Minnesota Humanities Center

Sparking positive change,
creating a more unified society

Join us in unleashing the power of the humanities.

The Minnesota Humanities Center expresses our heartfelt condolences to the children and the families of Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.  We also wish to extend our hopes and prayers for the speedy recovery of Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
 
With unwavering commitment in our hearts, we will continue the work of Speaker Emerita Hortman in creating a democracy where all people have a voice, where we see value in one another, and where we work together to make our democracy an inspiration to the world.
– Kevin Lindsey, CEO Minnesota Humanities Center

Help Us Unlock a $50,000 Match!

Now is the time to double your impact. Recent cuts by DOGE to the National Endowment for the Humanities have significantly reduced funding essential to the Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC).
 
To help bridge this gap, all donations to MHC will be matched 1:1 by the Federation of State Humanities Councils with support from the Mellon Foundation—up to $50,000. That means every dollar you give goes twice as far in sustaining the humanities programs that strengthen our communities across Minnesota.
 
Your gift helps us bring stories to life, amplify underrepresented voices, and connect communities through history, culture, and conversation. But we need your help to reach the full match—and we can’t do it without you.
Give today. Double your impact. Support the humanities.

Our Work Fostering Curiosity, Connection, and Compassion

“We should not permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunities.”

Booker T. Washington

Join Us in Creating a More Unified Society

Learn more about yourself, our communities, and our society or share your unique vision about the human experience or our world.

Get Involved

Attend an Upcoming Event

Jul
13
St. Paul – Summer on the Lawn: Shakespeare in Our Parks

The Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) enthusiastically welcomes Classical Actors Ensemble back to the MHC front lawn for the 11th season of Shakespeare in Our Parks. This season, the Classical Actors Ensemble will present one of William Shakespeare’s lesser-known comedies, “All’s Well That Ends Well.”

Jul
25
Hampton – Learning from Place: Watt Munisotaram (Cambodian Temple)

K-12 educators will receive 3 clock hours Join us for an immersive cultural learning experience at Watt Munisotaram, the largest Cambodian Buddhist temple in the United States, located in the serene countryside of Hampton, Minnesota.

Jul
29
Staples – K-8 Social Studies Standards Workshop

We invite K-8 social studies educators to a workshop that will provide an overview of the new 2021 Minnesota social studies standards. This workshop includes time for teachers to work together to bundle benchmarks into cohesive, interdisciplinary instructional units. Participants will also have work time to start aligning these units with existing resources and primary sources.

Aug
01
St. Paul – Summer on the Lawn: Outdoor Movie Night!

The Minnesota Humanities Center’s 2025 Summer on the Lawn continues with a special movie screening under the stars! In partnership with TriLingua Cinema, MHC presents the early aughts classic, “Holes.” Based on the acclaimed young adult novel by Louis Sachar, “Holes” follows the trials and misadventures of Stanley Yelnats IV (Shia LaBoeuf), who is sent to a juvenile detention camp in the Texas desert after a wrongful conviction.

The humanities remind each and every one of us that we are not alone here…When we truly look at what we’re asking and who we are, we can see the beauty that is all around us.

– Dr. Shelly C. Lowe, former Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities

Host Your Event

We help groups convene and connect around their own programming through rental of our full-service event center in St. Paul.

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