Celebrate Somalia and Somali culture with a day of activities for the whole family hosted by the Somali Museum of Minnesota. Learn the traditional art of finger weaving or drop in for story time to hear stories from Somalia.

Free First Saturdays feature free gallery admission on the first Saturday of every month, plus performances, games, art-making, and kids’ films from 10 am to 3 pm. Family friendly food options are available or bring something from home to snack on in the museum’s public spaces.

Explore: Traveling Exhibition from the Somali Museum of Minnesota
10 am–1pm

Learn about Somali nomadic culture through objects from the Somali Museum’s collection.

Art-making: My Aqal
10 am–3pm

Create your own aqal, or traditional Somali home. Ifrah Mansour, a Somali artist and refugee based in Minneapolis, will teach families about Somali architecture and nomadic culture.

Performance: Story Time with Osman Ali
10:30 am and 1:30 pm

Join Osman Ali, founder and executive director of the Somali Museum of Minnesota, to hear stories from Somalia.

Art-Making Activity: Finger Weaving
11 am–1 pm

Learn the traditional art of finger weaving in this drop-in workshop.


Founded in 2011, the Somali Museum of Minnesota opened its public gallery in 2013 as North America’s first and only museum devoted to Somali culture and is one of the only museums of its kind anywhere in the world. The institution is the home of Somali creativity in North America and is a global leader in advancing and elevating the work of Somali artists, both traditional and contemporary.

Ifrah Mansour is a Somali multimedia artist, performer, and educator who uses art to bridge cultures and generations. Mansour creates multisensory artwork in the form of plays, poetry, installations, puppetry, and community collaborations that illuminate the invisible stories of immigrants.