Native Stories:
Dick Bancroft's Photographs of the American Indian Movement
Curator for Blake: Katerina Papanikolopoulos
Advisor: Dion Crushon
Funder: Brian Sago and Scott Flemming
Consultant from AIM: Curator Eric Byrd
Founded in Minneapolis in 1968, AIM Interpretive Center's mission is to “protect Indigenous peoples, cultures, nature, spirituality, and grandmother earth through accurate interpretation.” Collaboration with AIM Interpretive Center allowed the Blake community to serve as a platform for dialogues around underrepresented parts of our region’s history. Given the past year's current struggle of the Natives to protect their land from the Dakota Access Pipeline, highlighting AIM’s presence within Minneapolis and beyond, is now more urgent and more needed than ever. These historical archives serve as testimonies to the strength, perseverance, and political upheaval that has, and continues, to stir the nation.
Dick Bancroft has been photographing AIM events for decades, providing a visual documentary to a culture that relies on oral history. Bancroft photographed many crucial events in AIM's phase as an international movement, and the 50 images in this traveling collection are published in 'We Are Still Here' (Borealis Books/Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2013). Bancroft’s work shows the complexity and diversity of the struggle of indigenous peoples for recognition of their cultures and rights, over a half-century, from the Arctic Circle to South America. Likewise, the collection embodies the drastic role that art and photography can play in the process of creating lasting and instrumental documentation.
To effectively pursue a form of cultural enrichment within Blake, the photos are only a supplement to the actions that have been reflected in the archives. The moving figures, testimonies to life as a Native American, will further engage the audience. Inviting Native members, as well as the general public, is essential to the purpose of this gallery exhibition: to expose as many people as possible to the story underneath the photographs: the stories that have shaped, and continue shaping, our surrounding cultures.
Dick Bancroft has been photographing AIM events for decades, providing a visual documentary to a culture that relies on oral history. Bancroft photographed many crucial events in AIM's phase as an international movement, and the 50 images in this traveling collection are published in 'We Are Still Here' (Borealis Books/Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2013). Bancroft’s work shows the complexity and diversity of the struggle of indigenous peoples for recognition of their cultures and rights, over a half-century, from the Arctic Circle to South America. Likewise, the collection embodies the drastic role that art and photography can play in the process of creating lasting and instrumental documentation.
To effectively pursue a form of cultural enrichment within Blake, the photos are only a supplement to the actions that have been reflected in the archives. The moving figures, testimonies to life as a Native American, will further engage the audience. Inviting Native members, as well as the general public, is essential to the purpose of this gallery exhibition: to expose as many people as possible to the story underneath the photographs: the stories that have shaped, and continue shaping, our surrounding cultures.
Efforts to revive Native traditional foods are instrumental given the increased levels of obesity and diabetes within Native populations. The work of Sean Sherman, founder of Sioux Chef and Tatanka Truck, was highlighted in the reception. A pivotal figure in the realms of reviving authentic Native cuisine, Sherman can bring the flavors that have fostered a nation within our school. Sherman has, and still continues, to single-handedly change the landscape for Native Cuisine, bringing hope and sustenance to many.
