>> CATHY: LAST WEEK A NEW COLLECTION OF ARTWORK FROM NATIVE ARTISTS HERE IN THE MIDWEST WAS RELEASED FROM THE U OF M PRESS ENTITLED "DREAMING OUR FUTURES."

A COMPANION EXHIBITION OF THE SAME NAME WILL MARK THE OPENING OF THE GEORGE MORRISON CENTER FOR INDIGENOUS ARTS AT THE U OF M. HERE WITH US NOW IS THE CO-AUTHOR OF THE BOOK, BRENDA J.

CHILD.

SHE IS A U OF M HISTORIAN BORN ON THE RED LAKE OJIBWE RESERVATION AND HAS AUTHORED MANY ESTEEMED BOOKS ON NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY.

IT IS ALWAYS GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.

WELCOME, WELCOME.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: YOU TALK IN THE BOOK ABOUT THE STATE CAPITOL.

AND THE ART COLLECTION THERE.

GLOSSES OVER SOME HORRIBLE HISTORY.

NOW, THAT PLACE WAS RENOVATED.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: AND IN THE BOOK, YOU SAY, AMERICAN INDIAN ARTISTS HOLD THE MISSING NARRATIVES.

ARE THOSE NARRATIVES THERE AT THE CAPITOL?

ARE THEY STILL MISSING?

>> I THINK IN MY OPINION THEY'RE STILL MISSING.

YOU KNOW, WHEN THAT BIG RENOVATION WAS TAKING PLACE AT THE CAPITOL AND THERE WERE COMMITTEES AROUND THE STATE ABOUT WHAT ART SHOULD BE IN THE CAPITOL, IF YOU RECALL, THERE WAS A LOT OF -- IT WAS VERY CONTESTED.

AND ART CAN BE VERY POLITICAL.

AND THAT'S PART OF THE REASON WHY, BECAUSE THERE ARE THESE MISSING NARRATIVES FROM SOME OF OUR PUBLIC PLACES, IN MINNESOTA, THAT WE WANTED TO, AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, CURATE THIS EXHIBIT THAT FEATURED PAINTERS, WE JUST DECIDED ON PAINTERS.

WE COULD HAVE GONE ANOTHER ROUTE, BUT WE DECIDED ON PAINTERS.

AND WE WANTED TO FOCUS ON OJIBWE AS WELL AS DAKOTA PAINTERS FROM OUR REGION.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE.

AND WE'VE PULLED TOGETHER 29 ARTISTS, SOME OF THEM MID-CENTURY LIKE GEORGE MORRISON AND OSCAR HOWE AND PATRICK DELARJE UP TO I SEE STAR WALLOWING BOWL ON SEEN.

MY STUDENTS LOVED HIS PAINTING WHEN THEY WENT INTO THE EXHIBIT THIS PAST WEEK.

AND SO WE ANTED TO FEATURE WHAT'S GOING ON NOW IN CONTEMPORARY ART TOO.

>> Eric: SAY MORE ABOUT THE MISSION STATEMENT OF THE GEORGE MORRISON CENTER TOO.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE?

>> WE WANT TO MAKE INDIGENOUS ARTS MORE VISIBLE TO OUR COMMUNITIES AND TO EVERYBODY.

IN FACT, THIS VIRT E FIRST EXHIBIT, "DREAMING OUR FUTURES" IS GOING TO BE AT THE NASH GALLERY IN THE ART DEPARTMENT ON THE WEST BANK UNTIL MIDMAY.

AND THEN THIS SPRING IT'S GOING TO TRAVEL DOWN TO THE ROCHESTER ART CENTER.

AND THEN EXT FALL T WILL BE UP AT THE TWEED IN DULUTH.

>> Eric: UMD.

>> AT UMD.

AND WHAT WE'RE THINKING IS THAT THIS NEW CENTER FOR ARTS -- REALLY CAN BE ANYTHING.

WE THINK OF IT AS A RESEARCH CENTER.

AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT PAINTINGS THAT YOU WOULD NECESSARILY SEE IN GALLERIES.

IT CAN BE ABOUT ANYTHING, REALLY.

POETRY.

WE REALLY WANTED TO FEATURE WHAT -- AND TO TALK ABOUT WHAT AN INCREDIBLY VIBRANT REGION WE LIVE IN FOR THE ARTS.

>> Eric: BECAUSE TEXT AISLES AND POTTERY, I EAN, CERAMICS, MOSAICS, IT GOES ON AND ON, REALLY.

>> IT DOES, YEAH.

IT'S AN INCREDIBLE PLACE FOR THAT.

AND SOMETIMES I THINK IN THE UNITED STATES WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF CENTERS OF INDIGENOUS ART, THEY THINK SANTA E OR NORTHERN NEW MEXICO, BUT WE ARE A CENTER OF IN-LAW ADDITIONAL HOUSE ARTS AS WELL.

>> Cathy: I THOUGHT YOUR COAUTHOR WAS ALSO -- HAD SOME INTERESTING THINGS TO SAY THE SEEDS OF THIS FOR HIM WERE PLANTED 20 YEARS AGO AT THE SIXTHSON EVERYONE MUSEUM OF INDIAN HISTORY AND HE SAW THE WORK OF GEORGE ORRISON AND WAS JUST GOB-SMACKED.

HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT GEORGE MORRISON.

WHAT ABOUT THAT IN TERMS OF SO MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THESE NATIVE ARTISTS?

>> RIGHT.

WELL, HOWARD, MY COAUTHOR AND COCURATOR FOR THE EXHIBIT IS A NEW YORK ARTIST.

BUT I THINK THAT WAS HIS INTRODUCTION TO THE WORK OF GEORGE MORRISON.

AND I THINK IN MINNESOTA WE TEND TO THINK GEORGE MORRISON AS, LIKE, A LOCAL GUY AND SO FABULOUS.

HE'S IN ALL THESE ART MUSEUMS, BUT HE WAS ACTUALLY A VERY IMPORTANT FIGURE IN AMERICAN ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONONNISM AND SPENT HIS CAREER IN RANCE AND IN NEW YORK CITY AND TAUGHT AT THE RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN.

SO BEFORE HE CAME BACK AND BECAME, YOU KNOW, A PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, HE'D REALLY MADE HIS MARK ALREADY IN THE ART WORLD.

AND IN FACT, I SNOW JUST BECAUSE I KNOW SOME OF THE CURATORS THAT THE MEMBERSHIP MUSEUM OF ART IN NEW YORK IS WORKING N AN EXHIBIT CURRENTLY ABOUT GEORGE MORRISON'S NEW YORK CITY PERIOD.

>> Eric: OH, BIG TIME.

FEBRUARY 2ND AND 3RD, WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING?

>> WE'RE HAVING SOMETHING THAT WE CALL HORIZON SEMINAR.

AND IF YOU KNOW GEORGE MORRISON ONS WORK AND LANDSCAPES OF LAKE SUPERIOR, HE ALWAYS PAINTED THIS HORIZON LINE.

SO I THOUGHT, WELL, LET'S CALL IT THE HORIZON SEMINAR.

SO WE'RE TART STARTING OUT WITH ONE OF THOSE ON FLIE.

AND WE'RE CALLING IT ART AND AMERICAN INDIAN CITIZENSHIP, BECAUSE 2024 IS ACTUALLY THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICAN INDIAN CITIZENSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES.

>> Eric: OH, MY GOODNESS.

GOOD LUCK WITH THE WHOLE PROJECT.

>>