Turner Hall in New Ulm Hosts First Photography Exhibit on Sustainability

Turner Hall in New Ulm, Minnesota, is showing its first-ever exhibit in the Founders Room, a display of more than twenty framed photographs examining sustainability, open free to the public through November 1.

The show runs daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Every frame pairs a photograph with commentary on the intersection between humanity and nature. The texts cover both constructive and destructive sides of that relationship. All wall text appears in both German and English, a bilingual format that reflects the exhibit's institutional origins.

How did the exhibit reach New Ulm?

Executive Director Andrea Boettger said the project began when Turner Hall received an invitation to a New Horizons program at the Goethe-Institut in Chicago. That program works to unite German-American groups across the United States. Grants made available through the program allowed Turner Hall to partner with the Germanic-American Institute, a nonprofit based in Saint Paul.

Grant requirements ensured the exhibit dealt with sustainability. The Germanic-American Institute assembled the show and displayed it first at its own venue before sharing it with Turner Hall. Boettger noted the fit between the theme and Turner Hall's founding principles of sound mind and sound body.

What do the photographs show?

The twenty-plus frames present images and written commentary on how people and nature meet, for better and for worse. Boettger framed the show as a window onto conditions beyond the region.

"It brings more of an outside perspective of things that are going on in our world," Boettger said. "There's more than New Ulm, more than Minnesota, more than the United States."

She continued: "It's important to act locally but also to think globally. There's a lot in our world that not everyone has an opportunity to see, good and bad."

Boettger said the exhibit is open to all and encouraged attendance. "We encourage people to come out and learn and see more about what's happening in our world," she said.

Who is the show for?

Boettger hopes younger visitors will come. "We know environmental issues are important to everyone, but specifically our younger generation that has worries about our world and what's happening," she said.

Early response has been modest but steady. "We haven't heard much because we are just launching it, but people have been coming by to eat at the restaurant and have come up to look," Boettger said. Diners at the Turner Hall restaurant have drifted upstairs to view the frames.

The venue admits its display setup remains basic. "We're not really equipped to display the exhibit in the way we would like to, but it's giving us an opportunity to learn how to better do this in the future for future opportunities," Boettger said.

Turner Hall is asking the public for feedback on the show and on the prospect of future exhibits. The institution treats this first effort as a learning step toward a stronger exhibition program.

What else is happening at Turner Hall?

A drive-thru Spook-ghetti and meatballs fundraiser is set for Tuesday, October 27, from 4 to 7 p.m. The $15 meal includes spaghetti and meatballs, garlic toast, and a salad.

The sustainability exhibit closes November 1, and Turner Hall's leadership has already signaled that this debut show will shape how the Founders Room hosts photography in the years ahead.