Tri-County News

‘The Bias Inside Us’ exhibit opened Aug. 21, at St. Cloud State


St. Cloud State University is hosting the “The Bias Inside Us” from Aug. 21-Sept. 19. The community engagement project from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) will raise awareness about the social science and psychology of implicit bias, the impact of this bias, and what people can do about it.

The exhibit opened Aug. 21, in the Atwood Gallery in the Atwood Memorial Center, and hours are:

• 1-8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays

• 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays

• Noon-8 p.m. Sundays

• Closed Labor Day, Aug. 26, (CentraCare Day)

Groups who would like to make a reservation to view the exhibit can contact Special Events Manager Aryn Wright at aryn.wright@stcloudstate.edu or call (320) 308-4827.

“The Bias Inside Us” features a traveling exhibition that serves as the centerpiece for local programs and activities. Through compelling images, hands-on interactives, and powerful testimonials and videos, the exhibition unpacks and demystifies the concept of bias. The exhibition features six sections: Introduction, The Science of Bias, Bias in Real Life, Serious Consequences – Bias is All Around Us, #RetrainYourBrain, and Personal Reflection.

Visitors will explore the foundational blocks of bias, the psychology of how it forms and how it influences behaviors both consciously and unconsciously. Interactive elements display how implicit and explicit bias show up in the world, and how bias influences systems and policies that have consequences for many people and communities.

Major support for “The Bias Inside Us” is provided by the Otto Bremer Trust. Additional support provided by Acton Family Giving, anonymous donors, The Beverly Foundation, Steve and Sheri Lear, Target, the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation, Thomson Reuters, Allianz of America, Valerie E. and William A. Anders, Julie and David Burton, the Dreier Family, Lennart Ehn and Ginger Lew, Expedia, Trevor and Melissa Fetter, the Roger S. Firestone Foundation, Brenda J. Gaines, Myra Hart and Kent Hewitt, Charlie and Nancy Hogan, Dr. Christine C. Jenkins and Mr. Pierre A. France, KNOCK Inc., Sarah Lawer and Frank Guanco, Kathleen Mason, Elyse Rabinowitz and Jim Porter, Dr. Philip S. and Alice Hoolihan Randall, Gloria del C. Rodriguez, the Family of Leona Roen, and Naoma Tate.

“The Bias Inside Us” is based on an original concept developed by Tolerance in Motion: Steve Lear, Laura Zelle and Elyse Rabinowitz, founders; Ellen Glatstein, Laura Lipshutz, Alice Randall, Joanne Jones-Rizzi and Susan Shapiro, directors; Don Shelby, founding advisor; and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, Steve Hunegs, executive director.

Local sponsorship is provided by CentraCare Health.

SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 65 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. For exhibition description and tour schedules, visit sites.si.edu.

For more information, visit www.stcloudstate.edu/chge/tbiu/default.aspx or St. Cloud State University Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education Director Dan Wildeson at dlwildeson@stcloudstate.edu.

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