Somali Museum of Minnesota

The Somali Museum is the only museum in North America devoted to preserving Somali culture and art.  Displaying a collection of artifacts, the Somali Museum offers an unrivaled collection of traditional artworks and serves as a unique meeting space for Somali artists.  Minneapolis is home to the largest population of Somali immigrants and refugees in the United States.  After its civil war left almost all of Somalia’s museums destroyed and cultural artifacts spread across the world, the community in Minneapolis has rallied to make Minneapolis the home of Somalia’s precious cultural inheritance.  At the Somali Museum, each artifact and each artwork teaches about a way of life that is disappearing and enriches our flourishing community. The collection on display at the Somali Museum includes examples of everyday craftworks as well as paintings by artists in Somalia and the diaspora.  

Current Programming                                    

At the Museum:

• Exhibitions, galleries, and tours

  • Providing private tours of the museum’s collection for families, community leaders, school groups, and other interested parties to learn about traditional Somali art

• Cultural Events

  • Presenting traditional music and dance, in both performance and informal dance party settings, to allow Minnesotan-Somalis to celebrate their traditions

• Classes and Workshops

  1. Hosting local master artists to teach classes in traditional crafts, including hand weaving, poetry, and music

Around the State:

• Mobile exhibitions and lectures

  • Curating temporary exhibitions of Somali traditional artifacts at schools, universities, and community centers

  • Offering lectures about traditional Somali art, including topics such as how each piece is made, the story of particular artists, the history of certain styles, and the role of traditional arts in the diaspora context

• Cultural Events

  • Presenting traditional music and dance, in both performance and informal dance party settings, to allow Minnesotan-Somalis to celebrate their traditions

• Outreach

  • Conducting outreach to welcome diverse Minnesotan communities to visit the Somali Museum, learn about Somali culture, and diminish prejudices that Somalia is only a place of war and crime

  • Promoting the Museum’s mission among regional and community leaders, organizers, and stakeholders, and building bridges between the Somali Museum and other organizations promoting cultural arts and diminishing prejudice

Help sustain the Somali Museum of Minnesota’s efforts to protect the treasures and memories of a community whose ancestral knowledge and traditions are at risk by donating today. Then head to www.somalimuseum.org to plan your visit to the museum on East Lake Street where all are welcome! 

Mahadsanid!

Thank you!

   Highlights from the Somali Museum Of Minnesota 4th Anniversary, 2017