Outdoor Music + Culture at Finn Creek Open Air Museum
On Friday, August 21st, 2020 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center and Niijii Radio will present an evening of music and culture at the Finn Creek Open Air Museum, located 6 miles south of New York Mills at 55442 340th St, New York Mills, MN 56567. This outdoor event is open to all with free-will donations accepted.
This event came about when the Cultural Center was forced to cancel our annual Kalevala Puppet Pageant due to COVID-19. We wanted to do something to honor the Finnish and Indigenous cultures of our region. We reached out to several partners and the “Celebrating Our Cultures” event was born!
The evening will include cultural features of Finnish and Anishinaabe traditions and histories, and a concert by Annie Humphrey. The Cultural Center is pleased to be partnering with Niijii Radio, Finn Creek Museum, and local cultural experts. The plan for the evening includes about 30 minutes each of Finnish and Anishinaabe culture, followed by about an hour of live music by Annie Humphrey.
Annie Humphrey (Ojibwe) is a grandmother, mother, singer, songwriter, and visual artist who was born and raised on the Leech Lake Reservation in Northern Minnesota. She has been recording work for three decades and was named Artist of the Year at the 2018 Native American Music Awards.
The Cultural Center would like to express gratitude to its partners in this event including Annie Humphrey, Niijii Radio, Finn Creek Museum, and local residents Amy and Adam Tervola-Hultberg and Lisa Winter. Niijii Radio will share some of the Anishinaabe culture from the White Earth Reservation. Amy, Adam, Lisa, and some local children will share some the Finnish culture including characters from past Kalevala Puppet Pageant performances. There will also be coloring books available with Ojibwe, Finnish, and English words and illustrations, created by Cultural Center Programs Director and visual artist Cheryl Bannes.
We will be following COVID-19 guidelines and CDC recommendations, including physical distancing and masks when distancing is not possible. Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms (cough, fever, shortness of breath, etc.) should not attend.
Please bring your own lawn chairs and/or blankets and spread out in the wide open spaces outdoors at Finn Creek. You are welcome to bring your own food for a picnic. There will be pop, water and snacks for sale. NO pets or alcohol allowed at Finn Creek.
The Cultural Center in New York Mills is a rural hub for creativity, community vitality, and lifelong learning in the arts. We offer visitors intimate opportunities to encounter art and artists in our 80-seat concert listening room, two art galleries in a historic building, a gift store featuring local artists, an artist residency program, classes and workshops, a sculpture park, and a variety of opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Since our incorporation in 1990, we have been passionate about connecting people to artists and rich cultural experiences in rural Minnesota, celebrating the local and being a window to the world.
