The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is opening its first major Native American art exhibition in over three decades, featuring 90 works from more than 60 Anishinaabe artists from Michigan and the Great Lakes region. The exhibition, on view from September 28, 2025 to April 8, 2026, includes pieces such as Jessica Leigh Gokey's "She Loves" and Norval Morrisseau's "Punk Rockers," and was developed with guidance from an Anishinaabe advisory board.
This exhibition matters because it challenges conventional perspectives on Native American art, emphasizing the diversity and dynamism of contemporary Anishinaabe work while honoring cultural traditions. As one of the largest contemporary Native American art shows in the Midwest, it marks a significant institutional commitment by the DIA to Indigenous representation after a three-decade gap.