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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Minnesota History Center Will Open Portrait Exhibition With Family Art Activities and a Photo Booth November 7
“See & Be Seen” brings together nearly 170 years of portraits, examining how Minnesotans have represented themselves and their communities.
SAINT PAUL, MN (October 26, 2026). The Minnesota History Center will pair a new exhibition of historical and contemporary portraits with hands-on activities November 7, inviting visitors to examine images from its collections and create images of their own.
“See & Be Seen: The Evolving Power of Portraits” opens that Saturday and continues through June 13, 2027.
The exhibition draws on Minnesota Historical Society collections spanning nearly 170 years. It includes different artists, media and communities, with each portrait connected to Minnesota.
An Opening Day Built Around Participation
The museum opens at 10 a.m. November 7, with special activities running 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The published opening-day program includes an exhibition-inspired art activity and a photo booth provided by Time Into Pixels. The activities are listed as included with museum admission and are intended for visitors of all ages.
The program gives families a practical way to engage with the exhibition’s subject. Visitors can move between looking at portraits, making artwork and deciding how they wish to appear in a photograph.
Images Across Generations
Works identified on the exhibition page include Leslie Barlow’s “Venessa and Felix” from 2019, Rose Smith’s “Journey to Minnesota” from 2008, Dewey Albinson’s 1925 portrait of Frances Cranmer Greenman and Tom Arndt’s 1999 photograph “Two guys Bde Maka Ska.”
The selection brings painting and photography into the same discussion of identity and representation. The historical society describes the exhibition as examining the power of being seen, including being seen on one’s own terms.
The October 21 announcement says the exhibition will show how portraiture has changed from the 1850s to the present and how different communities have contributed their stories to Minnesota history.
Admission, Location and Access
The History Center is at 345 W. Kellogg Blvd. in Saint Paul. General admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors 65 and older, veterans, active military members and college students, and $8 for children ages 5–17. Children younger than 5 and Minnesota Historical Society members enter free.
Admission includes the museum’s other exhibitions.
Elevators and ramps serve public areas. Wheelchairs and strollers are available without charge on a first-come, first-served basis, and seating is available in most exhibitions and exhibit hallways.
Visitors can review the opening-day program and exhibition page. For questions, contact 651-259-3000 or infodesk@mnhs.org.
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