>> Cathy: I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS.

THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY OPENED A NEW EXHIBIT THIS WEDNESDAY ENTITLED "THE STORIES WE KEEP."

THE EXHIBIT BRINGS TOGETHER OBJECTS FROM MNHS'S COLLECTIONS RANGING FROM ORIGINAL LETTERS PENNED BY F. SCOTT FITZGERALD TO COSTUME SAMPLES OF PRINCE’S TOUR WARDROBE AND EVEN A MILK CARTON KAYAK FROM THE FIRST MINNEAPOLIS AQUATENNIAL.

BOAT RACES.

THIS INAUGURAL EXHIBIT IS PART OF A LARGER MISSION TO BRING MATERIALS FROM THE VAST ARCHIVES OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY IN TOO A MORE PUBLIC SETTING.

CURATOR JENNIFER HUEBSCHER JOINS US WITH MORE.

WELCOME TO ALMANAC.

>> THANK YOU!

>> I LOVE THIS SO MUCH.

WHERE DID THE SPARK FOR THIS IDEA COME FROM FOR THIS EXHIBIT >> WELL, ACTUALLY LAST YEAR THE CURATORIAL TEAM GOT TOGETHER, FIVE CURATORS, FIVE ARTICLES APIECE AND WE EACH HAD TO SELECT IECES THAT WE THOUGHT WOULD RESONATE REALLY WELL ITH MINNESOTANS BUT TELL UNIQUE AND UNEXPECTED STORIES ABOUT OUR COLLECTIONS.

>> Eric: WHAT WERE THE CRITERIA TO MAKE THE CUT?

[ LAUGHTER ] >> THEY LOCKED US IN A ROOM AND WE HAD TO JUST DUKE IT OUT.

NO, IN ACTUALITY, WE LOOKED AT A LOT OF OUR, THE SAME CRITERIA THAT WE USE WHEN WE SELECT OBJECTS.

WE WANTED THINGS THAT REPRESENTED A WIDE RANGE OF THE STATE GEOGRAPHICALLY, ITEMS THAT DATED BACK TO PRE-STATEHOOD, UP TO PRESENT DAY.

AND, YEAH, JUST ANYTHING THAT HAD COMPELLING STORY THAT WE THOUGHT FOLKS WANTED TO KNOW MORE.

>> Cathy: AND THAT'S THE KEY, STORY IS ALWAYS THE KEY ON THIS ONE.

LET'S SEE IF WE COULD GO THROUGH SOME OF HE PHOTOS HERE OF THE EXHIBIT.

>> SURE.

>> Cathy: THIS I AM NOT SURE WHAT THIS IS.

>> OH, THESE ARE CONTACT SHEETS THAT WERE TAKEN BY A RONDO PHOTOGRAPHER EARL MCGGE, HE LIVED IN ST.

PAUL AND DOCUMENTED THE RONDO COMMUNITY EARLY TO MID-'60s.

WHAT'S REALLY FASCINATING ABOUT HIM IS THAT HE WAS A COMMUNITY MEMBER SO HE'S TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OF HIS FRIENDS, HIS FAMILY, SOCIAL EVENTS, THINGS THAT HAPPENED AT HALLIE .

BROWN, DOCUMENTING CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, ALL OF THIS WHILE THE INTERSTATE IS GOING THROUGH RONDO.

>> Eric: HUBERT HUMPHREY GETS A SHOT IN HERE.

>> HE DOES!

IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE EXHIBIT.

IT'S THE COPY OF HIS ICONIC 1948 DNC SPEECH AND IT'S COMPLETELY MARKED UP BECAUSE HUMPHREY COULDN'T LET A SPEECH LIE UNTIL HE WAS UP AT THE PODIUM.

AND SO YOU SEE HIS NOTES ON IT AND THE WAY THAT WE'VE INTERPRETED IT IS YOU CAN WATCH ON THE SCREEN HOW HIS NOTES COME TO LIFE, AND REALLY ADD EXTRA -- EXTRA OOMPH TO THAT SPEECH.

>> Cathy: THAT WAS A FAMOUS FAMOUS SPEECH.

THIS NEXT ONE I REMEMBER DOING A STORY ABOUT THIS.

>> MM-HMM.

>> Cathy: THIS IS THE FAMED MASK, MARK ANDRE FLEURY OF THE WILD WORE I THINK A COUPLE GAMES MAYBE.

>> HE WORE IT IN KIND OF PRACTICE AHEAD OF A GAME.

BUT, YEAH, WE GOT IT ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO TODAY.

HE WORE IT IN HONOR OF NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE NIGHT, THAT THE MINNESOTA WILD WAS HOSTING AND NATIVE ARTIST MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COLE REDHORSE TAYLOR DESIGNED HE HELMET, INCORPORATED THOSE FLORAL MOTIFS ND WE WERE REALLY THRILLED TO GET IT.

AND LOOK AT THAT INTERSECTION OF SPORTS AND NATIVE HERITAGE.

>> Eric: YOU HAD TO GET A PRINCE OBJECT IN.

>> OF COURSE.

[ LAUGHTER ] >> Eric: WHAT DO YOU GOT?

>> SO THESE ARE SAMPLE BOOKS THAT BELONGED TO A TEXTILE ARTIST, ARLIS JENSEN WHO LIVED IN THE TWIN CITIES AND SHE DYED FABRIC FOR NUMEROUS THEATER PRODUCTIONS.

BUT THE PRINCE TEAM REACHED OUT TO HER BECAUSE OF HER DYEING CAPABILITIES TO MAKE FABRICS IN VIBRANT HUES THAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR, ESPECIALLY FROM THAT MID-'80s, EARLY '90s, LOTS OF COLOR.

>> Eric: SO THIS IS STAGE WEAR?

>> MM-HMM.

YEAH, SAMPLES OF STAGE WEAR AND WHAT IT WAS USED FOR AND NOT JUST COSTUMES BUT ACCESSORIES.

GUITAR STRAP AND THINGS THAT HIS DANCERS ALSO WOULD HAVE WORN.

>> Cathy: I LOVE THAT.

SAY, AS AN ARCHIVIST, WHAT DO OBJECTS SAY ABOUT A PERSON OR ERA, EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT FAMOUS?

>> SO MUCH.

IN FACT, THAT'S A LOT OF WHAT THIS EXHIBIT IS.

IT'S LOOKING AT EVERYDAY ITEMS OR ITEMS THAT MAY NOT NECESSARILY BELONG TO A FAMOUS MINNESOTAN AND GETTING FOLKS TO REALIZE THAT THERE ARE THESE RICH STORIES THERE, AND WE WANT THESE OBJECTS TO SPARK INTEREST AND GET PEOPLE TO START DIGGING IN TO THEIR COLLECTIONS AT HOME AND OTHER COLLECTIONS AT NHS.

, RUNS THROUGH?

>> AUGUST 2026.

>> Eric: AND ARE YOU PREPARING NEW OBJECTS TO SUCCEED THAT?

>> HOPEFULLY, I WOULD LOVE TO GET MORE MATERIAL OUT.

WE'VE GOT A SPOTLIGHT GALLERY THAT WILL LSO HAVE SOME MATERIALS OUT, AND YEAH, COME SEE IT.

>> Cathy: I MEAN, THE ARCHIVES, AND THIS IS KIND OF A BASEMENT AREA OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, IT'S AN AMAZING PLACE TO GO INTO.

>> YES.

>> Cathy: AND THE PUBLIC CAN'T SEE THAT OF COURSE.

>> NO, NO, SO THIS IS THEIR ENTRYPOINT, GET THE COLLECTIONS OFF THE SHELF AND OUT ONTO THE MUSEUM FLOOR.

>> Cathy: GREAT.

JENNIFER.

GOOD WORK.