The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) has opened "Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation," a major exhibition featuring over 60 Anishinaabe artists from Michigan and the Great Lakes region. The show, running from September 28, 2025, to April 8, 2026, includes nearly 100 contemporary artworks and was sparked by a request from artist Kelly Church, whose black ash top hat was donated to the DIA in 2020. Church collaborated with DIA Assistant Curator Denene De Quintal and a Native advisory board—the "Council of the Three Fires"—to select artists, blending established figures like Frank Big Bear and George Morrison with lesser-known artists receiving their first major institutional exposure.
This exhibition matters because it is one of the largest presentations of contemporary Native American art ever in the Midwest and the DIA's first major Native American art show in over 30 years. By centering Anishinaabe voices through an advisory board and highlighting artists often overlooked by the mainstream art world—including those who cannot afford to participate in art markets—the show challenges traditional curatorial practices and addresses historical underrepresentation. It also underscores the vital role of Native American art markets, such as the Santa Fe Indian Market, in sustaining Indigenous artists and connecting their work to major museums like the Art Institute of Chicago.