MNdn 150: Beyond Statehood - Native American Artists Mark the Minnesota Sesquicentennial December 5, 2008

Panelists Mona Smith and Joseph Allen along with moderator Patricia Marroquin-Norby discuss the historical, cultural, and political relationships between the American Indian sovereign governments and the United States. Mona Smith's multimedia installation, Dakota Voices, Dakota Places, focuses on the connection Dakota people have to Mnisota, the Dakota word origin for today's Minnesota. Her installation includes nature sounds, Dakota language, English language, and video. Dakota people speak about their homeland and their relationship to Bdote (the confluence of the Minnesota and the Mississippi rivers). Photographer Joseph J. Allen features the latest color photographs from his Dakota landscape series. Departing from the standard toolset of the documentary photographer, Allen chooses an inexpensive toy camera to photograph Dakota sites. More of his work can be found on his website.

The MNdn 150: Beyond Statehood program also includes exhibitions at the Ancient Traders Gallery and the Form+Content Gallery in Minneapolis with shuttle service between venues.

Official Website: http://www.mnartists.org/event.do?rid=211878