From October 12 to November 26, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities hosted We Are Water MN. This popular statewide traveling exhibition explores the connections between the humanities and water, inviting visitors to reflect on local stories and the meaning and experiences of water in Minnesota – and add their own stories to the mix.
Organized by the Minnesota Humanities Center and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in cooperation with four other state agencies, We Are Water MN was housed at the Institute on the Environment during its stay on the Twin Cities campus, before moving on to seven other host sites. Other key partners at the University are the Institute for Advanced Study and the Water Resources Center/Water Resource Sciences graduate program.
Stay tuned for opportunities to engage with this unique exhibition and celebrate our connection to water! A number of University of Minnesota programs and units will contribute to programs and events held during the exhibit period. Both the exhibition and associated programming focus on two themes: We are all responsible to steward the water resources that we enjoy and that support our lives; and how changes in water systems, whether due to a changing climate or other factors, will disproportionately affect nondominant communities. The program therefore addresses both scientific and policy understandings of water, as well as humanistic sensitivity to absented narratives in our society.
For more information, or to share a water-inspired event, contact Kim Long (Institute on the Environment) at longx296@umn.edu or Pat Nunnally (Institute for Advanced Study’s River Life program) at pdn@umn.edu.
Exhibition & Opening Details
October 15 – November 26
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Opening Reception
Friday, October 12
3 – 7 p.m. (Program at 4 p.m.)
Institute on the Environment
Learning & Environmental Sciences Building
1954 Buford Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108
Commons Meeting & Art Space (Room R350)
Events & Programming
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Weekly Wednesdays at 12 p.m. River Walks
All walks will convene at Northrop Plaza. In case of inclement weather, we will move the conversation inside Northrop.
Oct 3: Linda Buturian, College of Education and Human Development, “The River is the Classroom”
Oct 10: Simi Kang, Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, “River Walk: Power, Storytelling, and Place”
Oct 17: Doug Snyder and Abby Moore, Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, “Protecting Water Quality and Habitat in the Mississippi River”
Oct 24: Julie Rantala, Department of Environmental Health and Safety, on Best Water Management Practices on campus
Oct 31: Dr. Carrie Jennings, Freshwater Society, “In the Footsteps of Winchell”
Nov 7: Dan Milz, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, “Daylighting the Headwater of Environmental Planning in the Twin Cities”
Nov 14: Steve Lee, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (retired), “Changing River Uses and Expectations after Minnesota’s 1963 Oil Spill” -
October 6 & October 27 – Phalen Creek Nibi Walk
Participants must be able to attend both days. -
October 12 – Opening Ceremony & Reception
3 to 7 p.m. (IonE) -
October 13 – Open Saturday
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (IonE) -
October 19 – The River at Our Doorstep
9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (Best Buy Theater, Northrop 4th Floor) -
October 25 – IAS Thursdays: All That We Are Is Story (Panel Discussion)
3:30 to 5 p.m. (Crosby Seminar Room, 240 Northrop) -
October 27 – Open Saturday
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (IonE) -
October 29 – Living with Water: Learning With and From Community
3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Best Buy Theater, Northrop 4th Floor) -
November 19 – Your Water Futures
3 to 6 p.m. (IonE)
Additional Seminars Related to Water on Campus
- Conservation Sciences Seminars
October 26 – Identifying occurrence and toxicity of contaminants of emerging concern: A multifaceted collaborative effort supporting the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; Gary Ankley, Environmental Protection Agency - Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Seminars
October 17 – Drought, floods, and algal-mediated linkages of rivers, uplands and estuaries; Mary Power, University of California – Berkeley - St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Seminars
- Soil, Water, Climate Seminars
October 31 – Irrigation Impacts on Water Quantity in the Northern Great Lakes States; Dr. Mallika Nocco, Dept. of Soil, Water, & Climate
November 14 – Don’t Call it a Comeback: Studying Ancient Floods to Prepare for Future Hazards; Dr. Scott St. George, Geography, Environment and Society - Water Resource Science Seminars
October 5 – GEWEX Activities and the Water for the Food Baskets of the World Grand Challenge; Petrus (Peter) J. van Oevelen, Principal Scientist, USRA & Director, International GEWEX Project office
Exhibition Organizers
In partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and Minnesota Departments of Health, Agriculture and Natural Resources
Hosted By
