Over the coming months, a series of powerful exhibitions is highlighting the rich history and contemporary culture of Chicago’s Native American communities. Presented as part of the Terra Foundation for American Art’s Art Design Chicago initiative, six exhibitions are showcasing the breadth and depth of the work of Indigenous artists with ties to the region, including:
Gagizhibaajiwan, Center for Native Futures, June 15 – December 14, 2024
The work of four Anishinaabe artists considers depth, duality, and paradox in Anishinaabe art as expressed through images of Misshepezhieu, the Underwater Panther, and Animikii, the Thunderbird.
Chicago Works | Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, August 3, 2024 – February 2, 2025
Andrea Carlson’s densely layered works include an abundance of motifs, making reference to the tactics of colonialism as well as her family and peers, Ojibwe culture, and Indigenous sovereignty.
Indigenous Chicago, Newberry Library, September 12, 2024 – January 4, 2025
Centering the voices and impacts of Indigenous leaders, activists, and artists, this exhibition explores Indigenous history in Chicago across five centuries.
Still Here: Linking Histories of Displacement, National Public Housing Museum, Opening January 2025 TBD
This exhibition connects Indigenous peoples’ painful histories of forced migration with redlining and African American displacement in public housing.
Woven Being: Art for Zhegagoynak/Chicagoland, The Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, January 26 – July 13, 2025 (Opening Celebration Feb 2 2PM)
Zhegagoynak, the place now known as Chicagoland, is a critical nexus for Indigenous art past and present. Through the perspectives of four collaborating Indigenous artists, this exhibition brings together more than 80 works exploring confluences that have shaped and are shaping Indigenous creative practices in the region.
Living Stories: Contemporary Woodland Native American Art, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, January 27, 2025 – January 5, 2026
This exhibition examines contemporary approaches to traditional Woodlands style art, highlighting the underrepresented and diverse Indigenous cultures of the Great Lakes region and the materials, art forms, and processes they have carried forward over generations.
Chicago has one of the largest urban Native American populations in the United States, with over 65,000 Native Americans in the greater metropolitan area and approximately 175 different tribes represented. Despite histories of displacement and erasure, Native Americans have always been vital contributors to Chicago’s art ecosystem. Art Design Chicago’s partner exhibitions seek to showcase these contributions, offering diverse perspectives on Indigenous identity, tradition, and contemporary creative practices.
“Many artists want agency in the creation of their work, but we also want nuance in the interpretation of our works,” said artist Andrea Carlson (Ojibwe/European descent), who is a co-founder of the Center for Native Futures and is exhibiting and contributing to several of these exhibitions. “If one listens to Native people talk about the content of our own work it becomes hard to paint us with the same brush, and that is a good thing. We are not monolithic, we are diverse, and complex.”
Each of these exhibitions was developed by and in close collaboration with Indigenous artists, historians, and community members, giving Indigenous artists decision-making authority for how their stories are told. Much of the work in these exhibitions is reflective of the artists’ lived experiences and serves to imagine Indigenous futures free from colonial limitations.
“The Terra Foundation is committed to building relationships with Indigenous partners in Chicago and beyond,” said Sharon Corwin, President and CEO of the Terra Foundation for American Art. “In keeping with our mission to expand narratives of American art, we are proud to support programs by Native artists and the presentation of their work through these extraordinary exhibitions in Chicago that center the voices of Native artists, curators, and scholars of the region, and that make their stories accessible to the larger public.”
Indigenous artists and communities continue to shape Chicago’s vibrant cultural identity. By building long-term partnerships with Indigenous artists and communities, these exhibiting organizations seek to amplify their stories and build deeper understandings of Indigeneity in Chicago.
For more information, please visit artdesignchicago.org.
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About Art Design Chicago
Art Design Chicago is a special series of events and exhibitions that highlight the city’s unique artistic heritage and creative communities. An initiative of the Terra Foundation for American Art in partnership with artists and arts organizations across the city, Art Design Chicago seeks to expand narratives of American art with an emphasis on the city’s diverse and vibrant creative cultures and the stories they tell. Learn more at artdesignchicago.org.
About the Terra Foundation for American Art
The Terra Foundation for American Art, established in 1978 and having offices in Chicago and Paris, supports organizations and individuals locally and globally with the aim of fostering intercultural dialogues and encouraging transformative practices that expand narratives of American art through the foundation’s grant program, collection, and initiatives. Learn more at terraamericanart.org.
Photos and footage from Art Design Chicago events and exhibitions available upon request.
Media Contact:
Malik Joseph, Media Relations Specialist, Rudd Resources
872-895-7009 | Mjoseph@ruddresources.net
