SHAPING PRACTICE
Josie Hoffman: Niimiwin + Access
Josie thoughtfully integrated American Sign Language [ASL], recorded audio description, lowered placement of art works and a sensory friendly lighting and sonic environment within Niimiwin. An ASL vlog of the exhibition curatorial statement was created featuring Deaf interpreter Cindi Martin and produced by Sequoia Hauck of Indigenous Interpreters Organization. An audio recording visually describing the exhibition was created in consultation with Barak adé Soleil and visually impaired artist Donna Ray.
AUDIO DESCRIPTION SCRIPT
Emerging Curators Institute [ECI]
2023-24 ECI Fellow Josie Hoffman
Exhibition: Niimiwin: Bijiinag igo ingii-azhegiiwe gaa-niimi’iding
November 7th, 2024 – January 18th, 2025at All My Relations Arts Gallery, 1414 E Franklin Ave , Minneapolis, MN 55404
TRACK ONE: Welcome and Initial Orientation of AMRA
Welcome to the audio description for the exhibition: Niimiwin: Bijiinag igo ingii-azhegiiwe gaa-niimi’iding. *Traditional/formal ojibwe language introduction* I’m Josie Hoffman, the curator for this exhibition. I will be sharing with you what’s on view, including context, along with the curatorial statement and all text within the exhibition.
Niimiwin is a dynamic group exhibition featuring artists: Amikogaabawiikwe also known as Adrienne M. Benjamin, Courtney Cochran, Chanelle Gallagher, Tasunka Opi (Wounded Horse) aka Michael Kurtz, Courtney M. Leonard and The Stonebridge Singers.
This exhibition is located in All My Relations Arts Gallery housed within the Native American Community Development Institute Building. Having passed through the hallway that connects the outdoor entrance to the gallery’s double door, an enclosed office area would have been on your right and a cafe with seating to your left.
To begin, please find the landing place which is a cedar bench located in front of the gallery’s reception desk where you received the mp3 player for the audio description tour. This landing place for the beginning of the tour is near the center of the gallery. Facing north – behind you is the desk area and wall to wall windows shaded by tan screens. In describing the locations of the art works and your placement, I will utilize clock settings. You are at 6 o’clock. The double door entrance is to your right at about 4 o’clock, separating a long expanse of white walls that run the length of the building. To your left just below 10 o’clock is a threshold entrance to 2 separate bathrooms which are in their own alcove. This threshold entrance divides the title wall area where the curatorial statement is located, and – on the other side of the threshold – is an artwork by Tasunka Opi (Wounded Horse) aka Michael Kurtz – titled The Greater Prairie Chicken. I will further describe this work later.
The entire gallery has muted gray tan smooth linoleum flooring with raised circular outlet ports at various places including nearest to the walls and one centered about 16 feet from the furthest north wall. It is 30 feet wide with 9 feet tall walls of different sizes in length & sections running north and south. The longest wall section – running from between 7 to 10 o’clock – is 25 feet long and painted a sunburnt tan. On the other side beginning at the further north wall that runs east to west, that is also painted sunburnt tan, is the smallest wall section at around 1 oclock that is at about 6 feet long and separated by a door to the office space from the next wall section. The wall section moving towards 3 o’clock is 24 feet long and painted white. This wall is separated by the wide double door entrance from the last wall section on the east side. This wall section is also white and 24 feet in length. All the walls are about 9 feet tall with wooden trim on the bottom edge. Above white track lighting hangs from the black grid ceiling that is 12 feet high.
Within this exhibition, there are different kinds of art works on display: handmade dresses on dress forms, an visual and sonic installation, photographs of different materials, a series of clay stoneware water vessels of different sizes, a video and a multi paneled print work that mostly spans the length of the white walls separated by the gallery entrance. There is also a 43 inch monitor playing a video of a Deaf Indigenous woman – Cindi Martin – who is offering an American Sign Language interpretation of the English statement and labels.
TRACK TWO: Reflections on the Exhibition & Wayfinding
As you engage with this exhibition, I encourage you to reflect on how movement shapes and defines your own connections to land, body, and community. Niimiwin is an invitation to witness and contemplate the continuous dance of life and art, celebrating the beauty of Indigenous expression.
Upon entering, you may have or can currently hear the drumming and singing of the Stonebridge Singers Drum group, playing audibly at intervals of 4 minutes. In addition to hearing them, there is a video created by Courtney Cochran. In the video, 12 men with warm tan skin sit together in a circle around a large drum and microphone. They are positioned in front of a small gathering of people outside at the Grand Portage powwow grounds on a sunny day. They each hold a long drumstick and are singing an intertribal song. They are wearing t-shirts of varied colors including white, dark green, and black. Some are wearing baseball caps and others are wearing sunglasses. When the song ends, in the 4 minute silent interval, a photograph is shown of the top of an eagle staff, a ceremonial object that has eagle feathers, beads, and a star-shaped object attached to it off-centered to the left in front of a pink and blue sunset background. Stonebridge Singers is a group of men from the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The group includes John Vogel, Trevor Deschampe, Tanner Hendrickson, David Logan, Bob Vogel, Brandon Deschampe-Morrison, Lyndon Magiskan, Sequoia Morrin, Tyson Killspotted, Marcus Logan, Brent Sorenson and Dylan Deschampe. Please take a moment within this audio description tour to just listen to them.
Back to where you are located at 6 o’clock, distinct artworks beginning to your left at 7 o’clock are:
7 – 8 o’clock: 4 jingle dresses
9 – 10 o’clock: Title Wall & Curatorial Statement
Restrooms
Greater Prairie Chicken
10 – 11 o’clock: Courtney Leonard’s installation (tucked away in a corner fold)
11 – 12 o’clock: Waŋblí
12 o’clock: Chanelle’s sets of clay artworks
Between 12 – 1 o’clock Video of Stonebridge singers
1 o’clock: Skilled Hunter
2 – 5 o’clock Courtney Cochran’s multipanel print work
TRACK THREE: FIRST artworks 7 to 9 o’clock
- To begin taking in the first artworks, turn to your left, facing west and away from the gallery entrance…
Spanning the length of a tan wall are 4 cotton jingle dresses on white dress form stands that are 5 feet tall. The 4 jingle dresses are the handmade creations of Adrienne Benjamin, an Anishinaabe multi-faceted artist, equity advocate, and cultural educator. Though the style of the dresses are identical, each one is distinctly colored: from left to right – red, blue, green & yellow. The dresses are short sleeved with rows of shiny copper Jingles attached to the dresses. 1 row of jingles are just below the neckline and 3 rows of jingles are placed near the lower part of the dress. Fringe is placed on the very bottom.
Here is what Adrienne, in her own words, shares about the jingle dresses: “Bawaajigeomajigooday” The Dream Dress
These healing dresses are of significant meaning to my home community of Misi-Zaaga’iganing (Mille Lacs) They were even more special to niiya’wenh Amikogaabaw’iban. Larry Smallwood was a famous Indian, before there were even famous Indians. Through one of his many roles in life; a renowned pow wow emcee, he told the story of the dream dress near and far at pow wows, schools, and museums across Anishinaabe akiing. He credited being told this story as a young boy by his grandmother Omadwe’iban (Lucy Clark).
Today, it is one of my greatest life honors to continue the work of niyaa’wenh’iban. To create beautiful jingle dresses and to continue to tell this story for our community and carry it into the future for the next generations of Anishinaabeg to remember and celebrate.
Above 9 o’clock on its own white wall – the side of the alcove to the bathroom – is the video of the Stonebridge Singers playing on a 43 inch monitor mounted to the wall. Turn to your right and face north, walk about 7 steps towards the bathroom alcove and you will be closer to this video. From where you are now located, take 3 side steps to your right and walk about 3 steps and you will be near the wall where the Title, Curator’s Statement and one of the artworks is located.
TRACK FOUR: 10 – 11 o’clock: Title Wall, Curator’s Statement & The Greater Prairie Chicken
Vinyl lettering on a white wall offers the Title of the exhibition and the Curators statement. The title in red text reads Niimiwin: Bijiinag igo ingii-azhegiiwe gaa-niimi’iding. The Curatorial Statement in black reads:
Niimiwin: Bijiinag igo ingii-azhegiiwe gaa-niimi’iding curated by 2023-2024 Emerging Curators Fellow Josie Hoffman. This dynamic multimedia exhibition explores the profound relationship between movement and identity within contemporary Indigenous art.
Inspired by the vibrant traditions of dance and powwow, this showcase features a diverse array of Minnesota-based Indigenous artists whose work delves into the theme of kinetic movement—both in its physical form and its metaphorical resonance. Niimiwin, which translates to “Everyone Dance” in Anishinaabemowin, is an exploration of how movement manifests within our bodies, our connection to the land, and our relationships within the community. The Anishinaabemowin phrase, Bijiinag igo ingii-azhegiiwe gaa-niimi’iding (I recently returned home from a powwow), evokes the feeling of community and connection shared from participating in the vibrancy and celebration of a powwow.
This exhibition invites you to experience the dynamic interplay of material, process, and result as artists from various disciplines—ranging from ceramics and photography to powwow singing and beyond—embody the essence of kinetic energy in their creations.
On the other side of the threshold, against a white wall is Michael Kurtz’s photographic work titled: Greater Prairie Chicken
This Photograph print is on a thin square sheet of metal, sized 36 x 24. In this photograph, a lone Prairie chicken is poised in the center of tan prairie grass. The chicken’s colors are described within Michael’s story of taking the photograph. In Michael’s words:
A synchronized dancer, the male prairie chickens gather every spring for their mating rituals. This spring (2024) was my first experience immersed in the lek or booming grounds, the area where males and females gather. Getting to the area at dark well before sunrise is vital, you don’t want to disrupt the prairie chicken’s patterns. Even though it was dark on the walk-in, I could hear an abundance of life from the birds. A few small sparrows parted the blades of grass, and American Woodcocks buzzed and slowly fluttered around the landscape. Even the prairie chickens were making short calls and flying in closer to the booming grounds. When the sunlight starts to speak over the horizon, the action begins. Immediately, every square inch of grass matters for both the male and female prairie chickens. These ground-dwelling birds put on a show of flash, bold movements, and quickness. The males compete and dance to gain the attention of the less colorful females. The male prairie chicken drums its feet, flaps out its wings, and puffs up its yellow-orange air sacs that normally are not visible. As the back tail feathers are displayed for full visibility, the males will also raise a few feathers on their heads, arranging them in different positions. If two males are dancing in the same vicinity, they will come together squawking, and a fight could occur. Feathers and dust kick up nearly too quickly for the eye to see. Most of these interactions are drummed up; the males move in fast, but after a stare down they break apart. This goes on for a few morning hours before the action begins to slow.
Now we will move towards the next artwork being described: Courtney Leonard’s visual and sonic installation. This installation is tucked away in a corner in the northwest area nearest the southern wall of the alcove. To get closer to this installation you will walk north from where you are about 9 steps. You may pass over the raised circular outlet as you complete your 9 steps. At this location, you will also hear the sonic vibrations – a low but pulsing and continuous tone – coming from the installation to your left.
TRACK FIVE: 10 o’clock
Courtney Leonard’s installation is composed of a clay pot suspended by four-foot-long pieces of black and white cowhide cordage from the ceiling grid. The clay pot is glazed with a bronze color and shaped like a strawberry, with dollar-sized holes in the body and engraved line work at the top. White and grey Oyster shells are positioned below the clay pot on the ground. Sonic vibrations emit from the oyster shells.
TRACK SIX: 11 o’clock
Returning to facing north nearest to the Northwest corner and to the right of where a door is located is Michael Kurtz’s Waŋblí: a photographic print on a dense but thin piece of vinyl, sized 48 x 24. In this image, against a startling white background, a singular bald eagle spreads its wings as it takes off from the top of an off white birch tree. Black & gray feathers make up its expansive wingspan and finely pointed yellowish beak. Bits of the tree and tufts of fur (from its most recent prey) fall from the talons as it soars. There’s traces of blood on the eagle’s beak. Michael writes: Moving across all space and time is the Bald Eagle. No bounds or limits can be imposed as the eagle flies to great lengths. The highest flier of the winged nation, the eagle can navigate up in the clouds and be down in the grasslands or plunge into the waters. The aerial movements of the eagle can be art itself. Perched atop this branch, I drove up to this eagle, watching as I stopped the car. As a photographer, nearly every time a door opens from a vehicle, I have had countless hawks, eagles, and other birds fly before I can even put a foot out of the door. This day was different. I watched as this eagle allowed me into its space, only standing a few feet away from the tree it was in. After a minute in awe, the eagle broke the silence, and I was able to capture the moment of take off! Both wings spread wide, almost in a pose and dance motion, the eagle propelled up, taking to the sky. I watched as it surveyed the grasslands ahead in search of its next tree to perch in.
TRACK SEVEN: 12 o’clock
Next to the photographic print Waŋblí placed against the northern wall is a white plinth with Chanelle’s 8 clay artworks titled ishkode akikoog. These Nibi (water vessels) are glazed , and have mixed colors of soft earthy shades of brown and gray. There are 4 larger sized pieces weighing between 1½ to 2 pounds and 4 smaller pieces weighing between 1 pound and ¾ of a pound.
To the right of Chanelle’s series of artworks at the Northeast facing section of the wall is Michael Kurtz’s Skilled Hunter. Turning to face the east this work would be to your left.
TRACK EIGHT: 1 o’clock
Michael Kurtz’s Skilled Hunter is a Photograph print on thin metal sheet, sized 24 x 18. The background and foreground are of water, ice and snow that have a blue hue reflective of the sky. Centered in the photograph, a brown mink, with fur wet, from the right of the image, it emerges from water, stepping over pieces of ice onto the snowy background.
In Michael’s words, he shares:
“American Mink are one of the top hunters of the animal world. The energy of the weasel family, in general, is unmatched. With constant movements, the mink’s motion takes a toll on its energy. They are always on the move, hopping and bounding, searching their territories for possible prey. To keep up with their plentiful energy, the mink must hunt, and that is one of the top skills they possess. From my experience with mink and other weasels, they will hunt, and even after they have eaten, they will gather more food and store what else they capture for later. I had spotted this mink from afar but pinpointed a stream I wanted to watch it traverse. Mink are just as capable of traveling on land as in water; they spend their time in both worlds. I watched as this mink sniffed around, tracking and looking for clues of any rodents in the area. It snaked back and forth up and down the banks of the frozen waters. Occasionally, a small opening of water flowed unfrozen, and the mink would splash in, remaining submerged for minutes at a time. As the mink moved upstream, I would hide and try to remain undetected. I walked ahead and waited. As a few seconds passed, I saw the little ball of energy climb up on some downed logs, constantly in motion, zigzagging back and forth, never stopping. As it got about 10 feet away again, it went into the water. I watched as a brown shape moved upstream underwater, closer and closer to me. A thin layer of ice lay in front of me. Sometimes, photography is just being in the right place at the right time, and this is where I was sitting. The little mink shattered the ice, not even slowing or stopping to look at me, it continued to run up the ice as I was blown away by the mink’s drive.”
TRACK NINE: 2 – 5 o’clock
Completing the exhibition presentation of artworks is Courtney Cochran’s expansive multipanel print art works taking up the rest of the east wall areas. As you are currently facing east towards the northern wall, walk south about 8 steps. This will place you near the beginning of Courtney’s artwork.
Courtney Cochran’s “Never Homeless Before 1492”
Multi-paneled work 24 prints on foam core board, all 2’x’2’, each with a single centered black character which together spell out “Never Homeless Before 1492”. In the background of each character are various themes, symbols and imagery.
It is a reproduction of a community site specific project that occurred in 2019 which was displayed in the American Indian Cultural Corridor on Highway 55/Hiawatha & Franklin Avenue. In 2018, this site was occupied by between 200-300 residents, and many of the residents of the camp were American Indians representing many tribal affiliations.
Moving south along the east wall will bring you to the end of this artwork and back near where you began – at the bench, close to the ASL monitor and All My Relations Arts reception desk.
In the following track Courtney Cochran offers further insights into the work.
Track TEN: Courtney Cochran’s speaks about Never Homeless Before 1492
Track 11: Conclusion This marks the end of the audio description for Niimiwin: Bijiinag igo ingii-azhegiiwe gaa-niimi’iding. Many thanks to Barak adé Soleil, Director of Emerging Curators Institute Services for developing and consulting on this audio description, to Angela Two Stars for her mentorship and to All My Relations Arts for their overall guidance and work in presenting this exhibition; the culmination of my fellowship with Emerging Curators Institute. I’m honored to share this journey with you, reflecting my commitment to amplifying diverse voices and narratives in the art world.