We Are Still Here

“We Are Still Here” is a group exhibition featuring Ray Janis, Sheldon Starr, Missy Whiteman, with mentor artist, Jonathan Thunder. As part of the inaugural collaboration between Hennepin Theatre Trust and the Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI), this exhibition features the culmination of works completed by the artists during their eighteen month cohort. The artworks include digital designs featured previously as billboards displayed in downtown Minneapolis, along Hennepin Avenue and throughout the Twin Cities. These works served to uplift Native voices and highlight truth-telling by changing the narrative of Native people in Minnesota. The art highlights contemporary Native culture while dispelling stereotypes through education, humor, and bold, thought-provoking designs. By interweaving contemporary and traditional storytelling, and the allyship of Indigenous communities here in the Twin Cities, “We Are Still Here” connects the Native history of the land and continued connections to our past using the powerful visuals and current narratives of contemporary Native artists.

After this exhibit closes at the Best Buy Foundation Gallery, it moves to All My Relations gallery at 1414 E. Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55404 from May 24 to July 2.

Meet the artist cohort