Inde Wiisagendam (My Heart Hurts) | Laura Youngbird

 

Inde Wiisagendam (My Heart Hurts) is a collection of multilayered, multifaceted monotype prints from artist Laura Youngbird (Minnesota Chippewa, Grand Portage Band). Using the dress as a metaphor, her work addresses a wide range of social issues, injustices and biases. 

Through mixed media — combining drawing, painting and prints — Laura explores the dress as a consistent and important symbol in her work, as this simple garment contains layer upon layer of meaning. Inspired by pictures of her grandmother, Laura explores identity – or the lack of –  created by the assimilation policy intended to acculturate Native children into the dominant culture. The symbol is reminiscent of her mother sewing dresses for her and her sisters and teaching sewing as an act of love. As a symbol, the dress can be enveloping, nurturing and protective while also used to create an illusion to mask hidden layers. The works in this series examine mixed emotions themes such as common thread, loose ends and threadbare. Inde Wiisagendam will welcome both older pieces by Laura, as well as never-before-exhibited works, showcasing the artist’s depth of range and mastery of her medium. 

"The dresses represent and hold multiple layers and meaning for me. My mother used to make our clothes for us and taught us to sew. There is the love that goes into making a garment for someone along with the concept of covering, hiding, creating a disguise—trying to make one fit. The dress is a simple garment and a powerful artifact. It represents a sorrowful saga that entwines, binds, and connects my grandmother, my mother, and my sisters with the power of a common thread." - Laura Youngbird 

About the Artist:
Laura Youngbird is an artist and art educator. She completed her BFA, MA & BS in Art Education from Minnesota State University Moorhead. The themes in her work originated from experiences her family and particularly her grandmother had while at boarding schools and issues that surrounded their assimilation into non-Indian culture. Laura also explores the influence of Christianity on American Indian spirituality and life views. She is the former Director of Native American Art Programs at Plains Art Museum in Fargo North Dakota. Laura also taught art at Circle of Nations School in Wahpeton, North Dakota, as an Artist-in-Residence for the North Dakota Council on the Arts and Fargo Public Schools. She currently teaches at Minnesota State University in Moorhead (MSUM).

Laura has received several awards including First People’s Fund — Artist in Business Fellowships in 2018 and 2022, Artist Initiative Grants in 2009 and 2013 from the Minnesota State Arts Board, and a Jerome Fellowship in 2003 to work and study with master potter, Richard Bresnahan at St. John’s University in Minnesota. She also received an Artist in Residence Fellowship from the Institute of American Indian Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico and at MSUM. Laura has her Masters in printmaking and is a practicing artist working in mixed-media drawing, painting, sculpture and ceramics. Her work has been shown in numerous regional and national galleries and exhibitions. 

Gallery Hours:

Tuesday-Friday: 10 am-5 pm
Saturday: 12pm - 3 pm
Sunday-Monday: Closed 

Image credit: Laura Youngbird, Inde Wiisagendam (My Heart Hurts), Mixed Media Watercolor Silkscreen, 2020