'Often overlooked:' Dennos exhibit showcases art by Indigenous women, two-spirit

Jan. 28—TRAVERSE CITY — A creative, often unrecognized, force behind Indigenous art is the focal point of a new exhibition at Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College.

"Vitality and Continuity: Art in the Experiences of Anishinaabe, Inuit, and Pueblo Women" is rooted in contemporary and historical art and showcases work from the perspectives of various Indigenous women and two-spirit artists.

The exhibition is one in a series of American art exhibitions created through a multi-year, multi-institutional partnership formed by the Detroit Institute of Arts as part of the Art Bridges Initiative, said Craig Hadley, Dennos Museum Center executive director and chief curator.

Women have long been the creative forces behind Indigenous art, yet their individual contributions are still largely unrecognized. Hadley said the exhibit aims "for the opportunity to shed light to their stories and perspectives that are often overlooked."

It centers around the works of women from three different Indigenous communities: Kenojuak Ashevak (Inuit), Kelly Church (Anishinaabe), and Maria Martinez (Pueblo), exploring mothering, community, and generational traditions in contemporary art.

Church is a celebrated Odawa and Bodéwadmi Anishinaabe black ash basket maker from the Gun Lake Tribe, and descent of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

She comes from a long line of black ash basket makers, she said, that is the largest black ash weaving family in the Great Lakes region. Her work is primarily in the medium of baskets, but she also creates art in the technique of birchbark biting — making art by biting the bark of the paper birch tree.

The exhibit extends further to honor the work and voices of other Anishinaabek in the community, including the renowned late-artist Norval Morrisseau- baa/Miskwaabik Animikii, and local award-winning author and artist, Lois Beardslee.

Beardslee, Ojibwa and Lacandon, became the first Native American to win the Michigan Notable Book Award for "Words Like Thunder: New and Used Anishinaabe Prayers," released in 2020, which also received a silver medal in the 2021 Midwest Book Awards.

Her works also include contributions to scholarly writings in the field of multicultural education and literature. Other works, including paintings, illustrations, and traditional Ojibwe art like porcupine quillwork, sweetgrass baskets, and birch bark cutouts, are held in public and private collections worldwide.

Prints by local and other featured Indigenous artists have been made available to the public, including upcoming Anishinaabe artist Jamie John, a trans, queer and two-spirit citizen of GTB. Many of his featured prints were included in his in part of the exhibit "Home Away from Home," displayed at the Dennos Museum in 2021.

New works by John, including original watercolor paintings, are alongside featured items John uses in his art process such as the watercolors, and paper he uses.

"Making art about Anishinaabe lived experience has become this way of communicating the complexities of Native nationhood, relationship with land, and two-spiritedness with non-Indigenous people," John said.

He wants his art to be more than the assertion that Anishinaabek "are still here." Rather, he hopes his art will uplift and highlight the national and international demands Indigenous people are making about the future of their homelands, ancestral waters and sovereignty.

"I want these artworks to say, "We are still here, we have always been here and we will remain here," John said.

"Vitality and Continuity: Art in the Experiences of Anishinaabe, Inuit, and Pueblo Women" is on display until May 19 during business hours.

Hadley said that the museum will host related events in the coming months, including workshops and presentations. He encourages the public to visit the museum's website for further updates.

Report for America corps member and Indigenous Affairs' reporter Sierra Clark's work is made possible by a partnership between the Record-Eagle and Report for America, a journalism service project founded by the nonprofit Ground Truth Project. Generous community support helps fund a local share of the Record-Eagle/RFA partnership. To support RFA reporters in Traverse City, go to www.record-eagle.com/rfa