Exhibit Highlighting the Ever-Evolving Experience of Girlhood Coming to the Minnesota History Center

ST. PAUL, Minn (August 20, 2024) – Since the birth of our nation, girls have been on the front lines of change. The Minnesota History Center will delve into this history with Girlhood (It’s complicated), an exhibit from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. 

Showcasing interactive displays, media components, and over 100 objects from the Smithsonian collection, the exhibit explores how young women have continuously influenced politics, education, work, health, and fashion.

Running from September 7, 2024 - June 1, 2025, guests will be able to view illustrations by artist Krystal Quiles, a makeup table from 1820, a 1900s gym suit, and a 1958 dress worn by Minnijean Brown, one of the Little Rock Nine. With objects spanning a timeframe of more than 200 years, Girlhood (It's complicated) presents the stories of American girls who have challenged expectations to spark change. 

Attendees will also have the opportunity to check out a section on girls’ basketball in Minnesota, digging deeper into the importance of participation, encouragement, and support for women. This section will include media interviews with Minnesota girls on what the game means to them today as well as objects from MNHS collections. Pieces reflecting Lindsay Whalen's career, and objects loaned by Minnesota basketball legends including Janet Karvonen-Montgomery and Tamara Moore, will also be on display.

To celebrate the exhibit's grand opening, visitors are encouraged to participate in activities and attend performances from 11 am–3 pm on Saturday, September 7! Entertainment includes live music by FINICK, dance presentations by Sansei Yonsei Kai and Yackel Dance Studio, and a baseball demonstration and clinic by the Minnesota Girls Baseball Association on the History Center front lawn. To learn more, click here.

Girlhood (It’s complicated) was created by the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The exhibition is supported by the Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Initiative, a program of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.

Funding provided by the State of Minnesota's Legacy Amendment, through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008, and our generous donors and members.

About SITES

SITES and Smithsonian Affiliations are critical national outreach units at the Smithsonian Institution. For more than 70 years, SITES has been connecting Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history. Smithsonian Affiliations establishes and maintains the Smithsonian’s long-term partnerships with museums, educational organizations and cultural institutions in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Panama. Together, SITES and Affiliations share the Smithsonian's vast resources with millions of people outside Washington, D.C. Visit sites.si.edu and affiliations.si.edu for more information.

About the Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves, and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs, and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories, and connects people with history.

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