Houses of Prince is a curatorial research project of the People's Museum for Prince. It is an ongoing collaboration between historian/archeologist Kristen Zschomler and curator/filmmaker E.C.Balázs. This project combines accurate historical research of Prince history with creative, subjective interpretations from Prince's audience, designed to engage and educate. We believe Prince's legacy belongs to everyone and aim to serve his legacy through our work. For more on this project, visit Houses of Prince
I took these images and many more on my multiple pilgrimages to Minneapolis in the wake of Prince's death. My grieving for Prince took form as a quest to walk through his life, to visit the places he inhabited, to try to imagine him here on earth — even though I had missed his entire life, and never once saw him perform.
During my visits, I would research every possible site related to Prince and make my way there, usually by bus and with a lot of walking in hot, sweaty August, golden October, freezing, numb January, and bleak April.
I met Kristen on one of these pilgrimages and discovered a kindred spirit who was using her historian's expertise to research and catalogue his houses to help preserve them. We decided to collaborate — a first sketch towards a visual, biographical geography of Prince.
- Emma Balázs, Curator, The People's Museum for Prince
At the Museum — Roberts Gallery
Kristen Zschomler
Kristen Zschomler is a historian, archaeologist, and preservationist who researches, writes, and leads tours, including through her innovative app SoundAround Music Tours, about places associated with Prince, the development of the “Minneapolis Sound,” and music history in the Twin Cities. She is also a founding member of the International Centre 4 Prince Studies, which holds academic and fan-focused conferences and publishes peer-reviewed publications to build and sustain Prince’s legacy through interdisciplinary scholarship by exploring and critiquing the multifaceted aspects of his influence across a range of subjects from music to race to gender and beyond. Kristen's extensive research and advocacy work have helped to secure National Register of Historic Places status for three Prince-related properties.
E.C.Balázs
E.C.Balázs is a filmmaker and the founding curator of the People’s Museum for Prince. Her documentary Dearly Beloved (2026), filmed over 9 years, has screened at film festivals throughout the world and follows a chronological journey to each of Prince's Minnesota homes, as the narrator searches for Prince in the wake of his passing.
Photo credits
- Artwork images courtesy of the contributors. All rights reserved.
- Installation: Dan Pratt
- Event: Jill Boogren
