Russian immigration to the United States has come in waves. In Minnesota, 84 percent of Russian immigrants arrived during the 1990s, while 9 percent arrived in the 1980s, and 7 percent in the 1970s. The most recent wave came after the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991. Most Minnesotans probably didn’t think about how events in Moscow, 5,000 miles away, would affect our state — but they have. In recent years, Minnesota’s Russian population has grown to more than 12,500, and more than 2,300 public school students speak Russian at home. People from Belarus, Ukraine, and other former Soviet Republics also have immigrated to Minnesota since the fall of communism. (Sources: The Minnesota Center and The Amherst Research Center’s Survey of Hispanic, Hmong, Russian, and Somali Immigrants in Minneapolis-Saint Paul)
Art and Culture
- Museum of Russian Art
- The only nonprofit museum in North America dedicated solely to the preservation and presentation of educational exhibitions and related events pertaining to Russian art and artifacts from the 19th and 20th centuries
- Minneapolis International Film Festival
Each spring since the 1980s, the festival has presented a range of new and notable films, and typically includes a selection of one or more contemporary Russian-language films by directors such as Sokurov and Mikhalkov. - Theatre Novi Most
(“Theater of a New Bridge”) combines the artistic traditions of Russia and America to create performances in which seemingly disparate ideas, languages, cultures and ideologies can clash, commingle and cross-pollinate. Founded in 1998 by Russian director Vladimir Rovinsky and American director Lisa Channer. Recent productions include M-Squared, inspired by two futurist artists, Mayakovsky and Marinetti, and an adaptation of Gilgamesh. - Russian Soul Cultural Center
The Russian Soul Cultural Center is committed to promoting the ethnic Russian cultural and artistic heritage through research, presentation, and outreach programs, as well as serving as a liaison between the Russian-speaking community and the broader community of the Twin cities - Festival of Nations
Since 1932, this annual event has brought Americans of 90 different ethnic groups together to share foods, crafts, and traditions. There will be Russian exhibits, souvenir shops, and music/dance performances - Academy of Russian Ballet
Classes and an annual performance of “The Nutcracker”
Community and Education
- Lesnoe Ozero
Concordia’s Russian Language Village is located in Bemidji and offers immersion in the Russian language and cultures of the Russian-speaking world - Minneapolis Jewish Federation
Sponsors many programs to support the Russian emigre community in the Twin Cities - Russian Educational Center of Minnesota
An independent non-profit organization, created by collaborative efforts of parent volunteers from the West suburban cities - Russian-American Business and Culture Council Builds connections among the peoples of Minnesota, Russia and the Republics of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) through events, education and citizen diplomacy
- Nasha Shkola (Our School)
A Russian charter school in Brooklyn Park
Minnesota Zoo
- Minnesota Zoo: Russia’s Grizzly Coast
The Russian Far East is one of the last great wilderness areas on earth, home to an amazing diversity of animals, including some of the world’s largest predators. The Minnesota Zoo—and the Russia’s Grizzly Coast exhibit—play an important role in educating and promoting conservation of this region. The exhibit features bears, sea otters, boars, and other creatures. Another reason to visit the exhibit — if grizzly bears weren’t enough — is to see an actual Russian izba (a log farmhouse) that craftsmen painstakingly built, dismantled, and then shipped from the Republic of Karelia.