Time Travel Through Art and Letters Kick-off Event
Time Travel Through Art and Letters Kick-off Event
Saturday, October 24, 2:00 - 3:30 pm
Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery, Grand Marais
When the Cook County Historical Society (CCHS) launched "Letters to Our Future" earlier this year to capture *any and all* community members' reactions to Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, staff had no idea that it would grow into something much bigger.
Immediately after we began collecting letters as a way for future generations to understand what our community was feeling and thinking in the early part of 2026, we noticed two main things:
1. That other local history museums and entities wanted to create something similar, and
2. That this project resonated particularly with youth. Specifically, as a way for parents and guardians to bring up current world events in a gentle way, and provide an outlet for them to process their feelings and decide exactly how their voices will be heard when the time capsule is opened twenty years from now.
As a response, CCHS expanded Letters to Our Future by creating a toolkit for organizations that wanted to adopt a similar program, providing an online submission option, and opening the door for community members to reflect on topics beyond Operation Metro Surge.
Recently, CCHS announced it was awarded $1,500 by the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council (ARAC) to expand its Letters to Our Future program even further. The grant from ARAC will advance collaboration with participating history and arts organizations and fund a “time capsule” art project to be hosted at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery next year, along with a "Letters to Our Future" exhibit.
As a way to celebrate the launch of the time capsule portion of this exciting project, CCHS is hosting an event, "Time Travel Through Art and Letters." More details about this event will be shared soon!
In the meantime, we invite you to write a letter to the future about what life is like for you in the year 2026. Letters can be made public, saved in our archives - viewable by request only, or locked in a secured time capsule for 20 years.
Writing prompts or possible 2026-related event topics are included on the website or at the Museum/JHP. If you would like to submit a letter, you may do so in person at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery or the History Museum during open hours. You may also submit a letter electronically by following the link below:
https://www.cookcountyhistory.org/letters-to-our-future-online-submission