MAS Annual Meeting and Dinner

Come meet and socialize with your fellow MAS members, eat delicious food, and hear a fascinating lecture on September 25, 2026 by Connie Arzigian.

Lecture Title:  Explorations in Minnesota and Wisconsin Archaeology

Abstract: Connie Arzigian started grad school in Wisconsin in 1978, and since 1988 has worked with her colleagues at the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She has seen and contributed to changing perspectives on some key aspects of Midwest archaeology, such as recognition of stratigraphy and buried sites in supposedly unstable landscapes, compilation of information on Minnesota’s mounds to help preserve and protect them, and new assessments of the timing of maize horticulture and its role in Late Woodland and Oneota lifeways. This presentation will share some highlights from these and other research experiences.

Bio: Connie Arzigian grew up in Washington, DC, came to University of Wisconsin-Madison for grad school in 1978, received her PhD in 1993, and has been working for the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, UW-La Crosse, since 1988. From 2011, she also taught in the Archaeology and Anthropology Department at UWL. She has specialized in paleoethnobotany, working with faunal, ceramic, and lithic experts to develop a more complete understanding of subsistence strategies and how they have changed. She has directed major excavations of large Oneota sites in the La Crosse region and stratified Woodland sites on islands in Prairie du Chien, along with a wide range of large and small field and archival projects across Minnesota and Wisconsin. She retired from teaching in 2025 but continues to volunteer with MVAC and serves as a co-editor of The Wisconsin Archeologist.



Event Location:
Oliver Kelley Farm
15788 Kelley Farm Road
Elk River, MN 55330


Doors open at 5:30pm and Dinner Service begins at 6:00pm

Food Catered by Wanna Wota
Menu Includes: Buffalo Sandwich, Wild Rice Salad, Corn Soup, Fresh Fruit, Pumpkin Bars, Water/Coffee

Meeting begins at 7:00pm

Lecture begins at 7:30pm

Event ends at 8:15pm