We Are Water

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)

Directions, transit, and parking information.

Events & Programming

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