Brooks Turner

On Sunday October 25th, 2020, Legends and Myths of Ancient Minnesota, a 32 page “Exhibition-in-Print” containing digital drawings and collaged scans of archival documents from the Minnesota Historical Society, arrived on the doorstep of Twin Cities homes as an insert in the Star Tribune. This newspaper told a forgotten and obscured story of fascism in Minnesota, its lasting impact on the state, and the Jews and labor unions that organized in resistance. By appearing in the Star Tribune, Legends and Myths became a footnote to the present as the aesthetics of fascism reverberated through articles reporting on the police murder of African Americans, the sharp rise in nationalism and racism, and fake news propaganda. Simultaneously, 5000 copies were exhibited at the Weisman Art Museum, stacked as a monolithic sculpture. During the course of the exhibition, visitors could take copies home, slowly eroding the sculpture—a metaphor for collective, grassroots action as a counter to fascism.