"Minnesota’s Greatest Generation: The Depression, The War, The Boom"Experiencing Their Past, Learning For Our Present"

NEW EXHIBIT OPENING MAY 23 AT THE MINNESOTA HISTORY CENTER
http://www.mngreatestgeneration.org/

The Great Depression, World War II and the boom that followed the war were all defining events in the life of Minnesota's Greatest Generation. With the current challenges facing our county, including a struggling economy and high rates of unemployment, it is more important than ever to reflect on their stories and learn from their enduring legacy. Experience the accomplishments, sacrifices, disappointments and challenges of this remarkable generation at the Minnesota Historical Society's new exhibit, "Minnesota's Greatest Generation: The Depression, The War, The Boom," opening May 23, 2009, Memorial Day weekend.

This landmark, 6,000-square-foot exhibit traces the entire life arc of the generation – from birth to legacy – in a manner unlike anything else at any other history center or educational institution across the nation. With the use of recorded interviews, archival footage, film and audio, members of the generation guide visitors through their childhood and adolescence in the 1930s, to their years as young adults during the war and post-war era. The exhibit is a highly moving experience, featuring artifacts, displays, hands-on elements and multimedia interpretive techniques that reveal the experiences of Minnesota's Greatest Generation.

Put Yourself in Their Place
"This exhibit is the culmination of one of the most ambitious undertakings in the Society's nearly 160-year history," said Nina Archabal, Minnesota Historical Society Director. "It tells the story of a generation that endured great hardship, displayed courage and seized the opportunity to shape our modern nation and world. At a time when there is a rare and clear convergence between past and present, we are so fortunate that many of the members of the Greatest Generation who lived these experiences have told us their stories in their own words. Looking around us today we see Minnesotans and other Americans facing hardship, displaying courage and seizing the moment to change the world."

Exhibit visitors will embark on a journey that transports them back in time and creates the feeling that they are experiencing the events of the past. As they travel from a childhood trip to the movies to a classic, 1930s soda fountain, visitors will gain a new understanding of how the attacks on Pearl Harbor ripped the generation from their peaceful lives and threw the United States into the middle of a tumultuous World War.

A re-created factory assembly line where visitors can learn to pack ammunition shells conveys the dedication and determination of life on the home front. A simulated D-Day flight in the fuselage of a war-era C-47 airplane reveals the intensity of the battlefield. Finally, a 1950s television showroom and hospital nursery return visitors to the wonders of prosperity and suburbia as the post-war boom begins.

Opening Weekend and Summer Events
To celebrate the opening of the exhibit, a series of events will be offered at the Minnesota History Center from Saturday, May 23, through Monday, May 25, Memorial Day weekend. Events include educational presentations, musical performances, film screenings, craft and cooking demonstrations and programs honoring veterans’ service. In addition, the Minnesota History Center and state historic sites, such as Historic Fort Snelling, will host Minnesota's Greatest Generation events throughout the summer. For more information on events, please visit www.mnhs.org/mggevents.

The Minnesota's Greatest Generation Project
The exhibit is the capstone of the Historical Society's multi-year Minnesota’s Greatest Generation project. Since the project’s launch on August 14, 2005, the 60th anniversary of the end of the World War II, tens of thousands of people across the nation have been engaged to collect, preserve and share the stories of Minnesota's Greatest Generation through traditional and Web-based programs, including a collections initiative, an interactive Web site, oral history project, publications, and public and educational programs. The project has been lauded by the National Endowment for the Humanities as an initiative that "may establish a model for history museums throughout the United States," and the exhibit has been designated as a prestigious "We The People" project for promoting knowledge and understanding of American history and culture. For more information about the project please visit http://www.mngreatestgeneration.org/.

About the Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849 to preserve and share Minnesota history. The Society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. More information can be found at http://www.mnhs.org/. The Carver County Historical Society is an institutional member of the Minnesota Historical Society.