American Indian Programming
The purchase of the Bishop Whipple intact collection sustains the collection’s integrity by keeping these rare objects together and in Minnesota. Moving forward, we plan to create an exhibition featuring these objects, along with other contemporary American Indian artifacts from our own and other collections, with which visitors can develop a deeper understanding of American Indian experiences in Minnesota.
American Indian objects in the Science Museum's Bishop Whipple collection come mainly from Minnesota's Dakota and Ojibwe nations, with selected pieces from tribes across North America. Originally they came to the museum on loan from Shattuck St. Mary's Schools in 1979. In 2009, with assistance from State of Minnesota Legacy funding and private donors, the museum embarked upon a five-year agreement with the school to purchase 191 objects we cared for the past 30 years, and to preserve them in perpetuity.
- Increased number of Minnesota's of all ages with the access to Science Museum of Minnesota programs related to the objects in American Indian collections purchased with Legacy funds
- Increased the audience understanding of native cultures evidenced in American Indian collections purchased with Legacy funds
For more information, please visit Science Museum of Minnesota's American Indian Art and Culture in the Bishop Whipple Collection page.