October 6 – 31, Hastings Art Center
Seeds of Change, photographs by Mike Hazard, celebrates the culture and community of Minnesota’s Hmong farmers, while highlighting the beauty of the state’s landscape and agricultural traditions.
On view May 17 – June 3
Meet the dedicated teachers and talented honors art students whose works are featured in this year’s competitive Honors Visual Art Exhibition, co-presented by the M, SPPS, Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center, and the Ordway.
Ongoing
In September 2017, the M’s artist-in-residence Vanghoua Anthony Vue and a team of local artists from the Hmong community installed three murals, commissioned by the museum, around St. Paul honoring Hmong culture and creative expression. Two of those – in the museum’s Center for Creativity and on the Jackson Street Parking ramp – are on view.
Exhibition guest curator Johnnay Leenay and the M’s Arts Access Manager and Curator of Exhibitions and Public Programs discuss the new show, its place in the life of the museum, and how the nuances of American identity play into questions of “arts access.”
Thursday, August 17, 7 – 9 p.m.
Mingle with the guest curators of our new exhibition, We the People.
Tuesday, September 12, 6 p.m.
A moderated conversation between We the People guest curators with artist and independent curator Dyani White Hawk.
Presented by the Minnesota Museum of American Art, Saint Paul Public Schools, and Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, this special exhibition features the art of approximately 50 high school students, plus the work of elementary students in the M’s arts education program, CreatorKids.
Set in the circle of the seasons, We Go to the Garden is a portrait of a year in the life of a farm run by Hmong American farmers. Many of the images in the video are also on display in the exhibition, Seeds of Change. The music you hear is a traditional folk song played with a qeej by Xeng Sue Yang. The musical notes themselves convey, in their cadences, the meaning of words in Hmong. Titled “The Man Who Went to the Garden,” the song tells a story: As the sun rises, a man goes to the garden. The sun burns down. He sweats all day under the hot sun. When the sun goes down, he walks home. The larger exhibition, of which this video is a part, celebrates the rich culture of Minnesota’s Hmong farmers, while highlighting the beauty of Minnesota’s landscape and our state’s agricultural traditions. This exhibition aims to foster dialogues on family, community, immigration, and local commerce, touching on broader topics of ethnicity, land ownership, and sustainability.
Direction and camera work for We Go to the Garden is by Mike Hazard. The video was edited by John Dehn and the sound mixed by Jeff Sylvestre. Running time: 5:30
Seeds of Change: A Portrait of the Hmong American Farmers Association is organized by the Minnesota Museum of American Art and runs from January 27 – May 26, 2017 at the Minnesota State Capitol. The exhibit is on view during open hours of the Capitol building in exhibition rooms 320 and 321: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Thursday, May 25, 7 p.m.
David Hamlow’s Mirror Stage installation uses upcycled materials to make visible the massive amounts of waste we produce every day.
Minnesota Museum of American Art
350 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55101
Located in the Historic Pioneer Endicott
651.797.2571
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