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- By Native News Online Staff
DETROIT – More than 60 Anishinaabe artists from across the Great Lakes region are now featured in Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation, a major exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts that centers Indigenous voices and celebrates the enduring creative achievements of Anishinaabe people.
The exhibition, which opened Sept. 28 and runs through April 5, 2026, features more than 90 works including beadwork, birchbark artistry, clothing, film, photography, graphic design, jewelry, painting, pottery, sculpture, and woodwork. It is one of the largest presentations of contemporary Native American art in the Midwest and the first major Native American art exhibition at the DIA in over 30 years.
Visitors who show tribal-issued identification will receive free admission to the DIA during the exhibition's run, thanks to support from The Rush Group of Companies, a Native-owned business based in metro Detroit.
The exhibition was conceived through collaboration between Dr. Denene De Quintal, DIA associate curator of Native American art, and an advisory committee of Ojibwe (Chippewa), Ottawa (Odawa), and Potawatomi (Pottawatomi) artists. The exhibition is presented in both English and Anishinaabemowin.
Artists gather at the Detroit Institute of Arts for the Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation exhibition. The show features more than 60 artists from across the Great Lakes region and runs through April 5, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Cressandra Thibodeaux)
“Recognizing the need to uplift contemporary Anishinaabe arts, we worked with the Detroit Institute of Arts curatorial and exhibition team to delve into the rich history, evolving cultural and artistic practices, and continuing stories of the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa,” the advisory committee said in a statement.
The exhibition emerged from a collaborative process built on trust and knowledge-sharing with the Anishinaabe advisory board and artists, according to De Quintal. “What emerges is not just an art exhibition, but a testament to the creativity and continuing presence of the Anishinaabe people,” she said in a statement.
The idea of continuation connects the galleries, which explore themes including teaching, family and generations, the environment, fashion and jewelry design, protecting water, and storytelling. The profound connection between the Anishinaabe people and their ancestral lands and waters runs throughout the exhibition, reflecting an understanding that identity, spirituality, and artistic expression emerge from place—in this case, the Great Lakes.
The show features artists from 21 of the many Anishinaabe nations across Michigan, the United States, and Canada.
In honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day, the DIA will offer free admission to the exhibition and Native American galleries on Monday, October 13. Additional programming includes an Anishinaabe Film Series featuring Star Wars in Ojibwe on October 4, and a discussion and book signing with author Angeline Boulley on October 13.
A full-length illustrated catalogue has been published by Yale University Press, edited by Dr. De Quintal with contributions from Matthew L.M. Fletcher JD, Dr. Christopher T. Green, Dr. Kendra Greendeer, and Dr. Shawnya Harris.
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