‘Girlhood (it’s complicated)’ opens at Minnesota History Center on Sept. 7

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - An exhibit opening at the Minnesota History Center will examine America’s history through the lens of "girlhood."

What we know

The exhibit includes around 100 items from the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and examines the history of girls’ educational opportunities, jobs they performed, how they expressed themselves and how their contributions have shaped U.S. history.

"We’re really looking at a breath of experience. Girlhood is not a single thing and so all of these different experiences are here for the public to enjoy and have conversations across generations," Cat Halpern of the Smithsonian told FOX 9.

Minnesota made

While this exhibit is in Minnesota, a special portion of the exhibit is dedicated to the long and rich history of girl’s basketball in Minnesota.

In the early 1900s, girls’ basketball was wildly popular in the state. As ideas about women’s participation in sports changed during the mid-century, girls’ basketball programs were sometimes cut.

In the late 1960s, many Minnesotans brought to bring girls sports opportunities back.

By the 1970s, and with the passage of Title IX, girls' sports started to become what we know them as today.

Dorothy McIntyre, a woman who helped bring girls' sports to schools across the state and the first female member of the Minnesota State High School League, helped curate the basketball portion of the exhibit.

"This is something we’ve been waiting for decades – to see the respect and the understanding of what girls and women can do in sports and the changes they can make in the world. It’s a dream come true," McIntyre told FOX 9.

The exhibit will be on display until June 1.