 honored to kick off this morning's main program. And I want to begin by extending a warm welcome to Minnesota. For those of you who are visiting for the very first time, you may know a few things about us. We're home to Prince, we invented Post-it notes, we wear plaid, we talk with long vowels, and we eat hot dish. But there's much more to Minnesota and to Minnesotans. So to help tell you about this great state, I will be showing typefaces created by Minnesotans. Some designers were born and raised here, others were born here but now live elsewhere, or some design these typefaces while temporarily living here. And some, like me, were born elsewhere but choose to call Minnesota home. And whether it's a sweeping cursive, a sharp-cornered sands, or a display font brooming with personality, the typefaces represent styles as varied as the landscapes across our state. Minnesota comes from two Sue words, meaning between water and soda, which means sky-tinted. So we literally are the land of sky-tinted water. And you may have heard we're the state of 10,000 lakes. The truth is, we have 11,842, we just don't like to brag. Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline, which is actually more than California, Florida, and Hawaii combined. From the serene and remote Boundary Waters canuary wilderness to the rocky North Shore, to land filled to the horizon with tall grass prairie, Minnesota is a state of rugged beauty. We have 75 state parks and recreation areas, along with five national parks, including the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Voyageurs, National Park, and Pipestone National Monument. So if you haven't heard of Pipestone, it's a Catlinite formation in the southwest corner of the state, and for 3,000 years, indigenous people pilgrimage there to quarry the stone to use in sacred prayer pipes. That treasured red stone was traded far and wide across all of North America. Trappers, traders, missionaries, and explorers seeking the source of the Mississippi journeyed throughout the area in the 1700s, but it wasn't until the early 1800s that pioneers began to call this part of North America home. Fort Snelling at Bedote, with its distinctive round limestone tower, was one in a series of military outposts created to protect settlers. Bedote is a Dakota word that means where two waters come together, and according to the Dakota, the sacred place where the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers converge is where Dakota people began. Beginning in the 1830s, indigenous people began to be displaced by settlers and lumbermen. I won't sugarcoat it in the state's early years. We're marred by conflicts over land, and within 30 years most Dakota had been forcibly driven out of the state. But Minnesota is still home to 11 indigenous nations, 7 Chippewa and Ojibwe communities, and 4 Dakota tribes. Many places in Minnesota have names taken from the Chippewa and Ojibwe languages. Lyrical place names such as Minnehaha, Chanhassen, Changwatna, Ayoda, Kabatogama, Kuchaching, Minnetonka, Oatana, and Winnibagashish. The first major wave of immigration peaked around 1900 with more than 60% of the people coming from Sweden, Norway, and Germany. Some were drawn by inexpensive farmland, others were drawn to jobs in northern Minnesota's iron mines. More recently, Minnesota has become home to immigrants and refugees from across the globe. We have a vibrant Latino community, the largest Somali diaspora in the US, and the largest per capita Hmong community in the nation. So with Minnesotans representing cultures from all over the world, you can find foods to suit any taste. We have walleye, our state fish, a juicy Lucy, which was invented in Minnesota, wild rice, mole, foe, pierogis, even ludifisk, which if you don't know what that is, it's cod soaked in lye, then boiled to a gelatinous state and served with butter. So I have approximately 15 minutes left, which means I need to start saying goodbye. It's known as the Minnesota Long Goodbye. So in Minnesota, if you depart a gathering too abruptly, like without giving advance notice, we might worry that you have been offended by something. So a true Minnesotan avoids misunderstanding by beginning to say goodbye at least 15 minutes before we actually intend to leave. And we generally mentioned leaving three times before we go. Minnesotans have a few other idiosyncrasies. We will apologize for anything. We will never take the last of anything. We're known for dramatically understating things by saying things like, oh, it's not that cold. And you might think we're being polite when we say that's interesting. But to be clear, that's the Minnesota equivalent of bless your heart. Children in Minnesota don't play duck duck goose. We play duck duck gray duck, which is a relic from Swedish immigrants, and we call soda pop. Many Minnesotans have a reserved nature. So Minnesota nice is sometimes called Minnesota ice. But the thing is, once you melt our cold exterior, we will be your friend for life. In 1885, a New York reporter wrote that St. Paul was, quote, another Siberia, unfit for human habitation. So what did we do? We created an entire winter festival. Each January, the St. Paul Winter Carnival hosts a week of winter loving activities, including a parade and ice and snow carving contests. Some years we've even constructed enormous ice palaces. To be fair, the New York reporter was onto something. There is a certain hardiness required to embrace Minnesota in winter. But if you like cold and snow, there's a lot to do. We're known for hockey, of course. We're home to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. You could also watch the annual John Bear Grease sled dog marathon, or go skiing, or ski joring, or snowshoeing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, or ice boating. If you want to stay indoors, you could go curling or axe throwing, which is a new sport, or watch the Timberwolves or the Lynx or the Minnesota Wild or the White Caps. You could even go watch our roller derby divas, the Minnesota Roller Girls. Perhaps it is because of our long winter, but you won't meet people happier to greet spring when forest floors burst with wildflowers such as Trillium. And if you're lucky, you might even spot our delicate state flower, the Pink and White Lady Slipper. Summers are glorious here and can be surprisingly hot, so there is a certain heartiness required to embrace Minnesota in summer, too. Summer is the perfect time to go cheer the twins or the St. Paul Saints. I believe you can actually learn more about this typeface tomorrow morning during Tanks Talk, or you can go catch a Minnesota United game. And Stratum II is not only used for the logo, but on the Twin Cities metro system. So if you see buses around town, take a look. Take a look for this typeface. In our free time, Minnesotans often venture outdoors. We'll head up north to a cabin in the thick Northwoods or for a drive along Lake Superior. We'll watch sailboat races, go fishing, kayaking, hiking, or off-road cycling. And for the ultimate summer rush we'll go water skiing. In 1922, a Minnesotan named Ralph Samuelson invented the sport when he made bentwood skis and tried them out on our Lake Pippin. When we spend time outdoors, we may be lucky enough to see and hear some of Minnesota's other residents, moose and lynx, timber wolf, black bear, white-tailed deer, beaver, raccoon, or river otter. Birders can often see the majestic bald eagle or see the prehistoric sounding sandhill crane, the fancy dancing sharp-tailed grouse, or our official state bird with its haunting call, the loon. Or maybe you've already encountered our unofficial state bird, the mosquito. If the rugged outdoors isn't your thing, there are plenty of other things to do. Minnesota is home to world-class classical music, opera, live music, literary and film festivals, dance, theater, and art and history museums. Just a few blocks away is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, the largest urban sculpture garden in the country, which is where we're going to be tonight. And five miles south of downtown is the Museum of Russian Art, which is the only museum of its type in all of North America. As a Minnesota summer draws to an end, Minnesotans treasure the end of summer tradition of going to the state fair, which was recently named one of the 10 best late summer festivals in the entire world. And as the temperatures begin to fall, when colors dazzle with fire red, bright orange, and gold, it's time to go cheer the Vikings or the Minnesota Gophers. There are 523 archaeological sites across Minnesota, and one of the most fascinating is the Jeffers Petroglyphs, which is a rocky outcrop with more than 4,000 figures carved in stone, turtle and mammals and people like you see here. It's estimated the carvings date back 7,000 years, and just 12 miles from here, six big burial mounds overlook downtown St. Paul. There are more than 1,500 properties on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota. Our beautiful state capital was designed by Cass Gilbert, the architect who designed the U.S. Supreme Court building. Other notable properties include the Stone Arch Bridge, Nanabajou Lodge, Split Rock Lighthouse, and the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, along with the Majestic Cathedral of St. Paul. St. Paul also has the longest avenue of Victorian era homes in the entire country, and it's the location of the massive James J. Hill House. In the 1880s, Hill was the force behind the Great Northern Railway, and his 44,000 square foot Richard Sonian Romanesque family home includes a pipe organ, a private art gallery, and servants quarters. The James J. Hill House is Minnesota's Downton Abbey, and if none of the things I've mentioned so far sound interesting, you can always go to one of the 135 craft breweries in our state. So I have fewer than 10 minutes left, so at this point in the Minnesota Long Goodbye, I should remind you I'll be leaving by politely saying something like, oh geez, would you look at the time. Earlier this year, U.S. news and world report named Minnesota the third best state in the country. Metrics included healthcare, education, the health of the economy, the environment, and infrastructure. In recent years, we also ranked the best state for women, the best state to raise a family, and the happiest state. Despite those rankings, there are things we need to work on, religious and ethnic tolerance, the education gap, and racial equality. Minnesota's economy is unique in that we have a blend of agriculture and industry not found in other Midwestern states. We are first in the U.S. for growing sweet corn, and we are first for turkey production, so think of Minnesota on Thanksgiving if you eat turkey. But we are also the headquarters of innovative corporations such as Target, Cargill, Best Buy, 3M, Medtronic, General Mills, and Toro. We actually have more Fortune 500 companies per capita than any other state except for Connecticut. You might be surprised to learn of some of the many innovations that have roots in Minnesota. The first open heart surgery and first bone marrow transplant in the United States happened here. Minnesotans invented the Bunt Pan, Bisquick, the Black Box Flight Recorder, Crisp Crust Frozen Pizza, Cheerios, Chocolate Boxed Cake Mix, and the Deep Sea Submarine. Minnesotans invented the Greyhound Bus Lines, the Furnace Thermostat, Heart Valves, the first in-ear hearing aid, the indoor shopping mall, and Honey Crisp Apples. We invented the Nerf Ball, Masking Tape, the Microwave Popcorn Bag, the Milky Way Candy Bar, Post-It Notes, the Oxygen Mask, the Pacemaker, and the Pop-Up Toaster. We invented retractable seatbelts, roller blades, sandpaper, scotch tape, skyways, sleep number beds, spam, the Stapler, the first snowblower for home use, Tonka Trucks, Twisters, Wheaties, and I'm sorry about this last one. Minnesotans also invented Zubas. So I have just a few minutes left in a proper Minnesota Long Goodbye. I gather my things, slowly make my way to the exit and say, well, I better get going now, though it would still be a few minutes premature to leave. You might be familiar with famous Minnesotans. I'm not only referring to Paul Bunyan and the Jolly Green Giant, MacGyver, Mary Richards, or the grumpy old men. I'm referring to cartoonist Charles Schulz, aviator Charles Lindberg, former Vice President Walter Mondale, explorers Anne Bancroft and Will Stieger, who led the first dog sled journey to the North Pole, were designed and engineering education pioneer, John Arnold. Clarence Wiggington was the first African-American in the country to serve as a municipal architect. 60 of his buildings still stand. Lena Smith, Minnesota's first black female attorney, was a trailblazer for African American property rights, and Nellie Stone Johnson was a major influence in the civil rights movement and shaped Minnesota politics for a whopping 70 years. Famous Minnesota authors include Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose little house in the prairie immortalized the town of Walnut Grove, environmentalist Sigurd Olson, and St. Paul's own F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose book The Great Gatsby illuminated the flamboyant excess of the Jazz Age. More recent authors include the late Vince Flynn, Cheryl Strayed, and poet-spoken word artist and children's book author, Beau Fee. You might have heard of Minnesota athletes Tom Lehmann, Larry Fitzgerald Jr., Kirby Puckett, or Lindsey Vaughn, the most decorated downhill skier of all time. A number of Minnesotans have made their way to Hollywood, including stars of film's golden era, Judy Garland, and Jane Russell, directors Joel and Ethan Cohen, and actors including Jessica Beale, Vince Vaughn, Josh Hartnett, Winona Ryder, who was named after the city of Winona, Minnesota, and two-time Academy Award winner Jessica Lange. Eight-time Oscar nominee Pete Doctor, director of Monsters, Inc., and Up, has described himself as, quote, a geeky kid from Minnesota who likes to draw cartoons. Minnesotans who have made an indelible mark on music history include producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the one and only Prince, Bob Dylan, the summer's breakout music star Lizzo, and the best-selling female group of all time, the Andrews Sisters. And for diehard polka fans, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Minnesota has a number of pretty darn good polka bands. Currently, we have several history-making politicians. We sent the first Somali-American congresswoman to Washington. Our current Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan is only the second Native American woman to be elected to statewide executive office in U.S. history, and one of our whip-smart senators just happens to be running for president. Minnesota also has a robust and generous community of printers, graphic designers, type lovers, type educators, and type designers. I want to extend a huge thank you to those who generously contributed work for this presentation. The work is amazing, and for me, inspiring. So, I have officially and properly said goodbye three times. I've met the requirements for a proper Minnesota long goodbye, so it is time to say farewell. I sincerely hope you have a great time during your stay in Minnesota, and if time allows, please go out and see part of our great state. Thank you.