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   The Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) and Happy Dancing Turtle are pleased to announce that the traveling exhibition—We Are Water MN—will open in Pine River on April 27, 2023. The We Are Water MN Pine River Opening Reception will be held from 4 - 6 p.m. on April 27 at Hunt Utilities Group Resilient Living Campus, 2331 Dancing Wind Rd SW in Pine River. 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Humanities Center that engages Minnesotans with our state’s most important natural resource through personal stories, historical content, and scientific information.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 Hunt Utilities Group Resilient Living Campus from April 27, 2023 through June 19, 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 Historical Society (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 exhibit officially opens on April 27 in Pine River. There will be a public reception from 4-6pm on April 27—everyone is welcome. Beyond that, 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 [email protected]. Volunteers are sought to act as exhibit docents (guides), while also enriching their relationships with water. Learn more at: bit.ly/watervolunteers. A photo contest for residents of Cass and Crow Wing counties will be part of the exhibit starting in mid-May. To participate in the photo contest or learn more about any of these opportunities, please visit happydancingturtle.org/waw.

   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.

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