Native Art Immersion

Two must-see exhibits of traditional — and not-so-traditional — indigenous artistry

By Lynda Wheatley | Oct. 30, 2021

If you know next to nothing about Native American arts, chances are still good you’ve at least heard of one of Northern Michigan’s most esteemed Native American artists, Yvonne Walker Keshick.

Descended from a long line of Odawa/Ojibwe quill workers — artists who transform porcupine quills into beautiful and often functional objects — Keshick’s intricate quill boxes have been featured in museums and galleries around the country, including the National Museum of the American Indian and the Smithsonian. Right now, you can get your eyes within inches of the Emmet County artist’s work.

In partnership with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Crooked Tree Gallery – Petoskey is hosting Kindred: Traditional Arts of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. While prestigious and historic examples of Odawa arts and crafts like Keshick’s will be on display, so, too, will contemporary work from boundary-pushing upstarts like QueerKwe owner Becca Lynn, the self-described artist, activist, and entrepreneur who's using the traditional art of bead-working to fulfill her personal mission: to reclaim space for LGBTQ Natives and two-spirits, i.e., those who identify as having both a masculine and a feminine spirit.

Her painstakingly threaded bead pieces — earrings, patches, necklaces — often feature colors designed to represent trans, pansexual, asexual, bisexual, nonbinary pride, and others.

Confused? As she recently told a Crooked Tree audience gathered to hear her speak, “It’s OK if you don’t understand someone’s identity. You just need to respect it.”

Alongside Keschick and Lynn’s creations, viewers will also find the work of renowned Anishinaabe natural fiber artist Renée Wasson Dillard, 2010 recipient of the Michigan Heritage Award for her lifetime achievement in Natural Fiber Arts, the vibrant, nature-inspired (and often Van Gogh-like) beadwork of artist Stella Kay, and others.

The quill boxes, beadwork, regalia, ceramics, and basketry featured in the Kindred exhibit aren’t merely significant for the artists and cultural traditions they showcase; they’re part of a larger opportunity to explore the economic drivers, environmental factors, and challenges inherent for Native American artists, thanks to a series of online and in-person talks lead by several of the artists, exhibit co-curator (with Liz Erlewine) Eric Hemenway, and others: 

Coffee @ 10 with Frank Ettawageshik, Nov. 18
The Harbor Springs resident, passionate environmental activist, and former (16-year) chairman of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians — generally credited with transforming the Bands from a small organization with $4,000 in the bank to a thriving economic and environmental powerhouse — will talk about the links between the traditional Anishinaabe arts and the environment. Free. Join in person or via zoom link at www.crookedtree.org.

Artist demonstration with Yvonne Walker Keshick, Nov. 11
Keshick will be on hand in the CTAC Petoskey galleries 10am to 5pm Nov. 11 to offer an in-person demonstration of her work and discuss the art of quillwork and the process behind it. Free. In-person only.

Artist Chats Available Now
Watch any of the recorded chats with Becca Lynn, Renée Wasson Dillard, Stella Kay, and Eric Hemenway by clicking on the Kindred link under the Exhibitions tab at CTAC Online, www.crookedtree.org. The Kindred exhibit will be on display in the Gilbert and Bonfield galleries inside Crooked Tree Arts Center – Petoskey until Nov. 27.

OPENING SOON
First Americans in Manistee
The folks at Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts will be the first to tell you: Their organization’s venerable Ramsdell Theatre, a 120-year-old Victorian-era gem on the National Register of Historic Places, sits atop the ancestral land of the Anishinaabe people. 

In an effort to recognize the contributions, culture, and identity of the region’s Native American community — which the RRCA calls “an important part of our city’s vitality and a too-often overlooked part of both this city’s and this state’s history” — the RRCA has invited contemporary Native American artists from around Michigan and, in particular, Manistee (aka Naaminitigong-Anishinaabe Aki) to submit their work.

The resulting exhibition, First Americans, opens Nov. 9 and is dedicated to the United States’ first Native American cabinet member, Deb Haaland.

Featuring mixed media, paintings, ceramics, poetry, and photography, the exhibit showcases artists Suzanne Cross, Marcella Hadden, Judy Jashinsky, Jamie John, Cecelia LaPointe, Michelle Lucas, and George Martin. Works by Shirley Brauker and Daniel Mena, on loan from the Dennos Museum in Traverse City, will also be on display. 

You can register to see the exhibit, held inside the RRCA’s Hardy Hall until Dec. 30, free. An opening reception will be held 6am to 8pm Nov. 13. Learn more at www.ramsdelltheatre.org.