrique, and Medef Magazine. Loys’ numerous
travels and contacts in the U.S. and Canada allow her to work today on various subjects concerning the
history and culture of the French Voyageurs and their continued presence through their descendants in
Minnesota and the Midwest. She is also working on evidence of the French throughout the United
States.
To reserve your seat, please visit the History Center’s event website (https://tinyurl.com/2btf6h9r) or
call the Beltrami County Historical Society at 218-444-3376.

We Are Water MN Exhibit Will Visit Roseau
Exhibit Opens at Roseau County Museum on August 17

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 3, 2023 – St. Paul, Minn. – The Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) and Roseau County Museum are pleased to announce that the traveling exhibition—We Are Water MN—will open at the Roseau County Museum on August 17, 2023. The We Are Water MN Opening Reception will be held from 5-7 pm this day in the museum. We Are Water MN is a project of the Humanities Center that engages Minnesotans with our state’s most important natural resource through personal stories, historical content, and scientific information. We Are Water MN will be on display at the from August 17 through October 9, 2023

“Bringing people together around an issue they care about is how the humanities can be put into action. When Minnesotans learn from each other about the water where we live, we can make decisions that account for the complexity of our world.” says Kevin Lindsey, CEO of Minnesota Humanities Center.

The following additional partners will host the We Are Water MN traveling exhibit in their communities:

March 2-April 24, 2023: Sherburne SWCD (Sherburne County) 

April 27-June 19, 2023: Happy Dancing Turtle (Pine River) 

June 22-August 14, 2023: Somali Museum (Twin Cities) 

August 17-October 9, 2023: Roseau County Museum (Roseau) 

October 12-December 4, 2023: Stillwater Public Library/ArtReach St. Croix (Stillwater) 

These host partners will collaboratively design local events and public programming that connect people to issues surrounding water in their communities. In co-creating with community members and organizations who are working on water issues, MHC is expanding the local and state network of stakeholders at multiple levels within Minnesota to support citizen initiatives and create a shared vision around water in Minnesota.

Visitors to the We Are Water MN exhibit learn about water issues statewide and in their community. They also reflect on local stories and the meaning and experiences of water in Minnesota with space to add their own stories. Combining learning and sharing in this way strengthens Minnesotans’ relationships with water and increases participation in water stewardship activities.

“The We Are Water program [is] an important catalyst for our community to build relationships around water… The WAW program invited us into a conversation that asked, “whose voices needed to be amplified in our community…” Strong themes emerged during our experience: Strengthen friendships. Build new relationships. Grow our regional water ethic through action and experimentation…” -Troy Goodnough, Sustainability Director, University of Minnesota Morris, a former We Are Water Host

Since We Are Water MN began touring in 2016, more than 2,300 stories about water have been collected. More than 400 high-quality audio stories are available via the project’s Story Map. Water stories are a way for visitors to share personal experiences while learning about their neighbors’ relationships with water. The range of experiences – from water as a daily part of visitors’ lives to personal stories of family, ritual, joy, and loss – along with education materials, compel people to evaluate their relationship with water and engage more deeply in conservation.

MHC’s project partners for We Are Water MN are the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS), the Minnesota Departments of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources and the University of Minnesota Extension Water Resources Center. These partners connect host communities to resources and information, learn from host communities, and provide opportunities for host communities to learn from and with each other.

We Are Water MN is funded in part by money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the Clean Water Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008. 

About the Minnesota Humanities Center

The Humanities Center connects our past, present, and future by bringing people together to increase understanding and spark change. Using story as a catalyst and the humanities to explore the question of what it means to be human, MHC seeks to create a just society that is curious, connected, and compassionate. MHC, founded in 1971, is a statewide nonprofit organization affiliated with and supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. MHC operates a full-service Event Center in a historic building on St. Paul’s East Side. More information available at mnhum.org.