SPOTLIGHT: The Minnesota 150

• By Alexandra Sastre
• August 25, 2008

What makes Minnesota, Minnesota? This not is a question many of us from places beyond the North Star State ask ourselves (at least not regularly), but it did serve as the catalyst for MN150, an exhibit at the Minnesota Historical Society that presents 150 people, events, and inventions that have changed Minnesota. The exhibit is a fantastic example of how visitor-contributed content can successfully drive an exhibition – and how Web 2.0 can help make it all happen.

MN150 was created from more than 2,700 nominations contributed by Minnesotans on the people, places, and things that shaped the state. The final 150 were selected by a committee of curators, historians, and community members and included contributor artifacts, giving the public a platform for contributing ideas and physical content.

What really makes this exhibit stand out is the multiplicity of participatory opportunities it offers. The open nomination opened up the experience to the public, the winners could contribute physical items in addition to their ideas, and, thanks to the MN150 Wiki, online visitors can view all the topics nominated for the MN150 exhibit, comment, post a photo, share a personal story, update historical information, and create a list of their own.

The result sets a new standard for historical exhibition … because, in the words of Minnesota Historical Society Director Nina Archabal, “Who better to tell us about Minnesota than the people who live here?”

For more about MN150, check out Nina Simon’s interview with MN150 lead exhibit developer Kate Roberts.

Filed under: trends, what's cookin'