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The Bakken

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Coordinates:44°56′17″N93°19′15″W/ 44.93806°N 93.32083°W/44.93806; -93.32083
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The Bakken Museum
A view of The Bakken Museum from the medicinal garden
A view of The Bakken Museum from the medicinal garden
Map
Established1975–1976
Location3537 Zenith Avenue South,Minneapolis,Minnesota,United States
Coordinates44°56′17″N93°19′15″W/ 44.93806°N 93.32083°W/44.93806; -93.32083
TypeScience museum
DirectorAlissa Light
Websitewww.thebakken.org

The Bakken Museum(/ˈbɑːkən/BAH-kən) is situated inMinneapolis, Minnesota,United States. Established in 1975 byEarl Bakken,the co-founder ofMedtronic,it serves as ascience museum.The museum boasts interactive displays covering various topics within science, technology, and the humanities. Notably, it includes a substantial exhibit dedicated toMary Shelley's classic novelFrankenstein.[1]

Collections and exhibits

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The museum houses approximately 11,000 written works and around 2,000 scientific instruments, with a particular focus onelectrophysiologyandelectrotherapeutics.Notable holdings include works authored byJean Antoine Nollet,Benjamin Franklin,Giovanni Battista Beccaria,Luigi Galvani,Giovanni Aldini,Alessandro Volta,Guillame Benjamin Amand Duchenne,andEmil Heinrich Du Bois-Reymond.Additionally, the museum holds journals such asAnnalen der Physik,thePhilosophical Transactions,Proceedings of the Royal Society,andZeitschrift für Physik.[2]Within the museum, there exists an exhibit dedicated toFrankenstein,which explores the intersection of electricity and medicine depicted inMary Shelley'snovel.This portrayal, as well as the subsequent 1931 film adaptation featuringBoris Karloff,directly influenced Bakken's pursuit of invention. Bakken's endeavors culminated in his invention of the pacemaker and the establishment ofMedtronic.[1]

A family playing a round of Mindball at The Bakken Museum

The museum's permanent exhibits are[3]

  • Sparkis the Bakken Museum's latest exhibit, delving into the iterative processes of innovation and creativity.[4]
  • Frankenstein’s Laboratoryis an object theater featuringFrankenstein’s monster.
  • Deep Roots: Plants as Medicinediscusses modern preconceptions about the relationship between plants and wellness.
  • Ben Franklin’s Electricity Partyallows visitors to try out electric party tricks similar to those conducted by Ben Franklin and other scientists during electricity parties in the 1700s.
  • Mary and Her MonsterSeeMary Shelley’s magic bookcase filled with artifacts and books from The Bakken collection, solve the puzzle of Frankenstein’s story illustrated by artistZak Sally,and meet a living portrait of Mary that allows visitors to hear about the people, science, art and culture that inspired her.
  • The Florence Bakken Medicinal Garden,along with a statue of Hermes (or Mercury), the messenger god of Ancient Greece and Rome, serve as prominent features of the museum's grounds.

A newspaper reporter once said the venue "seems a throwback to another time when skilled craftsmen shaped stone, wood and glass into places with lasting appeal".[2]

History

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waist high portrait wearing a suit coat and Hawaiian shirt and lots of Mardi Gras-like necklaces and his Medtronic namebadge
InventorEarl Bakken,co-founder ofMedtronic

The Bakken Museum was established by inventorEarl Bakken,who also founded themedical technologycompany Medtronic in 1949.[5]Bakken harbored a lifelong fascination with electricity and innovation. During his childhood, he, self-identified as a "nerd,"conceived a basicelectroshockdevice at school as a means of repelling bullies.[6][7]

At Bakken's proposal in 1969, Dennis Stillings, then employed in Medtronic's library, initiated the acquisition of books and devices. By 1974, the collection had garnered recognition withinantiquariancircles and was presented with two assortments of early electrical devices. Initially housed at the Medtronic headquarters inSaint Anthony Village, Minnesota,the collection expanded to occupy a floor in the Medtronic branch office inBrooklyn Center, Minnesotaby 1975. In 1976, the relocation process to its current site commenced.[8]

Previously sponsored by the museum, the Bakken Quartet showcasedchamber musicperformances onsite. Presently, the ensemble operates under the name Bakken Trio and continues to deliver musical performances inSaint Paul, Minnesota.[9]

Facility

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Construction of the museum expansion - August 1997.

Architect Carl A. Gage constructed the building between 1928 and 1930 as the residence of William Goodfellow, who had sold his dry goods store in 1904 toGeorge Dayton,the founder of what is nowTarget Corporation.Reflecting a blend of 16th-century English architectural styles, including Tudor and Gothic Revival, the home was christened "West Winds" and boasted features such as dark wood interior paneling, open-beamed ceilings, grouped and arched windows, and stained glass. Originally comprising fifteen rooms and eleven bathrooms, the property was bequeathed to theGirl Scoutsupon Goodfellow's passing in 1944. Subsequently, the Cornelius family occupied the residence from 1953 to 1976, after which it transitioned into the Bakken Museum.

In 1999, the museum underwent an expansion project, effectively doubling its size from 13,000 square feet (1,208 square meters) to 25,000 square feet (2,323 square meters).[10]An underground vault measuring 1,200 square feet (111 square meters), constructed in 1981, safeguards the collection by maintaining a consistent temperature of 65°F (18°C) and a relativehumidityof 55 percent.[8]

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  • A Frankenstein display
    AFrankensteindisplay
  • Flower in a Bakken garden
    Flower in a Bakken garden
  • Bakken Museum sign
    Bakken Museum sign
  • Inside the museum
    Inside the museum
  • Theremin display, which visitors can play
    Theremindisplay, which visitors can play

References

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  1. ^abRana, D. (2021).A Frayed New World: From Science Fiction to Society.Notion Press. p. 12.ISBN978-1-68554-027-2.Retrieved2023-06-02.
  2. ^abRhees, David J. (2002). "The Physical Tourist: Physics inLake Wobegon:A Tour of Three Minnesota Museums of Science and Technology ".Physics in Perspective.4.Basel: Birkhauser Verlag: 236–240.doi:10.1007/s00016-002-8365-5.
  3. ^"Youth Programs".The Bakken Museum.Retrieved2023-06-12.
  4. ^"Minnesota's quirky Bakken Museum reinvents itself with $4.5M face lift".Star Tribune.8 October 2020.
  5. ^"Earl E. Bakken Timeline".Earl E. Bakken. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-08-19.Retrieved2008-01-07.
  6. ^Spencer, William H. (2001). Hurst, J. Willis; Fye, W. Bruce (eds.)."Earl E. Bakken".Clinical Cardiology.24(5): 422–423.doi:10.1002/clc.4960240515.ISSN1932-8737.PMC6655043.
  7. ^Hebrew University of JerusalemInstitute of Chemistry:Earl E. BakkenArchived2007-12-05 at theWayback Machine
  8. ^abSteinke, Cynthia A. (1994).History of Science and Technology: A Sampler of Centers and Collections of Distinction.Haworth Press. pp. 114–115.ISBN1-56024-721-5.Retrieved2008-01-07.
  9. ^Gehrke, Karl (November 18, 2005)."Bakken the saddle for a new season".Minnesota Public Radio.Retrieved2008-01-07.and"Series Program and Calendar".Bakken Trio.Retrieved2008-01-07.
  10. ^""West Winds" Home of The Bakken Museum in Minneapolis Minnesota ".The Bakken. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-10-20.Retrieved2008-01-07.
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