Art and Heritage Place: Whitby Gift Shop & Haehn Museum

Current Exhibit

“By the Work of Her Hands”
The Art of Sister Dennis Frandrup

The 2022 exhibit celebrates the vast array of art forms mastered by the hands of Sister Dennis Frandrup. Respected by colleagues, admired by her students of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, and recognized by other artists, S. Dennis has been producing art for over 50 years. In this exciting exhibit, the teacher and artist come together to offer beauty to a weary world.

The exhibit is open and runs through Friday, December 23, 2022. Join the more than 1,900 people who have already visited the exhibit!

A Conversation Between Sister Dennis Frandrup and Tanya Gertz

Sister Dennis Frandrup sat down with Tanya Gertz, executive director of Fine Arts Programming at the College of Saint Benedict and longtime friend, to talk all about art! This video shares a few small highlights of their conversation. To enjoy the full chat session, visit the exhibit at the Art and Heritage Place.

From the Monastery Museum

Visitors continue at the Haehn Museum. As unpredictable as the flow of visitors is, so very delightful are their observations and comments. From Canada, North Dakota, Sartell, Avon, CSB+SJU, Wisconsin, Nova Scotia, St. Cloud, and everywhere in between they come! Even a young guide dog in training, Niko, seemed to enjoy the tour! Pictured are Mary Mahowald and Anna Taylor, a previous volunteer in the Benedictine Live-In Experience, as they exchange reactions to the intricate techniques and unusual twists used by Sister Dennis Frandrup in producing art.

Nearly 2,000 visitors have now studied the charming pottery and giggled at the teeter-totter teapot. We’ve opened early and stayed late to accommodate visitors. Several church groups, school youth, and senior excursions have come. Family members of the sisters, college students and faculty stop in to see—and how the alumni love to tell their own stories of skills learned and art loved!

We will be open until Friday, December 23. Come see for yourself!

About the Haehn Museum

The Haehn Museum is home to nearly 7,000 artifacts, dating back to 1857, which document the lives and ministries of the Sisters of Saint Benedict. Exhibits capture and portray the strong cultural, social and religious influence the Benedictine sisters have had in their ministries locally, statewide, nationally and internationally, both past and present. The museum was named after Sylvester and Jacquie Haehn, who were major donors for its construction.

Since the opening of the Art and Heritage Place, visitors have come from all 50 United States and approximately 60 countries. Most of the visitors are from Minnesota and find they learn something new about the sisters and the monastery with each visit. School groups, college classes, adult groups, organizations and individuals are welcome. Visits outside regular hours are arranged, as requested. Come, join us!

Contact

For more information, contact:

Judy Kramer, OSB
Director of the Haehn Museum
(320) 363-1605
j1kramer@csbsju.edu