HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017 07-24 New exhibit celebrates connected history of 3M and Maplewood PIONEER PRESS7/25/2017 New exhibit celebrates connected history of 3M and Maplewood — Twin Cities
NEWS
New exhibit celebrates connected history of
3M and Maplewood
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By S. M. GkIIAMIIIllY I schavey@pioneerpress.com I Pioneer Press
July 24, 2017 at 12:001
3M brought the world the Post -it Note, Scotch tape and red stop signs. It also spurred Maplewood township to become a city
in 1957.
This year Maplewood turns 60, and the Maplewood Area Historical Society has unveiled an exhibit displaying how 3M and
the city together grew.
The "Magically Adhered" exhibit cost nearly $100,000 and four years to make. Its location in the basement of a barn at
Bruentrup Heritage Farm is indicative of the welding of rural and suburban cultures that occurred when 3M moved to
Maplewood.
"I thought it was very professionally done. I think they did a really good job tying together Maplewood's history and some of
3M's history at the very beginning of 31 stay in Maplewood," 3M retiree Dwight Nelson said.
This is by far the biggest exhibit the historical society has done. Rather than focusing on the pioneer days, the creators
embraced Maplewood's unique suburban history.
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7/25/2017 New exhibit celebrates connected history of 3M and Maplewood — Twin Cities
"In terms of showing history, you look for these times of changes, the times of trauma and stress that eventually became
figured out," said Bob Jensen, president of the Maplewood Area Historical. Society. "This was probably one of the more
important turning points in Maplewood history."
A MOVE FROM ST. PAUL
When Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (later3M) decided to move its headquarters from St. Paul to what is now
Maplewood in 1952, the already developing area was prompted to advance even more quickly.
Stung by the loss of 3M and its tax revenue, St. Paul prepared to annex the area. Maplewood area residents voted on Feb. 26,
1957, to transition from a township to a city, blocking the annexation.
Maplewood has housed 3M's headquarters ever since.
VISUALIZING THE STORY
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"Magically Adhered" designers used photographs, videos, artifacts and graphics to visualize the story. The blue, red and
yellow colors represent the era, accordingto Holly Robbins, partner and creative director at This is Folly, a Minneapolis
branding and graphic design firm that worked on the exhibit.
Bookendingthe exhibit are two large photos of the same space: a farm, and the 3M corporate campus that eventually
replaced it.
"We were trying to represent the juxtaposition of the two different cultures, the transition from a farm to suburb, from a
farm economyto a corporate economy," Robbins said.
In addition to signs and photographs, the exhibit also includes commercials about old products. Visitors can learn about
board games, 3M's plaid design and tape used to curl hair.
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7/25/2017 New exhibit celebrates connected history of 3M and Maplewood — Twin Cities
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The exhibit displays Scotch lite in its raw form as well. A 3M employee invented Scotch lite, a highly reflective surface, which
was used on street signs to make them more visible. After its invention, stop signs changed from white or yellow and black
to red and white.
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7/25/2017 New exhibit celebrates connected history of 3M and Maplewood — Twin Cities
Mostvisitors underestimate the amount of time they need to see the entire exhibit, Jensen said. Recentvisitors called the
exhibit a learning experience, with details about 3M's influence and the city's early history.
"Those debates about whether to raise property taxes ... are the same debates we have today. That's what's so awesome
about studyingthe development of a community, it raises the same questions," Project Manager and Exhibit Planner Nancy
Wagner O'Brien said. "It'sjust human nature to not really analyze what you're living through, but with a hindsight of 50 to 60
years you can say `this is really interesting."'
IF YOU GO
• What: "Magically Adhered," an exhibit by the Maplewood Area Historical Society about the history of 3M in Maplewood
• When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays. Open houses from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 13, Aug. 14, Sept. 10 and
Sept. 11 will include special events
• Where: Bruentrup Heritage Farm, 2170 E. County Road D, Maplewood
• For more information about the society, go
toFacebook.com/Brueritn.apFieritageF'arm/ or maplewoodhisLoricalsociety.org
Tags:r,
S. M. Chavey
Sarah Chavey is a year-long fellow through the Collegiate Network. She is a graduate of Hillsdale College, in
Michigan.
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