The Memorial Union Gallery is hosting the traveling exhibit, “Prairie Churches of North Dakota,” which celebrates the strength and beauty of historic church buildings in North Dakota. The exhibit will be displayed until Oct. 28.
“Prairie Churches” features photos of buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Stories about each of the photos are available to allow viewers to get a sense of the history, details and place. The exhibit also has actual architectural components that were salvaged.
The Prairie Churches of North Dakota project is a national pilot program designed to help rural communities revitalize their historic churches as centers of community life and culture. The program is a partnership of historic preservation, religious, arts and humanities organizations committed to drawing state and national attention to the plight of North Dakota’s rural churches, and to aid congregations in preserving, maintaining and continuing to use their historic buildings.
The photographs represent some of North Dakota’s rich legacy of ethnically and architecturally diverse historic places of worship. They also are beloved historic landmarks and symbols of cultural heritage. The exhibit calls attention to various styles of architecture such as Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival, as well as various ethnic influences such as Scandinavian, German and Polish. Stained glass windows and altar art are shown along with social, ceremonial and community traditions illustrating a sense of place, a sense of home and heritage lost.
Preservation North Dakota, in conjunction with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has worked on documenting and revitalizing the photos.
Jen Wilke, director of administration and development for Preservation North Dakota, will talk about the exhibit and statewide preservation projects on Friday, Oct. 21, at 2 p.m. in the Memorial Union Gallery.