Roots

Part of a new juried series, AMRA’s fall/winter exhibition, Roots showcases Native artistic voices from across the regions of Turtle Island, highlighting and celebrating language, storytelling, culture and heritage. This series aims to shed light on how the Western colonial construct of borders was designed to divide Native nations and perpetuate cultural divisions through the systematic removal of Indigenous peoples from their ancestral homelands. By bridging communities and challenging these systems of separation, this exhibit seeks to explore how art can facilitate healing these ruptures.

Roots is an assertion that connections to our land, our ancestors, and our traditions are deep rooted and go beyond simply the place that we occupy. Those connections are the embodiment of where we belong, ebbed in who we are, and hold the significance of who we will become. Through photography, sculpture, installation, painting, textile work and illustration, the artists in Roots share works through their individual lens that interpret the concept of our roots and how we are tethered in connection, all formulated by the lived experiences of being Native. 

The first iteration focuses on the Midwest region, which includes Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois. A homage to kindred series, South Dakota’s “Native POP” and AMRA’s “On Fertile Soil” exhibit which highlight the region's artistry, this eclectic collection showcases emerging and seasoned Native artists, as well as first-time exhibitors from across the tribal nations of the Midwest. The showcase spotlights up-and-coming talent working across a dynamic and diverse range of media offering these artists a dedicated platform to introduce their work to new audiences. Whether still residing in the Midwest or having tribal connections to it, these artists remind us of the foundations that ground us, of the tendrils that unite us to tradition, and of our future pathways.

Featured Artists:
Abby Sunde (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), Autumn Cavender (Wahpetunwan Dakota), Carrie Bunker (White Earth Nation), Chelsea Bighorn (Lakota, Dakota and Shoshone-Paiute), Crystal Drake (Descendant of Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians), Delia Touché (Spirit Lake Nation), Janae Grass (Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma), Madelyn Churchill (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe), Meg O’Sheaheimer (Red Lake Nation), Nipinet Landsem (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa descendant, citizen of Manitoba Métis Federation), Tamara Aupaumut (Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican, Oneida, Brothertown), and Wish Garbow (Descendant of Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe)

Additional programming and full artist bios can be found on our website at allmyrelationsarts.org.

Image: (Detail) Madelyn Churchill, “Thistle,” 2026, acrylic on canvas, 20x24