The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) held a session on Thursday night inside Bede Ballroom to discuss the John Martin Socha murals. The discussion was facilitated by Sandra McNichol of the Crookston Community.
The issue at hand was if the John Martin Socha murals should be removed from the Kiehle Auditorium. The murals were created by John Martin Socha and the Northwest School of Agriculture Class of 1932, donated funds for the art materials, and presented the murals to the school on November 7, 1942.
UMC’s land acknowledgment statement says, “The University of Minnesota Crookston is situated on the lands of the Native Nations and carries the legacy of their struggle for survival and identity. Elements of their story, represented in the murals in the Kiehle Auditorium, reflect painful events in history interpreted through the lens of a dominant culture. As a part of our core value to embrace the richness and value of differences, ideas, cultures, and communities, we acknowledge these Native Nations, to learn from their ways of knowing and being, and to work with them to create a more equitable and inclusive future for this region.”
Many community members attended the meeting, and Minnesota House Representative Deb Kiel of District 1B attended the meeting via zoom, along with other community members.
All in attendance gathered around in a circle and were given three to four minutes to speak their opinions. There were arguments made to keep the murals and get rid of them. UMC Vice-Chancellor John Hoffman shared why UMC feels the murals should be taken down and noted that they will not be destroyed. “We’re not planning on taking them down or destroying them. We do want to retain the art,” said Hoffman. “We also recognize several panels on the mural are problematic and harmful to our students. Many people spoke tonight and said they were hurt from seeing that space. Because of that, we want to create a space that when we do view the murals, we do so for educational purposes taking about the full history and context.”
One of the community members that attended the meeting was Allan Dragseth. Dragseth graduated from the Northwest School of Agriculture and believes the murals should remain in the auditorium. “I’ve never heard this being a problem until now. If you go through the pamphlet they handed out, what they say about the murals is slanted one way,” said Dragseth. “Because of that, I can see why people are getting worked up about it. Many people believe it’s whatever is in the eyes of the beholder, and I don’t know anyone who could say they knew what Socha thought when he made the murals. They were painted to give a history of that time, not from this day and age, and I think it’s important not to just forget about history.”
The session was used only for discussion, and a decision as to what will happen with the murals will be made sometime in January or February from a committee that has been put together by UMC. The comments from the public will be reviewed and considered in the coming weeks leading up to the decision.
Below are a couple of pictures of the murals that were being discussed –
