PINE RIVER — The Minnesota Humanities Center and Happy Dancing Turtle announced the traveling exhibition “We Are Water MN” will open in Pine River on Thursday, April 27. The opening reception will be 4-6 p.m. at Hunt Utilities Group Resilient Living Campus, 2331 Dancing Wind Road SW, Pine River.
We Are Water MN is a project of the Humanities Center engaging Minnesotans with the state’s most important natural resource through personal stories, historical content and scientific information, a news release stated. We Are Water MN will be on display at the Hunt Utilities Group Resilient Living Campus from April 27 through June 19.
“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,” stated Kevin Lindsey, CEO of Minnesota Humanities Center, in the release.
Host partners collaboratively design local events and public programming connecting people to issues surrounding water in their communities. In co-creating with community members and organizations who are working on water issues, the Humanities Center is seeking to expand 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 exhibit will be open select hours for the public. Those hours can be found at happydancingturtle.org/waw. Groups, including school groups, are encouraged to attend, but asked to schedule ahead by emailing info@happydancingturtle.org. Volunteers are sought to act as exhibit docents (guides), while also enriching their relationships with water. Learn more at bit.ly/watervolunteers.
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,” the release stated.
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.
