Public History of the Twin Cities: shadow puppets, zines, mobile museums, storymaps, oral histories and more
Near North Minneapolis before and after the state’s first major highway destroyed a vibrant Black and Jewish neighborhood, and the home of the Minneapolis Sound in the late 1930s. Created by Jessie Merriam and Jade Ryerson for Bring Back 6th, a mobile museum block party and ongoing campaign to make Olson Memorial Highway smaller, safer, and more of a connected community again. Read more about MnDOT’s efforts and make your voice heard.
Cover of the Cedar-Riverside history zine, part 1, 2023
West Bank Community Archive: mobile museums, zines, and more
As a contract public historian with the West Bank Community Archive and with Our Streets MN:
a mobile museum for Cedar Fest in 2023
Cedar Riverside history zine based on oral history interviews and archival research.
West Bank Community Archive oral histories and website (ongoing)
Cedar Riverside Time Machines I & II (2024-2025), with #III coming soon…
Time Machine title page for Shadow Puppet History, Cedar Cultural Center 2025.
Time Machines: site-specific history variety shows
Created for Cedar Riverside in 2024, I have expanded this format for multiple Twin Cities neighborhoods and other storytelling themes, including North Minneapolis, St. Paul, Dinkytown, and two Cedar Riverside shows. Each Time Machine features
Shadow Puppet History Show I create for the specific place and context, featuring original puppets and archival and oral history selections paired with live music.
Variety show of local storytellers, filmmakers, musicians, and performers telling their story of place.
Food, scrap books, mobile museums and conversation in the lobby.
Upcoming 2026-2027:
Beaver history and Beaversprite by Dorothy Richards
Railroad Stories with Michael Belton
Interviewing a participant at the “Creatures of the Night” storytelling event at the Bell Museum of natural history, St. Paul MN, 2025.
Oral History
Oral history interviews are the backbone of my work with multiple history projects, including:
-94 Stories (the history of people living along the I-94 corridor)
-Bring Back 6th (the history of Olson Memorial Highway and the Black and Jewish neighborhood it displaced)
-West Bank Community Archive
-Backyard Phenology
Bring Back 6th mobile museum, spring 2023, featuring elders and current residents exploring archival images and maps made publicly accessible for many for the first time. Created by the Heritage Studies and Public History students in collaboration with Our Streets MN, Harrison Neighborhood, and Musicant designers.