We Are Still Here 2021-22 artist cohort
Jonathan Thunder artwork with buffalo dropping from the sky with parachutes
The Return of the Freaky Deaky Mashode Bizhiki
by Jonathan Thunder
digital illustration/animation
This series is dedicated to the bison who provided food, clothing, and shelter for generations prior to their calculated extermination by the U.S.A. as a way to starve tribes into dependence and submission.
I see these bison returning to tribes lately as “seed herds” to maintain and support Indigenous food sovereignty and economy.
About the program
We Are Still Here is a multiyear collaborative partnership between Native American Community Development Institute [NACDI] and Hennepin Theatre Trust to bring large-scale, high-profile public artworks to the Hennepin Theatre District and the American Indian Cultural Corridor. This ongoing and evolving initiative seeks to match emerging native and indigenous artists with established native and indigenous arts-mentors, in an extended fellowship that creates a variety of public art works which promote native and indigenous storytelling in the built environment along Hennepin Avenue, and throughout the greater Twin-cities metro area.
The artists and mentor worked and learned together over the course of many months, creating in multiple mediums such as graphics and artwork for digital billboards, various animations, projections, building-size banners, and murals. These artworks were exhibited and displayed in multiple formats throughout the run of the program. Their cohort experience culminated in a final, capstone project of their own choosing, allowing the mentees to take the skills and resources they gained and moved their work to the next level. Each capstone project reflected the unique nature of the artist’s exploration of native truth-telling as it intersects with its intended location.
This cohort of artists worked closely with their mentor, Hennepin Theatre Trust, and NACDI to create a learning experience tailored to their individual styles, goals and needs as artists.
Engaging with native artists and community has been the mission of NACDI since its founding in 2007. According to Angela Two Stars, director of NACDI’s All My Relations Arts, “by interweaving contemporary and traditional storytelling and the allyship of Indigenous communities here in the Twin Cities, we are able to connect the Dakota history of the land and continued connections to our past using the powerful visuals of our contemporary artists.” NACDI’s long-standing commitment to public engagement has enabled them to be a source of leadership and guidance among its network of Native artists and community, and the perfect collaborative partner for the We Are Still Here program.
“We are proud to have partnered with NACDI to broaden the awareness of Native truth-telling and working together to create a system enabling continued public art and placemaking efforts for the district,” said Mark Nerenhausen, president and CEO for Hennepin Theatre Trust. Nerenhausen also said that We Are Still Here is a catalyst that weaves Native and indigenous culture back into Hennepin Avenue, connecting the District’s community to arts and cultural experiences in unexpected and often profound ways.
Meet the We Are Still Here 2021-22 cohort
The cohort assisted their mentor on several digital billboard designs and learns about the field of public art. Artists learned skills to translate artwork from analog to digital media and the various platforms and venues that the Trust offers (outdoor events, mobile stage, digital billboards, store-front installations, murals, gallery exhibits and more).
Throughout this process, Jonathan Thunder provided the project artists continued mentorship on creating public art for digital media, determining joint projects for public spaces along Hennepin Avenue and provided feedback and evaluations. Ultimately, the cohort designed and implemented solo art designs and gallery installations.