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Well hello, I'm Audrey Thayer
and today we're doing the 4th annual jurying of the
Art From Within 2013. I'm excited that we've got
artists from all the reservations in the state of Minnesota.
or native people who live on reservation
or in state of Minnesota. And we have artist who are
non-native who have submitted their work as well. This show
here is a compilation of
many forms of art, all mediums.
Every year we select a jury of 7-8 who go
through and select categories.
It gives the opportunity of grass roots indigenous work come to Bemidji.
We live in a beautiful area
in the heart of 3 very large reservations and very little indigenous
art comes into the Bemidji area.
You can go out into maybe the rural areas and reservation communities
and see some of the art. But you never really see a lot in Bemidji. So to
create education and understanding and bridge diversity
American Civil Liberties Union said we're going to do an art show.
We are going to start bringing grass roots artists. The uniqueness of this is three fold.
One we have the younger emerging artists.
We have artists who are under 18 who have decided
that they would like to enter their work. So we have
come from a public school perhaps. Second fold is grass roots. Grass roots
indigenous people from on or off reservation
in the state of Minnesota. And our third fold which is a unique
part of our project is that we have actual art that is coming
in that is brought here by their families
of incarcerated indigenous people.
So they're in state institutions and they are competing for the social justice award.
Their work is phenomenal.
We also do here every year we select a
artists that we are promoting. The artist is
someone that has had some tough times
and came out and is in recovery and living
a lifestyle differently in community. Last year we had Wesley May.
This year we have Michael Lemon. You can see
from their work that they are just growing. So Michael Lemon is our selection
this year and I'm just pleased to be working with Michael.
Hello I'm Mike Lemon an Ojibwe artist here in Bemidji, MN.
I grew up in this town and we're at Headwaters School of Art
and Music. Today I would like to be able to
share with you some of my artwork that I have here along with a number
of other people that are here in the area and from without side of here.
I feel that art does a great thing for the
community. It brings us together,
unity within. When I display my work I try to create
my Ojibwe awareness, my culture. And it draws people from
the non culture into our culture to realize
just what visions go on within my heart.
And to be able to express who I am in the best
way I can probably do that without any argument is
through my art. In this piece for example,
I am representing our native dancers, our women
in a traditional dance.
What I'm trying to express here is the
freedom of being able
to express what they're doing here. What a better way
to express our belief in what we believe through dancing.
Praising the creator.
This one here I used that twirl kind of effect
and the build up of these dancers as they're
going around the circle dancing.
Kind of I would say a twilight type feeling
of existence.
I use a lot of my culture in my artwork.
I try to express beauty in a technique called
pointillism. I try to represent almost to the beadwork.
A lot of these
visions that come to me in my sleep or as I'm time passing
in the woods or something. These things come to my mind so I create
what I've dreamt about or what I see
what is in contact with me. I've had many people ask me about my colors
that I portray in some of my paintings. I find it hard
to say to them it's a ...
How do I get these colors? I believe it's a God given thing
and God given everyone of us and myself a glimpse
of what's there to be out there. I really enjoy
knowing that He is guiding my hand each time I put forth
an effort, the creator is there. This particular painting
here is representing a
medallion in the background. Represents a lot of our beadwork that our
native people show on our regalia.
The horse is representing in here
this is part of the tradition of what we use
for means of transportation or helping with
our planting and so on.
This particular painting here is
of a chief
whose found his way to the
mother's land. I would say heaven, let's put it this way.
As you see he's gained his wings.
It's such a neat feeling to feel
that I can also bring this in
as a means of freedom of religion.
The last time I was incarcerated.
I had sat down in my cell and had a real
close relationship with God. And God had told me that
He has given me gift, a gift to draw. I'm an educated
in other things such as business. But now God has said to me
take what I've given you and prosper and share
this wonderful gift I've given you with others. Also along with my Word.
This particular painting here
acrylic painting is of a mother and child. A child in what
we a native would call a cradle board.
This particular one I'm expressing
the feeling of her and it's almost like a
what are you doing here? You know as far as
just the image of them back in the time when
the caucasian came over to the country
and this kind of given me
an expression of wow, What are you... What's going on?
And kind of the mood and the feeling of a
baby being in this particular cradle board.
The colors I think are I just think are
so brilliant. They bring it out.
I really enjoy the brightness of the
evening that's going on when you look in this painting.
Giving back a little bit to the community. What my
incarceration was about, how I would change my life.
How people like Audrey who are out there fighting for our people
to... There is a better avenue.
A better avenue out there. And through art I have found that better avenue.
As you can see here that there is a number of us Ojibwe artist here,
that have taken that challenge and found better
things in our life to do by creating art. And people will see within,
what we really are inside.
Being here at ACLU right now
in this situation with Art From Within is an opportunity
for people to see that there is a chance out there.
There is other avenues to go and through my art.
I hope that people will see that there is
hope. There is beauty within it.
To me it's an overall peaceful feeling to be within harmony.
Well we have originally
when we thought about the Art From Within, we had thought about how we educate
community that those who were incarcerated for whatever reason.
They have families here, they have lives as well.
And then we didn't want to so it was art
from within the walls. Then we moved into the second year
of saying no we have artists in the Bemidji area that never get to show their work
anywhere on a grass roots level. Many of the seasoned artists
in the community they know how to do their artwork out in community.
They know how sell their work. They know how to move it. So we try to engage those that are
of the least familiar with how to work with their art and get it out into the community.
So we for the next year I'll be working with Michael Lemon
and how to market his work. How to get it out
and also talk to different groups in the community about the importance of
indigenous art. When you look at the artwork here
you see a varied vine. I don't think over the
years indigenous people... we have never
We know we're artists. We know in our community. But it's
putting up one step to table with all the other
artists. What would it do for the non-native community to actually
see indigenous art and have an understanding
of what indigenous art is. So it's actually two fold and it's a bridging
a clear bridging of community. One you have indigenous artists who
start feeling value for their work. It's not something
just to sell, to buy groceries or to make outfits for your
family which we do a lot. But it actually is an art.
And so once we move our communities into that
mind set, put yourself out there, it's beautiful.
Encouraging them. Our people I would say most
without stereotyping are very humble. Humble Folks. The rural area is
humble. But I see it as an opportunity for
the work to be shown in community where it would never
ever ever be seen. There are people from this community that have never
gone to reservation communities. So this is an opportunity we're bringing it
here as well.