A stunning new exhibition of Anishinaabe art recently opened at the Detroit Institute of Arts features a strong showing of Minnesota-based painters, sculptors, designers and more. “Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation” is the DIA’s first major Native American exhibition in more than three decades, featuring 90 works by more than 60 artists from the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada.
The exhibition celebrates the contemporary visions and creativity of Native artists from tribes that call themselves Anishinaabe, meaning “original people,” including Ojibwe (Chippewa) — who have seven tribes based in Minnesota and five in Michigan — as well as the Ottawa (Odawa) and Potawatomi (Pottawatomi) people.
Denene De Quintal, the DIA’s assistant curator of Native American Art, said the museum wanted to prioritize and elevate Indigenous voices, and bring “more contemporary artwork into the institution to reflect contemporary voices.” The curators translated the show’s signage into Anishinaabemowin, and visitors can access QR codes to learn different words in the language.
The exhibit spans painting, beadwork, fashion, film and sculpture, curated in collaboration with a panel of Anishinaabe artists, including Duluth-based painter and filmmaker Jonathan Thunder, Kelly Church, Jason Quigno, Monica Rickert-Bolter and Jodi Webster. Thunder said the panel’s work was meticulous: “We went over every detail to make sure that the show was being approached with the proper vision,” he said.
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Frank Big Bear (White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa), “Anishinaabe Man Trapped in a Trickster’s Web,” 2023. Credit: Courtesy Detroit Institute of Arts -
Jim Denomie (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), “Four Days and Four Nites, Ceremony,” 2019-2020. Credit: Courtesy Detroit Institute of Arts -
Patrick DesJarlait (Red Lake Band of Ojibwe), “Maple Sugar Time,” 1946. Credit: Courtesy Detroit Institute of Arts -
Left: Jim Denomie (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), “Untitled (Totem Painting),” 2016. Tia Collection. Right: George Morrison (Minnesota Chippewa Tribe – Grand Portage Band), “Totemic Column,” 1995-2024. On loan from the George Morrison Estate and Bockley Gallery.
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Moira Villiard (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), “The Waters of Tomorrow,” 2019. Credit: Courtesy Detroit Institute of Arts -
Andrea Carlson (Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), “Exit,” 2018. Credit: Courtesy Detroit Institute of Arts -
Installation view, “Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation”. Credit: Courtesy Detroit Institute of Arts
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Significantly, the panel decided not to begin the show with historical works. “No one else has to start with an explanation of, for example, where European art came from,” De Quintal said. “Native American artists should be given the same ability not to start historically.”
Minnesota artists make an immediate presence in the show. Two large totems greet visitors, one by 20th century abstract painter and sculptor George Morrison, and the other by the late Jim Denomie, a leading figure in the Twin Cities arts community known for his vibrant use of color.
Artists like Delina White, with her Anishinaabe couture, and Maggie Thompson showcase practices that blend tradition and modern design. Thompson’s piece “On Loving” (2022–23) evokes white body bags during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, overlaid with star quilt motifs. De Quintal noted, “These body bags, which symbolize death, also symbolize a beautiful moment in time where we’re honoring the people who have passed.”
One gallery sets works by Frank Big Bear, whom De Quintal called “foundational” to Anishinaabe artistry, alongside works by his son, Star WallowingBull, highlighting a familial theme carried throughout the exhibition. The exhibition concludes with Andrea Carlson’s “Exit,” evoking highways and roadways evolved from prior pathways walked upon by Native Americans.
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Jonathan Thunder praised the quality of the show and said he was thrilled to see Anishinaabe artists represented from across the continent: “They’re coming from the Southwest, up north in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin — some from the city, some from the res. It’s just nice to look at everybody’s practice.”
During opening weekend, Thunder gave a talk about his work, “Basil’s Dream,” a 15’x7’ painting of a nightclub on the shores of gitchi-gami (Lake Superior) inspired by the Anishinaabe and Canadian writer Basil H. Johnston.
Minnesota’s presence in DIA’s exhibition testifies to the rich Native arts community fostered in the state and shared throughout the country. Maggie Thompson, whose work was recently featured at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, now has a solo exhibition at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Santa Fe; George Morrison’s work is on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; Frank Big Bear and Star WallowingBull appear in “Indigenous Identities: Here, Now & Always,” currently on view at Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University; and Andrea Carlson’s first museum survey, “A Constant Sky,” opened at the Denver Art Museum on October 5.
“Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation” is a major institutional moment, born of collaboration and a commitment to contemporary Indigenous voices. By featuring foundational and emerging artists, particularly the strong contingent from Minnesota, the DIA illuminates the ongoing innovation and excellence of Anishinaabe artistry. For those unable to travel to Detroit, the exhibition catalogue sells through Birchbark Books in Minneapolis.
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