Museum showcases Indigenous boarding school experience, art
Two temporary exhibits are now on display at the Dennos Museum Center that explore the off-reservation boarding schools for Indigenous children and contemporary Anishinaabek art.
“Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories” and “Close to Home: Contemporary Ansihinaabek Artists” will run until the end of October. Both exhibits are intended for visitors to explore and immerse themselves in the complex histories that surround U.S government-funded residential schools, and the current trends and connections of traditional practices through Anishinaabek artists in the region.
“Away from Home” is the updated installation of the long-running boarding school exhibition, “Remembering Our Indian School Days: The Boarding School Experience” at the Heard Museum, in Phoenix Arizona.
The six-week exhibition is made possible by the NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reports.
According to Heard Museum, the exhibition was developed with an advisory committee of scholars and culture bearers from Indigenous communities nationwide and presents diverse perspectives that highlight personal stories.
Through the compelling collections of archival materials, photographs, art, and first-person interviews from former boarding school students, visitors will witness a kaleidoscope of voices in a series of interactive timelines and immersive environments including classroom and dormitory settings.
The exhibit explores the impact that the schools have had on Indigenous communities, and how those impacts are felt today through historical education panels.
In a statement made by the Heard Museum, “It is a story that must continue to be shared and one that is central to remembering the nation’s past and understanding its present.”
Jason Dake, deputy director of museum programs and learning at the Dennos Museum Center, said he put in the request for the exhibit more than two years ago in an effort to open up representation in the community.