The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) has opened "Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation," its first Native American art exhibition in over 30 years. Featuring 92 works by more than 60 Anishinaabe artists from the Great Lakes region, the show spans from 1892 to 2025 and includes pieces by renowned artists such as Jim Denomie, Norval Morrisseau, Kent Estey, Jonathan Thunder, and Rabbett before Horses Strickland. Highlights include Denomie's vibrant "Four Days and Four Nites, Ceremony" (2020) and Morrisseau's spiritual works like "Punk Rockers Nancy and Andy" (1989).
This exhibition matters because it marks a significant institutional re-engagement with contemporary Indigenous art at a major U.S. museum, addressing a decades-long gap in representation. The show not only celebrates the vitality and diversity of Anishinaabe artistic practice but also confronts historical trauma, such as the legacy of Native American boarding schools and genocide, through works like Estey's "Debwewin" (2018) and Strickland's "Right to Consciousness" (2024). It underscores the growing recognition of Indigenous voices in mainstream art spaces.