Moira Villiard

Phenomenal Art Exhibition for Women of Color

In continuing a tradition of Duluth “firsts,” the American Indian Community Housing Organization hosted an exhibit last month celebrating artists who identify as women of color. This was the first exhibit to feature only the work of our region’s least represented demographic of artists — Indigenous, Black, Latinx and Asian women. A total of 31 different artists representing a wide range of backgrounds and cultures submitted their work for display in the Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center, drawing in a crowd of 300 in an opening reception that took place alongside an award ceremony for some of AICHO’s most influential women leaders. As the exhibit comes down this week, here’s a few ideas for reflection … …

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Duluth’s First Public Mural by and for Indigenous Artists

Artist Votan Ik of NSRGNTS stands before the nearly completed mural.

To me, it’s rather astounding to think that Duluth has been without indigenous representation for this long. I imagine people from all over the world have been visiting Duluth as tourists and have only gotten to see one side of this place, unaware of the precolonial history that it’s tied to. This mural is a long-awaited step toward reaffirming our presence as indigenous people. It’s unapologetically native — an unmistakable vision that grew into fruition along the stretch of West Second Street, firmly declaring the presence of a people long pushed to the side from mainstream narratives. …

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Trepanier Hall is now the Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center

Gimaajii Program Coordinator Daryl Olson presents Dr. Robert Powless with a plaque honoring his contributions to the Native community. *Photo by Ivy Vainio.*

On March 24 the American Indian Community Housing Organization opened its doors to the community to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Gimaajii-Mino-Bimaadizimin. The Gimaajii Building is AICHO’s official headquarters and serves multiple functions; not only does it provide 29 units of permanent supportive housing to area families, but it’s Duluth’s only American Indian center. In conjunction with its supportive services, AICHO has established a thriving arts and cultural program, working with Native American and emerging artists to help them overcome barriers to their professional careers, including unexpected costs, public awareness and finding their voice in the community. AICHO hosts hundreds of events each year and averages around 15,000 visitors annually — many of the events have taken place in the auditorium and art gallery space formerly known as Trepanier Hall. On the night of Gimaajii-Mino-Bimaadizimin’s fifth anniversary celebration, AICHO officially unveiled the new title of this space in honor of a man who’s been there from the beginning. …

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The Event of the Century: Standing Strong for Our Precious Water

The Standing Strong for Our Precious Water Art Exhibit and Concert Benefit for Standing Rock took place this past Friday at AICHO Galleries and was an amazing success. 400+ people showed up, raising a preliminary estimate of above $7,000 for Standing Rock water protectors and Honor the Earth (and that number continues to rise as more artwork is purchased over the course of the next month). The evening featured artwork by roughly 100 different visual artists, with musical performances by Annie Humphrey, Keith Secola, Jamie Labrador, #theindianheadband, Oshkii Giizhik Singers, Jake Vainio, and Richie Townsend. …

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