Girlhood (It’s complicated)
Ticket price includes admission to all Minnesota History Center exhibits. MNHS Members get in free.
See how girls have spoken up, challenged expectations, and been on the front lines of social change throughout US history.
Explore the ever-evolving concept of girlhood in the United States and how young women have influenced politics, education, work, health, and fashion.
Girlhood (It’s complicated) features interactive displays, over 100 objects from the Smithsonian collection, and a Minnesota History Center exclusive section on women’s basketball in Minnesota that highlights the many ways players have supported and empowered each other, both on and off the court.
These girls are dressed modestly for outdoor play. Those in dark outfits could be wearing bloomer suits with skirts over them. Some girls are wearing their everyday clothes instead of sports outfits. All are wearing dark socks. North Commons Park, Minneapolis, 1905–15. Photo by C. J. Hibbard & Company. Courtesy Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board.
Wells Memorial Settlement House Streaks, Minneapolis, 1927. Photo by Ray-Bell Films. MNHS GV3.12 p101.
Janet Karvonen with her first teammates, New York Mills, MN, 1975. Photo courtesy Janet Karvonen-Montgomery.
Minnesota (where girls shoot hoops)
For girls, life on the court is a lot like life in general.
Take a shot. Rebound. Assist. Pivot. Cross the line. Score.
Girls played Minnesota’s first recorded basketball game in 1893. Ever since then, girls have shaped—and been shaped by—the game.
Through stories of individual players and teams, this section of the exhibit, developed by the Minnesota Historical Society, will demonstrate how girls who make a difference grow into women committed to supporting the next generations of female athletes as coaches, mentors, friends, and allies.
Villa Sancta Scholastica High School Department of The College of St. Scholastica, 1920. Photo by Louis F. Dworshak.
Girlhood (It’s complicated) related resources
Attend related events
Join us for dance, music and other events celebrating Girlhood.
Shop for related books
From contemporary classics to urgent dispatches, Minnesota Historical Society Press offers a rich array of books that explore the truly complicated—and joyful, and poignant, and dramatic—aspects of girlhood.
Girlhood (It’s complicated) was created by the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The exhibition is supported by the Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Initiative, a program of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.
Funding provided by the State of Minnesota's Legacy Amendment, through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008, and our generous donors and members.
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