The Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC), and the Mississippi River – Sartell Watershed Partners are pleased to announce that the traveling exhibition—We Are Water MN—is now open at Art in Motion on the Lake Wobegon Trail in Holdingford.
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Humanities Center that engages Minnesotans with our state’s most important natural resource through personal stories, historical content, and scientific information.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 Art in Motion on the Lake Wobegon Trail from April 25 through June 16.
“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.
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 opportunity for our community to connect and foster relationships centered on water. Emphasizing how water intertwines our lives, this program enables us to explore deeper into our relationship with water. Our goal is to strengthen collaborations and pave the way for the planning and implementation of the comprehensive watershed management plan for the Mississippi River – Sartell watershed. Through this initiative, we can collectively work towards becoming stewards of the watershed, ensuring a healthy environment for residents within and beyond the watershed.” – Dennis Fuchs, District Administrator, Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District.
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.
Contact: Stephanie Hatzenbihler and Brittany Lenzmeier, Stearns County SWCD, 320-251-7800 ext.3, stephanie.hatzenbihler@mn.nacdnet.net and Brittany.lenzmeier@mn.nacdnet.net
Visit our website to learn more: www.StearnsCountySWCD.net/wawmn