Please excuse cross postings:

The Minnesota Historical Society is developing a new exhibit at the
Lower Sioux Agency, site of the first battle of the Dakota Conflict of
1862.   With this new exhibit we hope to 1) present the history of the
Dakota people in Minnesota from their perspective and 2) present
multiple perspectives on the Dakota Conflict.

In order to accomplish these goals, we are currently forming a Dakota
Planning/Advisory committee made up of members of the Dakota communities
in Minnesota. I am looking for other museums that have attempted this
type of partnership. I would appreciate any advice members of the list
could provide about how to form this committee and the role of this
committee in the overall plannning.

I would also like to hear from institutions that have attempted to show
multiple perspectives to controversial issues in museums exhibits.  I am
interested in:
1) what type of exhibit or program did you plan
2) how did your institution solicit these multiple perspectives, types
of      partnerships formed, etc.
3) what issues came up in your planning that were expected
4) what issues arose that were unexpected & how did these affect your
plans
5) what paramaters did your museum set for using the information
provided by     non-institutional committee members

I would also appreciate any suggestions about other museums I should
contact.

Please respond to my inquiry off-list.  I will post a summary with
highlights.

Thanks,

Carie Essig
Exhibit Program Developer
Historic Sites Department
Minnesota Historical Society
345 Kellogg Blvd. West
St. Paul, MN 55102
612-296-5530
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