History Students Create Exhibit on Farm Aid and the University of Minnesota
UMN, Farm Aid, and Activism, a new undergraduate student-created and designed exhibit, is now on display in the West Bank Skyway until April 1, 2027. The 8-panel exhibit begins by exploring the history of the 1980s Farm Crisis that inspired the first Farm Aid concert in 1985. Specifically, the exhibit examines the University of Minnesota’s response to the 1980s Farm Crisis, the history of the Farm Aid music festival, and the work of Farm Aid’s partners in Minnesota over the course of the organization’s 40-year history. UMN, Farm Aid, and Activism is the product of an academic year of work by students in the Fall 2025 HIST 3001: Public History course and the spring 2026 History Lab.
Last September, Farm Aid held its 40th anniversary concert at the University of Minnesota, marking the first time since the 1990s that the festival was held on a college campus. Students in History 3001 attended Farm Aid events, including, for the first time, academic panels featuring University of Minnesota faculty that discussed issues related to agriculture, foodways, music, and activism. Public history students researched the 40-year history of Farm Aid and the University of Minnesota’s response to the 1980s Farm Crisis, and conducted archival research at the University of Minnesota Libraries and the Minnesota Historical Society. Students also met with Farm Aid staff and local Farm Aid partners to learn about the histories of their organizations and their work.
This spring, seven students in the history department’s second-ever History Lab internship, including two students from the fall public history course, built off of the earlier students’ research to write and design the final exhibit. Michael Foley, Farm Aid’s cultural impact director, helped students select the historical images from Farm Aid’s archive that appear in the final exhibit. History Lab students also conducted additional archival research and interviewed Farm Aid staff and partners. The exhibit opened on April 27, and an opening reception hosted by Student Unions and Activities was held on April 29.
We welcome you to check out UMN, Farm Aid, and Activism in the West Bank Skyway when you’re next on campus.
