The Minnesota Historical Society, in association with the St. Louis County Historical Society, presents "Eastman Johnson: Paintings and Drawings of the Lake Superior Ojibwe" Jan. 31 – May 10, 2009 at the Minnesota History Center.

Eastman Johnson was one of America's finest portrait, figure and genre scene painters. This exhibit features approximately 40 oils, charcoals and pastel works of Ojibwe who lived in settlements around Lake Superior from the early part of his career.

Originally from Maine, Johnson studied extensively in Europe before journeying to Superior, Wisconsin, in 1856. Captivated by the area and its native people, he remained through the winter of 1856-57, building a cabin and traveling the western and northern lake region. Johnson’s destinations included Grand Portage, Minnesota, a fur-trading center on Lake Superior’s North Shore near the Canadian border. During his 1856-57 stays, Johnson created numerous drawings and paintings of Superior and Grand Portage’s Ojibwe residents, preserving forever the faces and homes of the Lake Superior region’s native people.

Visitors can learn more about how American Indians have been represented at the History Lounge program "American Indians/American Movies," at the History Center, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. Focusing on the genre of film, cultural historian Elise Marubbio will lead an evening of clips and conversation covering a century of changing images. This program is free.

The Minnesota History Center is located at 345 Kellogg Blvd. W. in St. Paul. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and college students, and $5 for children ages 6-17. Auxiliary aids and services are available with advance notice. For more information, call 651-259-3000, 1-800-657-3773, 651-282-6073 (TTY) or visit www.mnhs.org/historycenter.

The Society’s calendar of events is posted on the Internet at events.mnhs.org/calendar. The web site also has information about all of the Society’s programs, museums and historic sites. To request a free guide to museums and historic sites, call 1-800-657-3773.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849 to preserve and share Minnesota history. The Society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, extensive libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing.