Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum

June Free Day
2024-06-14 10:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us for a day of free admission at the Mitchell Museum on Friday, June 14th, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Thank you to our Sponsor Grace Lutheran Church.

Our monthly Museum Free Days will now include Indigenous Artists Pop-Up Markets! Each month, visit and shop with different local Indigenous artists.
Booth spots are limited, please contact Josee at jstarr@gichigamiin-museum.org to reserve your spot.

Rebranding Focus Group: Members/Partners
2024-05-16 11:30 - 13:30 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
As the Mitchell Museum continues the next steps in our community-driven rebranding journey, we will host a series of hybrid focus groups to seek valuable input from the Native community, our members, and partners.
We invite our museum members and partners to help shape the museum’s future and share your input and ideas at our rebranding focus group at the Mitchell Museum on Thursday, May 16, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Participants will be asked to provide feedback on our new direction, name, and logo change.
Light refreshments will be available for in-person guests.
Please RSVP. The meeting link will be emailed before May 16 to all virtual guests.

Screening: Where We Belong
2024-05-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us on Thursday, May 9th at 6:30 p.m. for a screening of Where We Belong, by Madeline Sayet. Presented by Dancing Pony Productions.
Where We Belong is a personal story of an Indigenous theatre-maker’s journey across geographic borders, personal history, and cultural legacies; in search of a place to belong. Sayet’s autobiographical account in Where We Belong shares her experience pursuing a Ph.D. in Shakespeare in England. There she finds a country that refuses to acknowledge its role in colonialism while echoing a journey to England braved by Native ancestors in the 1700s following treatise betrayals, forcing us to consider what it means to belong in an increasingly globalized world.
The play Where We Belong opened at the Goodman Theatre in 2022.

2024 Law in Motion Lecture
2024-05-09 17:00 - 18:30 | Segal Visitors Center, 1841 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, United States

May Free Day
2024-05-03 10:00 - 17:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us for a day of free admission at the Mitchell Museum on Friday, May 3rd, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Thank you to our Sponsor Grace Lutheran Church.

Our monthly Museum Free Days will now include Indigenous Artists Pop-Up Markets! Each month, visit and shop with different local Indigenous artists.
Booth spots are limited, please contact Josee at jstarr@gichigamiin-museum.org to reserve your spot.

Artists in Attendance:

Rebranding Focus Group: Native/Indigenous Community
2024-04-18 16:00 - 18:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
As the Mitchell Museum continues the next steps in our community-driven rebranding journey, we will host a series of hybrid focus groups to seek valuable input from the Native community, our members, and partners.
We invite the local Native/Indigenous community to help shape the museum’s future and share your input and ideas at our rebranding focus group at the Mitchell Museum on Thursday, April 18, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Participants will be asked to provide feedback on our new direction, name, and logo change.
Light refreshments will be available for in-person guests.
Please RSVP. The meeting link will be emailed before April 18 to all virtual guests.
Next Focus Group: Members/Partners Focus Group – Thursday, May 16, 2024 – 11:30AM – 1:30PM

April Free Day
2024-04-10 10:00 - 17:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us for a day of free admission at the Mitchell Museum on Wednesday, April 10th, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Thank you to our Sponsor Grace Lutheran Church!

Our monthly Museum Free Days will now include Indigenous Artists Pop-Up Markets! Each month, visit and shop with different local Indigenous artists.
Booth spots are limited, please contact Josee at jstarr@gichigamiin-museum.org to reserve your spot.

Artists

ChaCha Beads – ig, fb,
Beaded/shell work jewelry

Sundri Beadwork, LLC –
Beaded earrings, jewelry, beadwork, blankets, totes, and more

Artist Discussion w/ Chelsea Bighorn
2024-04-08 18:00 - 19:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us for our artist discussion about their work and who they are as artists. There will be a live Q&A at the end of each discussion.
Chelsea Bighorn was born and raised in Tempe, Arizona, her tribal affiliations are the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux tribes from Montana and the Shoshone-Paiute from Northern Nevada. Bighorn’s hand cut paper artwork is the result of her combining traditional Native American design elements with elements from her Irish American heritage. Using this process, she tells her personal history through her designs. Bighorn has shown her work at the Museum of Contemporary Native Art, SITE Santa Fe, and The Balzar Gallery. She graduated with honors from The Institute of American Indian Arts in 2021 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts. Bighorn currently resides in Chicago, Illinois where she is attending the School of The Art Institute of Chicago to get her Master of Fine Arts in Fiber and Material Studies. https://chelseabighorn.com/home.html
Artist Statement
I explore art and design in a way that merges natural and geometric elements through a variety of mediums, including fiber arts and cut paper works. The subject matter varies from abstract to realistically illustrative depending on the concept and series. My most recent series of works are hand-cut paper patterns that resemble screens or stained-glass windows, which were the original inspiration. In addition to the inspiration drawn from my Catholic roots, I incorporate traditional beading and weaving patterns from my Native American heritage into my design work. I bring together disparate elements into a design that demonstrates balance and harmony.

This is a free virtual discussion series open to our members, friends, and visitors. This program was partially funded by a grant from the Evanston Arts Council and supported by the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
For more information about this program, please contact: info@gichigamiin-museum.org | (847) 475-0911 | www.mitchellmuseum.org/events/

March Free Day
2024-03-27 10:00 - 17:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us for a day of free admission at the Mitchell Museum on Wednesday, March 27th, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Thank you to our Sponsor Grace Lutheran Church!

Our monthly Museum Free Days will now include Indigenous Artists Pop-Up Markets! Each month, visit and shop with different local Indigenous artists.

Sunset Kwe Designs
fun and expressive apparel, bags and accessories mixed with ribbon skirts and beadwork.

Sundri Beadwork, LLC –
Beaded earrings, jewelry, beadwork, blankets, totes, and more

Fox Way Designs
Ribbon skirts, necklaces, earrings

February Free Day
2024-02-19 10:00 - 17:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us for a day of free admission at the Mitchell Museum on Monday, February 19th, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Thank you to our Sponsor Grace Lutheran Church!
For more information about this program, please contact: info@gichigamiin-museum.org | (847) 475-1030

February Free Day
2024-02-16 10:00 - 17:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us for a day of free admission at the Mitchell Museum on Friday, February 16th, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Native Voices Cover-to-Cover Project: Ensuring Indigenous Representation in Children’s Literature
2024-02-16 10:00 - 17:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
The Mitchell Museum, in partnership with the Evanston Public Library and Northwestern University Center for Native American and Indigenous Research, kicks off a new project to ensure Indigenous representation in children’s literature at the second Native Book Fair on Friday, February 16th, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
About the Project

We are offering six Native-authored books that undo harmful stereotypes and inaccurate information presented to Native and non-Native children in classrooms and libraries while amplifying the work of Indigenous authors whose stories positively and authentically reflect the diversity and strengths of Native people and communities.
The six Native-authored books are available at no cost to participating families.

Who Can Participate?
Families of all backgrounds with children aged 5-11 are eligible to participate.

How to Participate
Families will also be asked to participate in a research study related to the children’s books. To participate and reserve your books, please register in advance here:

Form

About the Research Study
Participating families will be asked to take part in surveys asking questions about you, and about stories and books. Families of all backgrounds with children aged 5-11 are eligible to participate.
A legal guardian needs to be present with children to be eligible. Surveys will take between 15 minutes and an hour, and you will be invited to 2 community events in total and asked to participate in the survey at or after each event.
Title of Study: Advancing a New Narrative Through Native Representation and Culturally Responsive Programs; Study # STU00219880. Principal Investigator: Stephen Hersh

Native Voices Cover-to-Cover Project: Ensuring Indigenous Representation in Children's Literature
2024-01-15 10:00 - 17:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
The Mitchell Museum, in partnership with the Evanston Public Library and Northwestern University Center for Native American and Indigenous Research, kicks off a new project to ensure Indigenous representation in children’s literature at our first Native Book Fair on Monday, January 15th, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
To make sure authentic Native literature is accessible to everyone, we will offer a curated selection of six Native-authored books at no cost to families and children (ages 5-11) of all backgrounds.
The selection of six books and their themes undo harmful stereotypes and inaccurate information presented to Native and non-Native children in classrooms and libraries while amplifying the work of Indigenous authors who positively and authentically reflect the diversity and strengths of Native people and communities.
Books are free to take home for families. Books are limited and will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis.
To participate and reserve your books, please register in advance here:

Form

Families will also be asked to participate in a research study related to the children’s books. To participate or to learn more about the research study, just fill out the form – or attend the first event at the Mitchell Museum on Martin Luther King Day, Mon. Jan. 15, at 10am-5pm.
About the Research Study:
Participating families will be asked to take part in surveys asking questions about you, and about stories and books. Families of all backgrounds with children aged 5-11 are eligible to participate. A legal guardian needs to be present with children to be eligible. Surveys will take between 15 minutes and an hour, and you will be invited to 2 community events in total and asked to participate in the survey at or after each event. Title of Study: Advancing a New Narrative Through Native Representation and Culturally Responsive Programs; Study # STU00219880. Principal Investigator: Stephen Hersh

January Free Day
2024-01-15 10:00 - 17:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us for a day of free admission at the Mitchell Museum on Monday, January 15th, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Thank you to our Sponsor Grace Lutheran Church!
Stay tuned as we announce more free days in the coming months!
For more information about this program, please contact: info@gichigamiin-museum.org | (847) 475-1030

Film Screening: “Without A Whisper - Konnón:Kwe”
2023-12-14 18:30 - 20:00 | illinois holocaust museum, 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, IL, 60077, United States
We are proud to be a community partner for an upcoming program at Illinois Holocaust Museum.
Please join us at the Illinois Holocaust Museum for a FREE screening of Without A Whisper – Konnón:Kwe, a powerful true story about a fight for freedom and equality.

Register

2023 Winter Market
2023-12-09 10:00 - 2023-12-10 15:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Our 2023 Winter Market is back! This program honors Indigenous entrepreneurs and brings together innovative Native artists, business owners, leaders, and creators with community members, buyers, and potential clients. Participating Indigenous artists and entrepreneurs will have the chance to share their arts and crafts, contributions, accomplishments, and professional services with the public, allowing guests to support these Indigenous-owned companies by purchasing items or fostering future business opportunities.
Admission is FREE

Indigenous Artists in Attendance
All Weekend – Saturday and Sunday

Samantha TwoCrow
Beaded jewelry, ribbon skirts, vintage beaded necklaces, ledger prints

Fox Way Designs
Ribbon skirts, necklaces, earrings

Le’Ana Asher Studios LLC
art cards, art prints, small originals

ChaCha Beads – ig, fb,
Beaded/shell work jewelry

Vanish Studio – ig
lino prints, cards, beadwork

Sunset Kwe Designs
fun and expressive apparel, bags and accessories mixed with ribbon skirts and beadwork.

Firekeepers Crafts
Beaded jewelry, apparel, holiday items (cards and ornaments) small accessories

Saturday Only

Sky Woman Beadwork
Bead work

Stone’r Designs
jewelry, necklaces, earrings, bracelets.

Sunday Only

Sundri Beadwork, LLC –
Beaded earrings, jewelry, beadwork, blankets, totes, and more

Chief Oshkosh Native American Arts
Sterling Silver jewelry and beadwork

For more information about this program, please contact:
Josee Starr | jstarr@gichigamiin-museum.org | (847) 475-1030
www.mitchellmuseum.org/events

November Free Day
2023-11-22 10:00 - 17:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us for a day of free admission at the Mitchell Museum on Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
For more information about this program, please contact: info@gichigamiin-museum.org | (847) 475-1030

46th Annual Benefit
2023-11-11 17:00 - 21:00 | Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Ct, Glencoe, IL, 60022, United States
Reception Photos

2023 Benefit Photos

2023 End of Year

John B. Herrington, Ph.D. (Chickasaw)
John B. Herrington, Ph.D. (Chickasaw), was the first member of a federally recognized tribe to travel to space. Like many children in the 1960s, he dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Although Herrington held tight to his goal of flying in space, his path to the astronaut corps was far from what one might expect. A lack of motivation as a freshman in college, his interest in rock climbing instead captured his imagination, and he was subsequently suspended from college with a 1.72 GPA.
Using his expertise as a rock climber, Herrington found work as a member of a survey crew in the Colorado mountains. Exposed to the practical application of real-world mathematics, he found the passion for learning that had eluded him. Following the advice of the lead project engineer, Herrington returned to college and graduated with an engineering degree. He was also fortunate to meet a retired Navy captain who encouraged him to apply to the Navy, which led to a 22-year career as a Naval Aviator, test pilot, and astronaut.
His historic mission to the International Space Station (ISS) was the culmination of years of experience and training with men and women with diverse cultural and technical backgrounds, and provided Herrington with a unique perspective that he enjoys sharing with audiences worldwide. “From lift off to completing three space walks, mission STS-113 was more exciting and challenging than I could have imagined.” But Herrington’s work didn’t stop when he returned to earth. After a successful career as an astronaut, he ventured into the commercial space arena and eventually found a new passion.
Following a 4,300-mile bicycle ride across the United States, Herrington returned to university and earned a doctorate in Education. With humility and humor, John shares his stories of challenge, leadership, motivation, and mentorship with diverse audiences of all ages and occupations. His multimedia presentations inspire and entertain, and challenge people to seek out the best in themselves and in service to others.
Anyone who is interested in trying to find a new way to inspire themselves or their communities will find Commander Herrington’s stories of struggle, mentorship, and persistence a welcome reminder that our dreams and goals are gifts to pursue and enjoy with the world.

46th Annual Benefit
Schedule of Events
5:00pm – 6:00pm VIP Reception with John Herrington in the Writers Theatre Patrons Lounge

6:00pm – 7:00pm Opening Song Oka Homma Singers
Cocktail Hour
Dinner by Fox Way Native American Foods
Entertainment with Chickasaw Violinist: Brandi Berry Benson

7:00pm – 7:40pm Honor Song: Oka Homma Singers
Welcome Remarks: Board President April Chancellor
Mitchell Museum Year in Review: Executive Director Kim Vigue
Paddle Raise

7:40pm – 8:30pm Keynote and Q&A: Commander John Herrington PhD

8:30pm – 9:00pm Closing Remarks
Traveling Song: Oka Homma Singers

Brandi Berry Benson Chickasaw

As a classically trained violinist, fiddler, and composer, Brandi masters musical genres from baroque to bluegrass. She is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and will share her new music, Story of Pa I Sha, a musical work based on the stories of her heritage, beginning with her great-grandmother, Pa I Sha. Brandi is on the faculty of Northwestern and DePaul Universities and directs the Bach & Beethoven Experience.
Brandi serves on the faculty of Northwestern and DePaul Universities, where she works with the Baroque Music Ensemble and teaches Baroque Performance Practice and Ornamentation, respectively. For more information about the Bach & Beethoven Experience, visit bbexperience.org.

Oka Homma Singers

Oka Homma – a Chicago-based Drum group, presents intertribal songs of the Southern Plains. Oka Homma formed in March 2023 to contribute to a resurgence of arts engagement needed to mobilize and build community. In addition, the Drum aims to re/introduce cultural practice amongst Chicago’s intergenerational Native American community. Through song, these singers share a small taste of southern plains culture with the Midwest populace. Lead Singer: Niyol Spencer (Mississippi Chata/Diné).

Fox Way Catering is a family-owned and operated business specializing in Native American cuisine that has provided traditional foods to the Chicago area for over 50 years and represents the Omaha Nation of Nebraska, Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota, and Odawa from Wiikwemkoong, ON, CA.

Thank you to our Sponsors:

Sponsorship:

For more information about sponsorship, please contact: jgackstetter@gichigamiin-museum.org | (847) 475-1030

Sponsor

For more information about this program, please contact: info@gichigamiin-museum.org | (847) 475-1030 | www.mitchellmuseum.org

Premiere of Pa I sha
2023-11-07 18:30 - 19:45 | Evanston Township Highschool, 1600 Dodge Ave, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
In partnership with the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian and Evanston Township High School District 202, the Bach & Beethoven Experience (BBE) will premiere a new musical work called The Story of Pa I Sha, composed by BBE’s Artistic Director Brandi Berry Benson.
This premiere will take place on Tuesday, November 7 at 6:30pm in the Upstairs Theatre of Evanston Township High School. The performance is free and open to the public with a seating capacity of 350.
The Story of Pa I Sha is a musical work composed by Brandi Berry Benson, Artistic Director of the Bach & Beethoven Experience (BBE), and is inspired by her 4th great grandmother Pa I Sha. In partnership with the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian and Evanston Township High School, the BBE will premiere this work on November 7 at 6:30pm as part of Native American Heritage month. Using melodies from the Chickasaw Nation, the instrumentation of this work will feature Rachael Youngman (Choctaw) as narrator and vocalist, Leighann Daihl Ragusa on traverso and Native American flute, violinist Brandi Berry Benson, violist Kiyoe Matsuura, cello, and percussion. The narration will be mostly in English, but will include some Chickasaw language in telling three major stories from Brandi’s Chickasaw heritage.

About the Program
As a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, Artistic Director Brandi Berry Benson grew up looking at her great-great-great-great grandmother Pa I Sha’s portrait, which hung in her living room. Every time she gazed at her, she saw a woman of immense strength who carried the Chickasaw reputation of “unconquered and unconquerable.” This musical work is inspired by Pa I Sha and will highlight three major stories from Brandi’s Chickasaw heritage.
The first story is about Pa I Sha herself, who was full-blood Chickasaw and walked the Trail of Tears (or, more correctly, called The Removal by the Chickasaw tribe) in 1837 from her home in Mississippi to her new nation in Oklahoma as part of the Indian Removal Act. In Oklahoma, she married her husband, another full-blood Chickasaw, who also walked this trail. The second story is about Pa I Sha’s daughter, Mary, who was also full-blood Chickasaw, but married an Englishman who served as a soldier in the Civil War. Because interracial marriages with the tribe were taboo at the time, they were forced to live in a railroad tent outside of town with their nine children. Their children and grandchildren were discriminated against to the point that some did not declare their full degree of Indian blood, or in some cases, dropped their indigenous identity altogether when required to register. Pa I Sha’s great grandson, Earnest, is the last of Brandi’s relatives on the Dawes Rolls from Indian Territory. He was born in Indian territory before Oklahoma became a state in 1906. The third story is about how Brandi’s great grandfather Earnest met her great grandmother, Elvera. She had come to Texas from Illinois on a train when she was 12 years old around Christmastime. Her parents had told her that there would be no presents that year, but that they would still celebrate Jesus’ birth. When they arrived, her family was invited to dinner by the people of the town and were given presents after all. The girls were given corn husk dolls, and the boys were given whittled animals that were made for them. After Earnest moved to the Texas panhandle, he met and married Sarah, who gave birth to Brandi’s maternal grandfather.

For more information about this program, please contact: info@gichigamiin-museum.org | (847) 475-1030 | www.mitchellmuseum.org/events/

Open House Celebration | Indigenous Artists Facing the Camera
2023-10-21 12:00 - 17:00 | Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL, 60208
Spend a festive day at the Block Museum with the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in celebration of exhibition Rosalie Favell: Indigenous Artists Facing the Camera. Enjoy open galleries, food, music and storytelling by portrait sitter Mark Jourdan, and a gallery talk with portrait sitter Kim Vigue, Executive Director of the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, on the history and future of the Mitchell Museum.

RSVP Here

Introduction to Indigenous Culture & History: Implementing Indigenous Culture in the Classroom
2023-10-17 16:00 - 17:30 | illinois holocaust museum, 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, IL, 60077, United States
Presented by the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in partnership with the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
Free online workshop via zoom for educators in Grades 3-12.
Native American history and culture is foundational to understanding the United States, both its history and the present day. Yet many teachers feel unequipped or a lack of confidence when teaching about Native Americans. In this training, teachers will learn how to integrate Native perspectives into the larger narrative of American history, from Abraham Lincoln to the history of regalia. Participants will be given tools such as the proper terminology to use and appropriate activities and lesson plans to effectively teach this history in their classroom. Guest Speaker: Maria Garcia-DesJarlait (Arikara, Ojibwe), Mitchell Museum of the American IndianMaria brings her experiences growing up on her reservation and as a teacher to tell engaging and captivating stories that share important messages of empathy. Her writing gives the reader a better understanding of not just Maria’s upbringing but helps to build a bridge for any reader of any age to appreciate Indigenous cultures.This training supports the expected 2024-25 Illinois state mandate on teaching Native American history.Workshop Include

Classroom Resources
1.5 Clock Hours/CPDUs

Workshop is free and online over zoom. Registration required. https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/events/virtual-introduction-to-indigenous-culture-and-history-implementing-indigenous-culture-in-the-classroom/

Register Here

Indigenous Peoples' Day
2023-10-09 10:00 - 17:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Indigenous Peoples’ Day honors the culture and history of Native people past, present, and future. Join us at the Mitchell Museum to celebrate the diversity and vibrancy of Indigenous cultures with FREE admission to the museum all day. Bring your friends and your family to enrich your understanding of Indigenous histories and cultures, enjoy guided craft activities, and shop at our pop-up market featuring local Native American vendors.

Adam Kessel (Lakota)

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
We are thrilled to have local Indigenous author, educator, naturalist, and Director of the Trailside Museum of Natural History, Adam Kessell (Lakota), who will provide hands-on activities for visitors to touch animal pelts and skulls and learn about regional wildlife and their names in English, Spanish and local Native languages.

Guided Tour
Our wonderful docent Laura will lead a 60 minute tour of our exhibit “A Regional Tour of American Indian Cultures“

11:00 AM
2:00 PM

All Day Craft Activities
Our wonderful volunteer Miriam will be leading arts & crafts activities in the library from 10am-4:30pm.

Indigenous Artists

Sundri Beadwork, LLC
Sundri Beadwork, LLC is a Native owned and operated business in Chicago from the Oneida Nation reservation. https://sundribeadwork.com/

ChaChaBeads
IG: chachabeads_

Fox Way Designs
Fox Way Designs is a Native owned family business representing Odawa, Omaha and Arikara tribes. https://www.facebook.com/FoxWayDesigns/

Harvest Fest
2023-09-30 12:00 - 16:00 | Eggleston Park
Join Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, the Ecology Center, and other Evanston community agriculture organizations to celebrate the joys of the fall season at our Harvest Fest! Go on a tour of the Farmette, bee apiary, and Food Forest and partake in fall-themed games, a pumpkin patch, a scarecrow-making contest, falls crafts, live music, and more! All of the activities are free and fun for all ages. Thank you Windy City Garden Center for your generous pumpkin donation!

All activities are free. For more info, call the Ecology Center at 847-448-8256.

Every Child Matters Powwow
2023-09-30 11:00 - 17:00 | IL
The Mitchell Museum is a proud co-sponsor of this event. MORE INFORMATION: Contact Cyndee Fox-Starr at cstarr@aihschgo.org or Christine Redcloud at credcloud@aihschgo.org at or call American Indian Health Services at (773) 883-9100.

Participant Information

Virtual Artist Discussion with Jaime Black-Morsette
2023-09-26 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom (Pre-Registration Required)
Register

Join us for our artist discussion about their work and who they are as artists. There will be a live Q&A at the end of each discussion.
Join the Mitchell Museum and the Consulate General of Canada for a virtual discussion with Jaime Black-Morsette, a Red River Métis artist and activist living and working on their home territory near the confluence of Manitoba’s Red and Assiniboine rivers.

Founder of The REDress Project in 2009, Black-Morsette has been using their art practice as a way to gather community and create action and change around the epidemic of violence against Indigenous women and girls across Turtle Island and beyond for over 13 years. Black-Morsette’s interdisciplinary art practice includes immersive film and video, installation art, photography and performance art practices to explore themes of memory, identity, place and resistance.

The REDress Project is an installation art project created by Métis artist Jaime Black-Morsette. The installation consists of hundreds of red dresses suspended in public spaces to mark the absence and evoke the presence of Indigenous women and girls who have gone missing or been murdered.
Indigenous women face higher rates of violence than any other cultural group in Canada and the United States. Indigenous families and communities have been advocating for generations to make changes to the colonial system that often treat the perpetrators of this violence with impunity. The REDress Project works to create space for families of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Persons (MMIP) and their supporters to tell their stories and to find solidarity in the struggle to protect the rights of Indigenous women and girls. The project provides a space to hear from frontline community workers, Indigenous women academics, elders and knowledge keepers on how we can work together as a community to bring justice to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and their families.
Founded in 2009, The REDress Project was first exhibited at the University of Winnipeg Campus in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with over one hundred dresses displayed across campus. Over the past ten years The REDress Project has travelled to over 50 locations across Canada and internationally.

The REDress Project has been shown at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, at the National Museum of The American Indian in Washington, DC and is on permanent display at The Canada Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Register

This is a free virtual discussion series open to our members, friends, and visitors. As we continue to work on developing more programs, please consider donating to the museum. https://gichigamiin-museum.org/donate/
For more information about this program, please contact: info@gichigamiin-museum.org | (847) 475-1030 | www.mitchellmuseum.org/events/

Free Day
2023-09-25 10:00 - 17:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us for a day of free admission at the Mitchell Museum on Monday, September 25th, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For more information about this program, please contact: info@gichigamiin-museum.org | (847) 475-1030

Family Day 2023
2023-08-26 10:00 - 15:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us for an afternoon of family crafts, storytelling, native food, shop at our Artists Alley, enjoy live music, and so much more! Thanks to our incredible sponsors, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, this year’s Family Day will be FREE to attend.

Throughout the event you can visit info booths to learn more about other incredible work being done by our partnering organizations. Visit our Artists Alley to shop at a handful of Native artists booths, and stick around to purchase some Native American foods, enjoy live music, and visit our ongoing exhibits. This event will have something for everyone. Limited parking is available along Central Street and the alley behind the museum.

We are continuing to update the schedule of events for the day, check back for the latest updates!

Schedule of Events

Museum Activities
All day arts and crafts for the kids on the 2nd floor.

10am-11am Book Reading w/ local Children's Author Maria Des Jarlait
Maria “White cedar woman” is an indigenous woman who is from the Arikara tribe of Fort Berthold reservation in North Dakota and Ojibwe from Red Lake, Minnesota. She was raised on the reservation in North Dakota and had big city dreams. She went on to college in Chicago, Il where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and English as a second language. She is married to her best friend Joel and has two daughters Aiyanna and Ayasha that keep her plenty busy. She teaches Preschool in Illinois where she seen the need for books that represent Native American children as people of today. She wrote this book based on her experiences as a child with her grandmother and her two daughter’s experiences with their adventurous grandmother Peggy as well. This is her story that she hopes to inspire more Native American children to dream big. Miigwetch (thank you)!

12pm-1pm Critter Visit with Evanston Ecology Center
Join the Evanston Ecology Center for a Critter Visit! Meet live animals up close, as we learn about each animal’s unique adaptations, the senses that they use, the groups they belong to, and the important roles that they play in their habitats.

1:30pm-2:45pm Native American Pottery Class: the Art of Hand Building Clay Pots with Indigenous Designs with Jennifer Stevens
Jennifer M. Stevens is currently a resident of Bayview-Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin through her father and Oglala Lakota through her Mother. She was born in Alexandria, Virginia and raised on the Oneida Nation-De Pere, Wisconsin and received her Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Art from St. Norbert College. She has weaved a creative life as a classical singer and visual artist. She studied Classical Singing and Opera nationally and internationally and she studied Classical Art in college and traditional Oneida Pottery with prominent woodland Indigenous artists such as; Rose K. Kerstetter, Peter B. Jones, and Richard Zane Smith.

3009 Building
We will have live music!

10AM - 12PM Lanialoha Lee
Lanialoha Lee – Pacific Soundz Productions – (Native Hawaiian)
My continuing work as a professional performing artist in music and dance encompassed chanting, vocal work, instrumentation characteristic to both Western and Pacific Island cultural arts, and production. Throughout my career, I’ve taught thousands of `ukulele, hula, and Tahitian drum students, enhancing my curriculum and cultivating a new generation of artists with a refined sensitivity to the culture bridging the Midwest to the islands through shared repertoire. As a Midwest-based Native Hawaiian, I continue to preserve, perpetuate, and protect Pacific Island cultural arts. I hope an appreciation will develop and augment the cultural literacy of those less familiar with the mesmerizing rhythms of music, dance, and poetic text of the South Pacific islands.

12pm - 2pm Music by Mark Jourdan
Mark Jourdan is a Ho-Chunk and Oneida singer/songwriter based out of Chicago, IL. He grew up in Chicago spending his summers and weekends traveling the Midwest and Canada going to pow-wows with his family. Music has always played a big part of his life. Driving across the country with his family made the radio and tape players as much of a part of the family as his siblings. His father took him to see B.B. King when he was 16 and that was his first experience of what it meant to “own a room”. https://www.facebook.com/musicbymarkjourdan

All Day – Artist Alley
Located outside the museum in our parking lot, visit info booths, Native artist booths, and Food will be available for sale during the event.

Indigenous Artist booths

Sunset Kwe Designs
We are an Indigenous women owned business creating fun and expressive apparel, bags and accessories mixed with ribbon skirts and beadwork. https://sunset-kwe-designs.square.site/

ChaChaBeads
IG: chachabeads_

Author Maria Des Jarlait
Meet the author after her story time from 10-11am in the library!
Atika’s Medicine
I’m Not A Costume

Indigenous Foods

Native American Foods and Fox Way Catering
Food will be available for purchase from Fox Way Catering, including: Fry Bread, Indian Tacos, Veggie Tacos, and beverages.

Info Booths

California Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc. – Chicago Branch Office

Burton Snowboards

The City of Evanston has set aside $3 Million for community members to decide how to spend through a process called Participatory Budgeting. Community members can register now to vote during the whole month of September. PB staff and volunteers will be at Family Day to tell people about proposals and help them register to vote.

For more information about this program, please contact: info@gichigamiin-museum.org | (847) 475-1030

August Free Day
2023-08-03 10:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Join us for a day of free admission at the Mitchell Museum on Thursday, August 3rd, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Stay tuned as we announce more free days in the coming months!
For more information about this program, please contact: info@gichigamiin-museum.org | (847) 475-1030

Volunteer & Docent Orientation
2023-07-25 15:30 - 16:30, 2023-07-25 10:00 - 11:00 | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
Are you interested in becoming a volunteer or docent? Learn more about getting involved at the Mitchell Museum in our 1-hour long orientation session. During the orientation, we’ll share information on our museum docent program, our upcoming traveling docent program, as well as opportunities to volunteer in front desk/administrative, garden, and craft activity programs.
For more information, please contact: Josee – jstarr@gichigamiin-museum.org | (847) 475-1030
