Indians in Public Art

Indians in Public Art Presentation
Healing Minnesota Stories offers presentations and dialogues about the mythologies and misrepresentation of Native Americans in Minnesota’s public art. We have shown it to numerous religious groups and classrooms and would love to bring it to your community.

We will take you on a virtual tour of Minnesota public art and discuss how it portrays Native Americans and the stories it tells about early state history. In particular, we critique art in the Minnesota State Capitol Art, some of which is highly controversial.

SPNN’s news show “Forum” interviewed Healing Minnesota Stories Founder Jim Bear Jacobs about Minnesota’s Capitol art. Here is a link to the show.

Learn more at Public Art Project.pdf, or see our blog on Capitol Art. Read our Petition seeking changes to art at the Capitol, and sign the online petition.

Teacher Resources
We worked with Art Teacher, Rachel Latuff, to develop a lesson plan to help K-12 teachers present this material to students, engage them in a conversation about public art and the stories it tells, and challenge them to make alternative Capitol art. We have put several resources online.

Virtual Tour of Public Art PowerPoint presentation with dozens of images in public places around the Twin Cities area.
Public Art Teachers Guide.pdf including background, commentary and student questions.
Artwork in the United States Capitol featuring Native Americans.
Hidden Narratives Public Art Project.pdf curriculum by Rachel Latuff

Traveling Art Exhibit
We have created a Traveling Art Exhibit that includes images of current art in the Minnesota State Capitol and samples of K-12 student artwork offering an alternative vision. A number of schools have done this project and contributed to the exhibit.

North Woods School, Cook: North Woods Student Art.pdf and North Woods Letters.pdf
Oshki Ogimaag Community School, Grand Portage: WTIP Community Radio interview (2015) and WTIP Radio Interview (2016)
North View Junior High, Brooklyn Park: North View Student Art.pdf and North View Letter to Dayton.pdf media: Sun Post newspaper, Channel 12 and Fox 9 News.