We Are Still Here
We Are Still Here is a multiyear collaborative partnership between the Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI) and Hennepin Theatre Trust to bring large-scale, high-profile public artworks to the Hennepin Theatre District and the American Indian Culture Corridor. This ongoing and evolving initiative seeks to match emerging Native artists with established Native arts mentors in an extending fellowship that creates a variety of public art works which promote Native and Indigenous storytelling in the community along Hennepin Avenue and throughout the greater Twin Cities metro area.
Each cohort will work closely with their mentor, Hennepin Theatre Trust and NACDI over the course of several months to create a learning experience tailored to their individual styles, goals and needs as artists. The artists and their mentor will work and learn together, creating in an artistic medium individual to each cohort; this year the artists will be creating murals, but past cohorts have designed digital artwork, animations and projections.
These artworks will be exhibited and displayed in multiple formats throughout the run of each program. The cohort experience culminates in a final capstone project of their own choosing, allowing the artists to take the skills and resources they have gained and move their work to the next level. Aside from the technical aspects of developing public art, We Are Still Here is meant to equip the artists to generate opportunities for community engagement beyond the artists themselves. Each capstone project reflects the unique nature of the artist’s exploration of Native Truth-Telling as it intersects with their intended location, supplying a platform which allows them to create engaging and though-provoking public art that boldly reimagines and restores historical and contemporary narratives which have been subjugated or otherwise minimized and negated.
We Are Still Here is a catalyst that weaves Native and Indigenous culture back into Hennepin Avenue, connecting the district’s community to arts and cultural experience to its past in unexpected and profound ways.
“We’re proud to partner with NACDI for the second We Are Still Here artist cohort. After the success of our two-year digital art pilot cohort, I’m excited to see the murals the artists create this year as we continue to weave Native and Indigenous culture back into Hennepin Avenue and the American Indian Cultural Corridor, connecting the district to its past through Native and Indigenous truth-telling and celebrating the vibrant tapestry of our community.”
MARY JANE MANSFIELD, PUBLIC ART MANAGER, HENNEPIN THEATRE TRUST
2022/23 MURAL ARTISTS COHORT
MENTOR
THOMASINA TOPBEAR
Thomasina Topbear is a self taught artist, muralist, published illustrator and organizer from the Oglala Lakota & Santee Dakota Nations. She is a board member of the international all female paint crew Few & Far Women and co-founder of City Mischief Murals, an all BIPOC artist collective centered on healing through art. Specializing in large-scale murals her work can be seen on the sides of buildings throughout the country. Thomasina has organized a number of events focusing on empowering and creating safe spaces for youth and fellow artists to practice their crafts. She draws influences from her Oceti Sakowin culture while using art to express thoughts on community, social justice, spirituality and togetherness.
Thomasina has worked with numerous institutes and organizations including, Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center, Phipps Center for the Arts, Hennepin Theatre Trust, Minneapolis College of Arts and Design and Saint Paul College. She is a grant recipient of Forecast Public Art, Knight Foundation, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and the Minnesota State Arts Board.
RACQUEL BANASZAK
Racquel Banaszak (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe) is a visual artist based in Minneapolis, MN. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Heritage Studies & Public History with a focus on Indigenous representation at the University of Minnesota. She earned her graduate certificate in Native American Studies from Montana State University (2018) and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (2012). She studied Indigenous Visual Culture at the Ontario College of Art & Design University in Toronto, Canada.
SUMMER SKY COHEN
Naawegiizissukwe (she comes from the center of the sun), Summer Sky Cohen is an enrolled member of the Lac du flambeau Band of Ojibwe located in Wisconsin. She belongs to makwa dodem, bear clan. Summer grew up in the wilderness of the upper peninsula of Michigan. Living off the land with her family, Summer learned about ingenuity in being creative when it comes to survival. She learned to use plants and animals from the wild in survival and in art.
After graduating high school in 1993 summer went to NMU. Without direction and financial costs Summer ended up leaving school returning five years later with her daughter. She studied political science and pre-law along with Native American Studies. And graduated in 2003 with a double major Bachelor’s degree.
Summer jumped into working in law enforcement with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. And found her way into historic preservation where she spent 10 years in cultural resources management and revitalization with the Keweenaw bay Indian community located in the upper peninsula of Michigan. In 2011 she made the decision to leave due to health reasons and continued to bead and sew and teach for income. In 2020 Summer was offered a position with the Anoka-Hennepin School district in Minnesota. Teaching through Covid and learning the routine of the program, Summer parted ways, missing the freedom of designing and creating traditional arts of her Ojibwe and native people. Summer continues to take on classes to share with native people the gifts she holds in her mind. Offering a holistic way to understand our place as native people on this earth through the intertwining of beads, bling and buckskin to tell our stories and ensure the survival of our culture.
JEARICA FOUNTAIN
Jearica Fountain is an organized creative community builder, specializing in activism for climate action, human services, and Indigenous rights. Through deep connections to the lands of Turtle Island, ancestors, and Indigenous way of life, has led to my enthusiasm to be a part of the advancement of POC while leaning on my culture. I have experience in collaborating with Indigenous led non-profit organizations and Indigenous owned companies that build on the empowerment and growth of Native peoples, to take their conceptual ideas and create visual representations into a creative art form.
WE ARE STILL HERE DIGITAL ARTISTS COHORT
This 18-24-month initiative will serve as a learning cohort featuring three artists who will work with project mentor Jonathan Thunder to create digital designs, full-motion animation, projects and a possible large-scale mural. We Are Still Here will promote native storytelling for the built environment along Hennepin Avenue. Through pilots, prototypes and a final project that will be a central feature for the reopening of Hennepin Avenue after a four-year reconstruction project culminating with the Hennepin Theatre District centennial celebration in 2022.
Hennepin Theatre Trust and NACDI selected local Native artist Jonathan Thunder as the cohort mentor for We Are Still Here. “As a culture-bearer, working in contemporary media, Jonathan is the ideal mentor for this group as he brings a wide range of skills from large scale painting to digital animation and installations,” said Angela Two Star, All My Relations Arts Director. Thunder, Red Lake Ojibwe, is a multi-disciplinary artist known for the surreal imagery he uses to address the subjects of loss and recovery of indigenous sovereignty, environmental welfare and humorous social commentary through his paintings, animated and experimental films, installations, and illustration work.
Engaging with native artists and community has been the mission of NACDI since its founding in 2007 and the early creation of the “American Indian Community Blueprint” in 2010. Angela Two Stars, NACDI’s All My Relations Arts director shares, “by interweaving contemporary and traditional storytelling, and the allyship of Indigenous communities here in the Twin Cities, we are able to connect the Dakota history of the land and continued connections to our past using the powerful visuals of our contemporary artists.” NACDI’s long-standing commitment to public engagement has enabled them to be a source of leadership and guidance among its network of Native artists and community.
Hennepin Theatre Trust transforms the place and spaces in the Hennepin Theatre District to a more vibrant and inclusive environment and welcomes the opportunity to work alongside NACDI to broaden the awareness of Native truth-telling. Nerenhausen said that he is confident that We Are Still Here will be a catalyst to weave Native culture back into Hennepin Avenue with temporary and permanent art engaging Native and non-Native people.
Meet the We Are Still Here Digital Artists Cohort
The cohort assists their mentor on several digital billboard designs and learns about the field of public art. Artists will learn skills to translate artwork from analog to digital media and the various platforms and venues that the Trust offers (outdoor events, mobile stage, digital billboards, store-front installations, murals, gallery exhibits, and more). While the details of activities will evolve with the interests of the artists, and in line with public health regulations, the timelines will include milestone touchpoints building to a final project that will be featured as part of the Hennepin Theatre District’s centennial celebration in the fall of 2022.
Throughout this process, Jonathan Thunder will provide the project artists continued mentorship on creating public art for digital media, determining joint projects for public spaces along Hennepin Avenue and providing feedback and evaluations. Ultimately, the cohort will design and implement solo art designs, a gallery installation and the creation of a crown jewel project built on their successes which will be unveiled in the Hennepin Theatre District when Hennepin Avenue reopens in 2022 after four years of reconstruction. Aside from the technical aspects of developing public art, We Are Still Here is meant to equip the artists to create opportunities for community engagement beyond the artists themselves.
DIGITAL ARTISTS
RAY JANIS
Raymond Janis (Oglala Lakota Tribe) goes by the artist name of Ray Rock Boy. Rock Boy is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He grew up in the Medicine Root District also known as Kyle, South Dakota.
Rock Boy started his art career teaching himself how to use different adobe programs, which helped him elevate his art and knowledge in graphic design. He is currently pursuing an associate’s degree in graphic design from Oglala Lakota College.
Rock Boy is influenced by his Lakota heritage and western society blending the two cultures and letting his art develop and move where it wants.
To learn more about Ray Janis, follow him on Instagram.
About His Art
Ray’s art style is influenced by his Lakota heritage and western upbringing, where he dives into the past and connects it to the present. Creating eclectic pieces that are inspired from his childhood, from growing up on the “Rez,” traditional Lakota teachings, Saturday morning cartoons, music from country to hip-hop, and, of course, wanting to be like Mike.
On Display Now
Cultural transmissions facilitate how behaviors are developed and traditions are formed. During the month of November, we celebrate both Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Month. The artists of the Hennepin Theatre Trust & All My Relations Arts, We Are Still Here cohort, have created work that challenges the audience to disrupt the cultural transmissions embedded in traditions around Thanksgiving, celebrate the contemporary presence of Native American dancers and musicians, and offers a call for healing through truth and reconciliation.
In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, Ray Janis highlights two contemporary artists in his work, Hechina maka akan unko iyanpi. Hanwi Ohlate Najin Win, Marvie Ferguson-Iron Cloud, is a Jingle Dress Dancer and former Little Miss Oglala Lakota Nation. Talon Bazille Ducheneaux is a rap artist and poet from South Dakota, BAZTK.com. By showcasing contemporary, local artists, Ray highlights the present rather than the past; “Hechina maka akan unko iyanpi,” a Lakota phrase which translates to; we are still here walking on this land.
Hechina maka akan unko iyanpi
by Ray Janis
These pieces are titled “Hechina maka akan unko iyanpi” which translates to “we are still here walking on this land.” Represented in these pieces are two culture bearers. The first is a hip hop artist named Talon “Bazille” Ducheneaux. He speaks on issues of race and culture in South Dakota. Bazille continues to fight for our people to be heard and is paving a way for Indigenious people in the arts. Marvie “Hanwi Ohlate Najin Win” Ferguson is a Lil Miss Oglala Lakota Nation. She keeps Lakota traditions and culture alive by dancing and practicing Lakota Ceremonies. Her name translates to “Woman who walks under the moon.”
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Sheldon Starr
Sheldon Starr (Oglala Sioux Tribe) is most creative in abstract painting and graphic design. He is still in the early stages of other fine art mediums but still strives for experience in all fine art forms. Graduating from Oglala Lakota College with a degree in graphic art (2020), Starr continues to utilize his graphic design experience in the freelance and commission-based fields, creating custom graphics, logos, and text for clients. Sheldon shows his creative freedom through abstract paintings based on geometric subjects and the female form. Paying homage to the traditional Lakota geometric designs and the aesthetics of the 1980s, Sheldon produces creative pieces that are engulfed in vibrant, saturated colors.
To learn more about Sheldon Starr, follow him on Instagram.
About His Art
Sheldon explores the times of fine lines, sharp corners and geometric structures. Pastel, neon and saturated colors themselves influence him to create the next piece and push his palette to be more intricate in the next artwork. He strives to incorporate the brightest and darkest colors throughout the entirety of his portfolio.
On Display Now
Cultural transmissions facilitate how behaviors are developed and traditions are formed. During the month of November, we celebrate both Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Month. The artists of the Hennepin Theatre Trust & All My Relations Arts, We Are Still Here cohort, have created work that challenges the audience to disrupt the cultural transmissions embedded in traditions around Thanksgiving, celebrate the contemporary presence of Native American dancers and musicians, and offers a call for healing through truth and reconciliation.
Thanksgiving, a national holiday, long known as a time of gathering that traces back to a long held belief of a coming together of Native Americans and Pilgrims to celebrate a harvest. For Native Americans, the Thanksgiving holiday leaves out the darker parts of the story, paints Native Americans as willing participants in the taking of Native lands for colonization, and excludes the painful parts of Native American history, including genocide. What would happen if we embraced the full truth of the establishment of this country? What would happen if we as a country showed accountability? What if we reboot the system? This is the question posed by Sheldon Starr in his new piece, Caution: Rebooting.
Caution: Rebooting
by Sheldon Starr
This piece is commentary on the story of Thanksgiving, the narrative that has been changed by western civilization.
#Indigenous #Native #NativeAmerican #FirstNation #Thanksgiving #Contemporary #ContemporaryArt
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Missy Whiteman
Missy Whiteman (Northern Arapaho and Kickapoo) is an Emmy-nominated write, director, producer and multi-media artist. Missy understands her work to be a voice for her ancestors, their stories and ancestral wisdom. Her late father, Ernest Whiteman, influenced her work with the gift of artistic vision and practice of art as a ceremony.
Many of Missy’s films have screened on international national and local venues such as The Walker Art Center, National Geographic All Roads Festival and Bilabo Spain. Missy is a current recipient of the McKnight Fellowship for Media Arts, a Forecast Public Art Mid-Career grant and is the alumni of The Sundance Native Lab Fellowship and Jerome Fellowship for her short film project The Coyote Way: Going Back Home. Her current project, The Coyote Way X: Expanded Cinema is a multidimensional cinematic experience of The Coyote Way: Going Back Home short film intertwined with performance, live score, video mapping and 360/VR.
To learn more about Missy Whiteman, follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @going_back_home and @Missy_Whiteman.
About Her Art
While based in part Indigenous traditional practices and perspectives, her work also addresses themes of historical genocide, loss of culture, and land in relation to colonization. Missy questions the connection of life, death, spirit world and the rebirth process of revitalizing DNA memory, spirit healing, and redefinition of cultural identity.
On Display Now
We Will Always Be
by Missy Whiteman
We Will Always Be, billboard encompasses the history of Owami (St. Anthony Falls), the history of the dedication of this sacred site that begins with a Detail of a map of land “claimed” by France for King Louis XV and the route of the Mississippi River (Carte de la Louisiane et du cours du Mississippi), 1718. Map by Guillaume de L’Isle, published by Chez l’Auteur. The map shows French fur trading forts along the Mississippi. Collage of archival photos of after the falls were dynamited for logging and milling.
Despite what physical use this sacred site was used for, it will always remain holy to the Indigenous people of this land and connect us to all creation.
All Children Are Sacred
by Missy Whiteman
Traditionally Indigenous people believe that our children are sacred and gifts from the creator. When a child chooses their parents, their spirit is born from a star.
All Children Are Sacred billboard represents the forced colonization of Indigenous Children in The United States. In July of 2021, this dark history was made public in the findings of 215 childrens’ remains in Canada and still counting in the thousands.Orange represents the #EveryChildMatters campaign and 1879 represents the year the first American Indian Boarding School was opened.
Opened in 1879 in Pennsylvania, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School was the first government-run boarding school for Native Americans. Civil War veteran Lt. Col. Richard Henry Pratt spearheaded the effort to create an off-reservation boarding school with the goal of forced assimilation. The Army transferred Carlisle Barracks, a military post not in regular use, to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for use as a boarding school.
Students were forced to cut their hair, change their names, stop speaking their Native languages, convert to Christianity, and endure harsh discipline including corporal punishment and solitary confinement. This approach was ultimately used by hundreds of other Native American boarding schools, some operated by the government and many more operated by churches.
Pratt, like many others at that time, believed that the only hope for Native American survival was to shed all native culture and customs and assimilate fully into white American culture. His common refrain was “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.” This “education process” continued for over 150 years for generations, creating historical trauma in families, addiction, alcoholism, abuse and many other mental and spiritual illnesses.
Truth telling and reconciliation are vital to the healing process and today many individuals and families have reconnected with their traditions, languages and practices and undoing the traumas and mending hearts and spirits.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced a new initiative that would delve into the records of the federal schools to which Native American children were forcibly relocated for 150 years.
Learn more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/us/indigenous-children-indian-civilization-act-1819.html
There are many initiatives in the U.S. and in Canada and here in Minnesota The National Boarding School Healing Coalition has been working for many years to raise awareness and create policies in relation to funding and research.
https://boardingschoolhealing.org
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WASH Mentor
Jonathan Thunder
Jonathan Thunder, Red Lake Ojibwe, is a multi-disciplinary artist. He is known for his surreal paintings, animated and experimental films, installations, and illustration work. Thunder has attended the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, NM and studied Visual Effects and Motion Graphics in Minneapolis, MN at the Art Institute International. His work has been featured in state, regional and national exhibitions, as well as in local and international publications since 2003. Thunder is a 2020 Pollock-Krasner Foundation grantee.
About His Art
At the core of Jonathan’s work is a storyline that reflects his personal lens as a filter to the social, political, environmental and spiritual climate. He works with imagery that is surreal and imaginative by incorporating influences from the structure of his dreams, the culture around him and the direction his life is headed on any given day. Jonathan considers his work “vignettes” or short stories within a larger ongoing narrative that evolves as he evolves. He make what he see.
Jonathan believes in the simplicity of a moment captured. Some cryptic or spontaneous imagery invites the viewer to create a portion of the narrative for themselves or consider an interpretation. He enjoys merging his painter self with his filmmaker self to create art that lives and pushes the boundaries of a space.
