Community Curators
Temporary Exhibit
January-September 2024
How can museums create an environment where community members feel empowered to tell their own stories?
The items in the Science Museum of Minnesota’s collection originate from places all around the world. Through the Community Curators program, museum staff and community members collaborate to access and engage with objects in the collections in meaningful ways to foster a more community-driven practice of storytelling and interpretation.
Through this program, community artists, educators, and organizers select and interpret items from museum collections alongside their own work. The items will be featured in an on-site display in the museum lobby for the duration of three months, and each curator will facilitate a conversation about the selected objects and their meaning to their cultural community.
January-March
Cole Redhorse Taylor
Moccasins
A beader and quillworker since his teens and twenties, Cole takes inspiration from artwork left by his Mdewakanton Dakota ancestors — pieces that were not only useful, but also functional in his relatives’ everyday lives. His display combines moccasins he created with those found in the museum’s collections that were made by artisans from communities like his.
April-June
Raquel Kaprosy
Weaving
Raquel learned the art of weaving when she was six years old, progressing from bracelets and small belts to double-sided designs on larger looms. She believes each weaver is the main character of the story they want to tell through their loom; she is passionate about honoring her heritage and culture through the textiles she creates and stories she tells.
