Soomaal House Library & Archives Center supports the growing community of Somali artists in Minnesota and beyond. The Center's mission is to preserve artworks, exhibit materials, texts, and personal archives of artists, art organizers, organizations, educators, and professionals involved with contemporary Somali art. The Center aims to make these archives accessible to community stakeholders and the public to expand discourse on Somali art, history, and people.
As an archival repository for contemporary Somali art and artists, the Center supports artists, community members, educators, and researchers in their professional growth and research into arts, archiving, history, heritage, and the creation of new narratives that enhance historical interpretations of Somali art and artists.
We identify, collect, and preserve Somali archives related to the history of Somali art, people, and contemporary knowledge production. Our archival collections document both historical and contemporary aspects of Somali people and their artistic expressions, serving as a living archive. Beyond collection and preservation, Soomaal House Library & Archives Center engages stakeholders and the community through archival conversations about contemporary art and history via talks, research, workshops, residencies, conferences, and community resources.
Soomaal House Library & Archives Center's collections are divided into three categories:
Contemporary Somali Art and Artists
History of Somali Minnesotans
Historical Archive of Somalia & Somalis
We hope these collections stimulate research and learning that catalyzes creativity and knowledge production.
Programs
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Soomaal House Archive Fellowship is an opportunity for artists, scholars, and researchers interested in the history of Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and Somalis in the diaspora. The fellowship will provide resources, connections, and access for the development and presentation of new research into Somali archive collections. The fellows are encouraged to make scholarly contributions and investigate the materials of Soomaal House Library & Archive Center, which houses three collections: Contemporary Somali Art and Artists, History of Somali Minnesotans, and Historical Archive of Somalia & Somalis in the diaspora.
For the 2023 – 2024 program, in partnership with the Immigration History Research Center Archives, the fellowship will host SITAAD – Leyla Degan (Italy) and Naima Hassan (United Kingdom). At Soomaal House, the duo will initiate the first iteration of their project, Transmigrating Cassettes, which departs from the popular medium of the audio-cassette to examine dispersed colonial collections. SITAAD’s artistic research on Augustus F. Sherman’s Ellis Island photography collection of Somali passengers will inform a series of community workshops held in Minneapolis.
Welcoming Affiliate Researchers
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The Soomaal House Library & Archives Center’s Affiliate Researchers contribute to the Center’s core focus areas: Contemporary Somali Art, the History of Somali Minnesotans, and the History of Somalia & Somalis in the Diaspora. The affiliates program serves as an avenue for the Center to partner with local and international researchers who share a commitment to preserving Somali cultural heritage.
Under the theme History of Somalia & Somalis in the diaspora, we are pleased to announce the Affiliate Researchers SITAAD – Leyla Degan (Italy) and Naima Hassan (Germany). As Affiliate Researchers, SITAAD aim to address the mission of the Soomaal House Archive Fellowship as a site for the investigation of the history of Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and Somalis in the diaspora, utilising the support of Soomaal to activate their first Somali region project. Supporting developments at Soomaal House Library & Archives Center, the Affiliate Researchers will also support the Centre’s 2024-2027 ArchivesSpace Diversity Partnership, which aims to enhance its digital and physical accessibilities.
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Soomaal House has been awarded the 2024-2027 ArchivesSpace Diversity Partnership, enhancing our archives' digital and physical accessibilities. The Soomaal House Library & Archives Center, supporting Somali artists and communities in Minnesota and beyond, focuses on three areas: Contemporary Somali Art, History of Somali Minnesotans, and History of Somalia & Somalis in the diaspora.