Join student photographers for a docent-led tour of the exhibit "A Choice of Weapons: A Living Legacy" on view in the museum's Mill Commons through June 8, 2014.

(photo by Camilla Merino)

The exhibit features approximately 30 images created by high school students in Minneapolis alongside images by Gordon Parks, on loan from The Gordon Parks Foundation. Using Park's autobiography "A Choice of Weapons" as inspiration, the students created images portraying people in their communities with dignity and pride. The students participated in a photography residency at Juxtaposition Arts where they worked with nationally acclaimed photographer Jamel Shabazz. "A Choice of Weapons" is this year’s One Minneapolis One Read selection.

The tours are available on March 29, April 27 and May 31 at 1 p.m. The tours are free, but space is limited so preregistration is encouraged. Museum admission will be available at a discounted rate of $6 or free for MNHS members. The One Minneapolis One Read book, A Choice of Weapons, will be for sale in the gift store at a 25-percent discount.

One Minneapolis One Read is a community read in which everyone in Minneapolis is invited to read the same book and join the conversation. This year’s book is "A Choice of Weapons" by Gordon Parks. This compelling autobiography, first published in 1966, tells how Parks managed to escape the poverty and bigotry around him and launch his distinguished career by choosing the weapons given him by "a mother who placed love, dignity, and hard work over hatred."

For more information visit www.millcitymuseum.org/choice-weapons-exhibit.

About Mill City Museum

Built within the ruins of the Washburn A Mill, a National Historic Landmark, the award-winning Mill City Museum chronicles the flour milling industry that fueled the growth of Minneapolis. The story comes to life through the eight-story Flour Tower, Water Lab, Baking Lab and other hands-on exhibits.

The museum is located at 704 S. Second St. in Minneapolis. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. The site is also open Mondays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in July and August. For more information, call 612-341-7555 or visit www.millcitymuseum.org.

The Society's calendar of events is posted online at www.mnhs.org/calendar. The website also has information about all of the Society’s programs, museums and historic sites.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. The Society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, the Society preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.

The Minnesota Historical Society is supported in part by its Premier Partners: Xcel Energy and Explore Minnesota Tourism.