Minnesota State Mankato’s Memorial Library to Hold April 28 Exhibit Opening of ‘This Statue in this Place: Abraham Lincoln Statue at Minnesota State University, Mankato’

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Memorial Library will host a public exhibit opening of “This Statue in this Place: Abraham Lincoln Statue at Minnesota State University, Mankato” on Tuesday, April 28 from 4-5 p.m., with a brief program at 4:15 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public and will be held on the second floor of Memorial Library (601 Maywood Ave.), where the exhibit is located. The exhibit is open to the public during Memorial Library business hours, which are listed online at: https://library.mnsu.edu/about/information/hours

Parking is available (for a fee) in the visitors pay lot (lot 4) across from Centennial Student Union. During the evening, parking in campus gold spaces is free after 6:30 p.m. Additional parking information is available at https://www.mnsu.edu/visit/campus-visitor-parking/.

The exhibit is the result of five years of research and campus engagement about Abraham Lincoln’s legacy in Minnesota and Mankato and the history of the statue.

The research and writing process of the exhibit panels purposefully involved students and provided them with real-world learning opportunities.

An initial draft of the exhibit text was created by an undergraduate humanities seminar in spring 2023. In fall 2023, feedback from peer reviewers was incorporated into an advanced undergraduate- and graduate-level history seminar. Students considered the reviewers’ feedback and reconceptualized and updated several panels. Minnesota State Mankato faculty members Lori Lahlum and Gwen Westerman finalized the exhibit text and served as exhibit curators.

The exhibit’s intent is described by an acknowledgements panel at the exhibit: “With this exhibit, we strive to create a space that stimulates deeper discussions and new research while helping the greater Mankato community better understand the history of the Dakota people, the complexities of Lincoln’s time, and how historical events shape contemporary thought and people.”

For more information about the exhibit, please contact Dean of Library & Learning Chris Corley by email at christopher.corley@mnsu.edu or by phone at 507-389-5953.

This project has been financed in part with funds provided by the state of Minnesota through the Minnesota Historical Society from the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 15,721 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 26 colleges and seven universities.