A Hall of Honor
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Video Series Celebrates Men and Women of the Land
Men and Women of the Land: A Hall of Honor is an oral history video series on which I am currently serving as video editor and creative consultant. Produced by the Stevens County Historical Museum, this 50 video series tells the collective stories of unique individuals, past and present, who have helped to shape the character and course of Stevens County Minnesota.
Randee Hokanson, Director of the Stevens County Historical Society, first conceived the idea several years ago while in the midst of a $1.8 million museum restoration and expansion project. Inspired by her own belief in the power that "everyday people" have to collectively shape communities, Hokanson decided to commemorate the lives of 50 local residents through a permanent exhibit in the new museum gallery wing.
"The Hall of Honor was developed to represent a collective group of people rather than a single person", Hokanson said.
Funded through a combination of private donations and a small grant from the Minnesota Historical Society's Historical and Cultural Grants Program, the exhibit includes 50 custom-framed and mounted photo collages celebrating the lives of each nominee and a commemorative video documenting their life journey and local influence.
To-date, we have produced 16 of the 50 total videos, which have been presented to select audiences at invitation-only premiere events. Once completed, all 50 videos will be available to the public for viewing as part of the permanent exhibit. Patrons of the museum will be able to select any of the stories from a touch screen tablet and watch them on a high definition television.
See two shortened sample videos here:
Rodney Briggs (5:00)
