Seniors in Mind

This popular weekday series returns for a new season of music, photography and lectures on a wide variety of Minnesota history and culture topics.

Time: 10:30 a.m. (unless otherwise noted)
Location: Minnesota History Center
Tickets: Free (does not include $8 senior admission to museum galleries). Reserve by phone at 651-259-3015.
Programs include a 10% discount at the History Center's Museum Stores. Cafe Minnesota will be open for lunch following each program.

Upcoming Seniors in Mind Events

Rhubarb Renaissance

Tuesday, March 13, 2012 - 10:30am

Kim Ode, Star Tribune feature writer and seasoned baker expands your knowledge of the long overlooked vegetable as one of the great flavors of horticulture. The program reinforces memories of grandma’s kitchen but also inspires delight in the stalk’s place at the contemporary table. Ode's book "Rhubarb Renaissance" will be published in March 2012 by MHS Press.

Minnesota Courthouses

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 - 10:30am

Doug Ohman, popular speaker, storyteller, photographer and well known for the Minnesota Byways series, shows gorgeous visuals of Minnesota’s elegant courthouses from his book - some of the finest public buildings in the North Star State. Following the program, don’t miss the opportunity to view a rare original printed U.S. Constitution from 1787 displayed alongside a 1789 draft of the U. S. Bill of Rights and original copies of the two Minnesota state constitutions. (Museum admission required).

Woody Reflected

Tuesday, July 10, 2012 - 10:30am

Minnesota folkies Pop Wagner, Charlie Maguire and bluesman Tony Glover present a 100th birthday musical tribute to Woody Guthrie inspired by the vibrant paintings in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's "1934: A New Deal for Artists" exhibit that will be on display at the History Center. In the mid-1930s the New Deal increasingly focused on the common people - the Americans with whom Guthrie most identified and through his music he became a spokesman for the oppressed and victims of the Great Depression.

“Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Indians and Were Afraid to Ask” with Anton Treuer

Monday, September 3, 2012 - 10:30am

White/Indian relations are often characterized by guilt and anger. Ojibwe scholar, writer, and cultural preservationist Anton Treuer recently launched this conversation series, cutting through the emotion to give a frank, funny and informative discussion of “what’s up with Indians.” His interactive presentation builds a foundation for true understanding and positive action. Treuer’s book of the same name will be published by Borealis Books in May 2012.

My Book of Skills; Your Guide to Wool Socks and Coffin Building

Tuesday, November 13, 2012 - 10:30am

Author Chris Niskanen brings to life the basic know-how that makes us uniquely Minnesotan! Ranging from seasonal (a buyer’s guide to wool), to old timey (grow your own wheat and make bread), to manners (sauna etiquette), to fascinating but little practiced (building a birch bark canoe), this playful yet straightforward program with personal stories will entertain, inform and perhaps even prepare you for any kind of challenge in the North Star State!