Inspired by the artwork, a vibrant color scheme was used to accent the gallery.
Photo: Therese Scheller, MNHS

All exhibit text was presented in Ojibwe, Dakota and English.
Photo: Therese Scheller, MNHS

All exhibit text was presented in Ojibwe, Dakota and English.
Photo: Therese Scheller, MNHS

In addition to being a professional educator and published poet, Denise Lajimodiere practices the Ojibwe and Cree art of birch bark biting. Known in Ojibwe as mazinibakajige, or “pictographs on bark,” paper-thin layers of birch bark are folded, bitten with an eye tooth, and then unfolded to reveal an image.
Photo: Therese Scheller, MNHS

Floral pattern birch bark biting
Photo: MNHS

Gwen Westerman is a historian, educator, and poet, as well as a visual artist. During her residency, she examined the practice of ribbon work appliqué, which is often associated with eastern American Indian cultures, but is also associated with the traditional homeland of her ancestors, the Isanti Dakota. Westerman mentored a number of younger Dakota artists, including her daughter Erin, during her residency.
Photo: Therese Scheller, MNHS

Gwen Westerman poses with a ribbonwork blanket
Photo: MNHS

Ojibwe beadwork, often identified by its distinctive floral style, is a rich tradition extending back nearly two centuries in the Great Lakes region. During her residency, Gokey studied more than 200 examples of historic Ojibwe beadwork in the MNHS collections.
Photo: Therese Scheller, MNHS

Native foods table accent

One of the pieces from the Minnesota Historical Society’s permanent collection that Jessica Gokey studied during her residency.
Photo: Therese Scheller, MNHS

Pat Kruse is a birch bark artist who lives and works on the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation in Minnesota with his son and apprentice, Gage. Used to make canoes, houses, containers for food preparation and storage, and works of art, birch trees and their bark have been central to the lives of Ojibwe people in this region for centuries.
Photo: Therese Scheller, MNHS

A bowl made by Pat Kruse is displayed with the historic inspiration piece and pattern used to create the modern basket.
Photo: Therese Scheller, MNHS

Holly Young is committed to revitalizing the lesser-known floral form of beadwork once common among the Dakota, Lakota and Métis people of this region. Given the history of Dakota expulsion from Minnesota, this style did not persist long and was nearly forgotten by contemporary Dakota artists until recently.
Photo: Therese Scheller, MNHS

Floral vest
Photo: MNHS