Family Day: In Our Hands
Get inspired by Minneapolis Institute of Art’s special exhibition, “In Our Hands: Native Photography, 1890 to Now,” on view now through January 14. Explore the histories of photography and diverse Indigenous cultures from the Rio Grande to the Arctic Circle. Print a colorful image using techniques for all ages with carved designs made by local artist and educator Gordon Coons. Play with light and exposure making cyanotypes with artist Joseph Allen, and learn how to say hello and thank you in Cherokee in a sing-along adventure with Z Puppets. Explore Mia’s galleries on a scavenger hunt, and join us for a day of fun for the whole family.
Gordon Coons
Gordon Coons’ heritage is Ojibwa from Lake Superior Chippewa Band of Wisconsin (from my father) and Ottawa from Michigan (from my mother). He is an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe of northern Wisconsin. Originally from Wisconsin, Gordon is now living in Minneapolis Minnesota.
Gordon is a self taught artist, creating works in a variety of mediums including linoleum block prints, paintings, pen and ink, creations in stone and wood and assembled sculptures. Although his artwork is more contemporary, each piece portrays a unique view of traditional native stories.
Joseph Allen
Joseph Allen lives on the White Earth Ojibwe Reservation in Northern Minnesota. Born in 1964 at Eagle Butte, South Dakota, he is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Allen has been creating and exhibiting his art for over 25 years and received a 1993 McKnight Photography Fellowship. His photographs are in the collections of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community archives. Allen is Director of the Gizhiigin Arts program in Mahnomen, MN.
Z Puppets Rosenschnoz
Z Puppets Rosenschnoz, Cherokee Nation citizen Chris Griffith and Shari Aronson, leads people of all ages and abilities into the power of playfulness and feats of imagination through performances, video and workshops. With a mix of hand crafted puppetry, live music and quirky humor, they have delighted children and adults at the Ordway Performing Arts Center, Walker Arts Center, MN State Fair , Open Eye Theater and In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theatre.