Transcripts

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MARK: Morning to each of you.

EVAN MAURER: Good morning.

BONNIE WALLACE: Good morning.

MARK: Bonnie Wilson, where did the idea for the show come from?

BONNIE WALLACE: Are you asking me?

MARK: Yes. I'm sorry I called you Bonnie. Let me back up. I've gotten lost. Bonnie, tell me where this came from?

BONNIE WALLACE: Well, I'm actually not quite sure. I had received some information in the mail quite some time ago inquiring as to whether or not I felt Minnesota or the Twin Cities might have an interest in such a project. And I believe I received that kind of information a good year ago. And I had never met the young gentleman who put this show together, but I was very much interested in what his initiatives were.

MARK: What convinced you that Minneapolis would be a good place for it?

BONNIE WALLACE: Well, actually, I wasn't totally convinced. I don't know if we can ever recreate a Santa Fe Indian Market in Minnesota, so I went into this being somewhat hesitant. I'm not the type of person to say never in addressing whether or not a situation could be recreated, like the magnitude of Santa Fe, but I do think the-- I do think that Minnesotans should take a look at this wonderful area of art that I believe continues to go unrecognized. And so I became quite supportive and quite vocal about it. And I'm more than pleased that I'm involved at this point.

MARK: You mentioned Santa Fe a couple of times. That's the first time that's come up. That's a major art show. That's an annual event that's really become quite a major event, hasn't it?

BONNIE WALLACE: Yes. Yes.

MARK: Can either of you describe what that event is like?

EVAN MAURER: You've got several hundred artists involved in Santa Fe. And as Bonnie says, it's the American Indian art exposition that's most respected in the country because it has the longest tradition and it has the greatest number of people associated with it. It's very famous, known all over the world.

And if we here in Minnesota can get a chance to develop our Indian art market, I think it's going to help everybody in Minnesota, starting with our Native American peoples and artists, but also then the city itself. I think it'll start bringing people in here and making also people aware of the Native American arts here in Minnesota, our very fine tradition of artists.

MARK: This isn't an entirely new endeavor, I don't think, for the Twin Cities or for Minneapolis. There have been some smaller American Indian art shows and projects underway in the past, haven't there?

EVAN MAURER: Yeah, they have. But this one, Mark, is I think, the biggest. And as Bonnie said, we've gotten over 200 artists from 76 tribes and three or four countries. So this is the biggest one we've had. I think it's going to be the most impressive.

MARK: Give me a sense of what's represented in this show in terms of, I guess, more traditional American Indian art forms, perhaps more modern kinds of art. Can you give me a sense of that?

EVAN MAURER: Well, Bonnie and I were working together as jurors yesterday. And we specifically worked on paintings from oils and acrylics to watercolors and drawings, which are in the traditional euro-American way of expressing oneself. But we also saw great things, which are more traditional Native Americans such as pottery, basketry, clothing, beadwork. And I thought the balance was very good. How about you, Bonnie?

BONNIE WALLACE: Yes, and I think it's also important to include the powerful sculptures that are in this particular show made out of a variety of materials, and the very intricate jewelry, not only from the Southwest, but from other locations in the country too. I'd like to, if I could back up just for a moment, when we were talking about the Santa Fe Indian art market, one of the issues that I talked with Warren Jeffrey, who was the president of this organization, is the fact that I felt Minnesotans in general were pretty conservative.

And I wasn't quite sure if the Daytons and the Pohlads and the Carlsons and Jacobs set would be into buying native art. It seems to me that when people invest in Minnesota, it would be doubtful it would be native art. And yet, as the co-sponsor for the annual Ojibwe Art Expo, I've been very, very vocal and proactive in promoting our own woodland artists here in the five state region. And so I would encourage Minnesotans to really take a look at not only our local artists here, but to get down to the convention center, because it is an absolutely stunning exhibit and market.

MARK: You mentioned some of the major patrons of the arts in Minnesota, some well-known family names. Give me a sense how important those people are to, well, I want to use the word justify, but to lend credence to a particular art form, or is it a more populist kind of thing?

EVAN MAURER: Well, if I could add a word, I think that it is a very populist thing. I think American Indian art is gaining in popularity in this country. And indeed, Mr. Bruce Dayton, who's a great patron and 50-year trustee of this museum, has been active in the field, as has other members of his family. And that has certainly given our other trustees and collectors an idea that why it's a fine area to collect in. And of course, the museum has been collecting in it and showing work of traditional Native Americans as well as contemporary people.

One thing I'd like to bring up is about four months ago, the New York Times had an article in their travel section about American Indian artists in Minnesota. And it was wonderful to see an organization like the New York Times do a whole full page article on just what Bonnie was talking about, our great Chippewa Dakota tradition here in Minnesota. And I'm sure glad that this is an opportunity for Minnesotans to learn more about what's here for them.

MARK: Now, this show is at the auditorium through Sunday. Actually, it gets under way tonight somehow, doesn't it?

BONNIE WALLACE: There's an opening reception this evening, I believe, at 7 o'clock, Evan, and correct me if I'm wrong.

EVAN MAURER: I think that's right. And then doors open Friday at 9:00, I think.

BONNIE WALLACE: Friday at 10:00 o'clock.

EVAN MAURER: 10:00 o'clock.

BONNIE WALLACE: There is a small admissions fee, so people do need to be aware of that. And I would just encourage everyone to attend. I would like to make a final comment to that, I think with Kevin Costner rediscovering us, as I keep saying that Indian people in this country are now being shown the respect that they deserve and people are paying more attention to our traditions and our culture. And of course, art is the most important part of all of that.

And I was just at a dinner the other evening with Floyd Red Crow Westerman, who of course, played Ten Bears in the movie. And we had a lengthy discussion about how this movie may finally bring a positive light to native people in this country. And so we are all quite grateful to Kevin Costner. And now it'll be interesting to see if there's going to be a sequel.