Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation

September 28, 2025 – April 5, 2026

Updated Jul 29, 2025

Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation celebrates the enduring cultures and creative achievements of over 60 US-based Anishinaabe artists. These artists represent a continuation of Anishinaabe creativity, which has been ongoing for centuries. One of the largest presentations of contemporary Native American art in the Midwest and the first major Native American exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts in 30 years, this exhibition challenges perceptions about what Native American art can be, how it should be seen, and how it can be interpreted. 

Basil's Dream by Jonathan Thunder

Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation celebrates the enduring cultures and creative achievements of over 60 US-based Anishinaabe artists. These artists represent a continuation of Anishinaabe creativity, which has been ongoing for centuries. One of the largest presentations of contemporary Native American art in the Midwest and the first major Native American exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts in 30 years, this exhibition challenges perceptions about what Native American art can be, how it should be seen, and how it can be interpreted. 

Basil's Dream by Jonathan Thunder

Title: Basil's Dream

Date: 2024

Artist: Jonathan Thunder (Red Lake Band of Ojibwe) 

Materials: Acrylic on unstretched canvas. 

© Jonathan Thunder

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Michelle Defoe (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), Ziigwan Binesi – Spring Thunderbird, 2018. Courtesy of the artist

Title: Ziigwan Binesi – Spring Thunderbird

Date: 2018

Artist: Michelle Defoe (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) 

Courtesy of the artist

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Holly Trevan (Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi), Zibé, 2024. Courtesy of the artist

Title: For Martha

Date: 2024

Artist: Holly Trevan (Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi)

Courtesy of the artist

 

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Gordon M. Coons (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), Washita 1868: Remember Our Relatives, 2022. Courtesy of the artist

Title: Washita 1868: Remember Our Relatives

Date: 2022

Artist: Gordon M. Coons (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)

Courtesy of the artist

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Patrick DesJarlait (Red Lake Band of Ojibwe), Maple Sugar Time, 1946. Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Museum Purchase, 1946.3

Title: Maple Sugar Time

Date: 1946

Artist: Patrick DesJarlait (Red Lake Band of Ojibwe)

Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Museum Purchase, 1946.3

© Robert DesJarlait

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Cressandra Thibodeaux (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa), Fever Visions I, 2023. Courtesy of the artist

Title: Fever Visions I

Date: 2023

Artist: Cressandra Thibodeaux (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa)

Courtesy of the artist

 

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Jessica Leigh Gokey (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), She Loves, 2023–2024. Courtesy of the artist

Title: She Loves

Date: 2023–2024

Artist: Jessica Leigh Gokey (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)

Courtesy of the artist

 

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Marcella Hadden (Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe), Jingle Dress, 2020. Courtesty of the artist

Title: Jingle Dress

Date: 2020

Artist: Marcella Hadden (Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe)

Courtesy of the artist

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Norval Morrisseau (Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation), Punk Rockers, 1989. The Estate of Norval Morrisseau

Title: Punk Rockers Nancy and Andy

Date: 1989

Artist: Norval Morrisseau (Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation)

The Estate of Norval Morrisseau

© Estate of Norval Morrisseau

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Moira Villiard (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), The Waters of Tomorrow, 2019. Courtesy of the artist

Title: The Waters of Tomorrow

Date: 2019

Artist: Moira Villiard (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)

Courtesy of the artist

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