“Right on Lake Street” Exhibit Opens at MN History Center
by Paul Schadewald, Associate Director of Civic Engagement CenterTwelve Macalester classes contributed research, exhibit design ideas, and media projects to a new exhibit on Lake Street that will open at the nationally-known Minnesota History Center at 345 Kellogg Blvd in St. Paul MN. You are warmly invited to the Opening Celebration for the exhibit on Tuesday, September 18, from 6-9 p.m. It will feature food, performances, exhibit tours, and music. Local writer, Kevin Kling, will present sections of his play “21A” beginning at 8 p.m. The Opening Celebration will be an enjoyable evening and a great way to support Macalester students. The exhibit will be open until March 9th, and those attending Family Fest will also have an opportunity to visit the exhibit.
This project is just one of the many ways that Macalester integrates civic engagement into its academic courses. Macalester has a long history of utilizing community-based research, service-learning, and internships to deepen student learning and to contribute to the community. In September 2004, the Minnesota Historical Society and Macalester College began exploring ways to partner with local communities to enrich public life and to tell the story, past and present, of one of Minneapolis’ most diverse and ever-changing streets. Lake Street, a six-mile corridor linking St. Paul and Minneapolis, encompasses 14 neighborhoods and is one of Minneapolis’ most important commercial districts. Lake Street began as the path to the lakes, but for the last century and a half it has been so much more – an entry point for new arrivals, a thoroughfare for those on their way, a boundary line dividing neighborhoods, and a meeting ground bringing diverse groups together.
Macalester students conducted participatory research projects that engaged residents and organizations on Lake Street as part of their academic work in classes from a variety of disciplines, such as Political Science, Environmental Studies, History, Geography, and Documentary Film. Their research and exhibit ideas formed the basis for “Right on Lake Street.” Many of their research projects first appeared on Lake Street community sites before being adapted to the gallery at the MN Historical Society.
The MN Historical Society and Macalester College have partnered with In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, a community based theatre group to create exhibit displays based on Macalester students’ work and the expertise of MN Historical Society staff. The exhibit will be a three-dimensional theatrical “set” of Lake Street businesses, open spaces and street life designed by In the Heart of the Beast Theatre using papier-mâché, felt, fabric, wire and other materials. Visitors enter the gallery through a cardboard and papier-mâché bus modeled after the Metro Transit 21A bus, which runs the length of Lake Street. Playing on the front window will be contemporary video clips showcasing colorful structures, people and the eclectic sounds from the street. Historical interpretation appears in surprising places; for instance, a video interview created by a Macalester student plays through the window of a building set designed to look like Patrick’s Cabaret. Other projects focus on such topics as the Sears Building, the Town Talk Diner, historic Swedish immigration, the experience of school children in Lake Street neighborhoods, and the emerging Latino communities of Lake Street neighborhoods.
For more information on the project, see the homepage of the Civic Engagement Center at http://www.macalester.edu/cec/
The Minnesota History Center’s hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Open Mondays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and college students, and $4 for children ages 6-17.