Mni Art Wall

Now on view on the Mni Art Wall: Artwork by Tomás Araya

About the collection:
These pieces are all part of a graphic novel the artist has been working on since 2016. A mix of pencil drawings, watercolors, acrylics, inks and digital illustrations, these works showcase a few of the key moments/characters in the first book of the novel. At this time the book is unreleased with an expected date of summer 2026. The artwork represents powerful Indigenous peoples and traditions that to this day keep our relatives along Turtle Island strong and resilient to the constant abuse of capitalism & imperialism. They are traditions that connect us to our creator and the natural environment who provides everything we need to grow, heal, and thrive by staying grounded, grateful and attentive to the land. 

About the artist:

Tomás Araya (Aratti) (he/him) is a multimedia artist whose work centers around indigenous storytelling, cultural reclaiming and environmental awareness. Making artwork that praises nature in a powerful way, to remind people of the connection to our environment has always been his goal as an artist. Tomas’s main artwork consists of murals, traditional watercolor, acrylic, ink/pencil paintings as well as digital illustrations. 

Enrolled in the Diaguita Nation of the Andes mountains, he grew up in the city of Arica, Chile, with close ties to the indigenous cultures of the Andean people of South America. The Diaguita, Aymara, Quechua, Inca, Mapuche nations and many others that still fight to preserve their ways of life were the foundation of Tomas’s formative years.  After graduating from architecture school in Valparaiso, he travelled to the United States with the goal of becoming a full time artist. 

Based in the Twin Cities since 2019, he’s been part of several public art projects such as murals, sculptures, community workshops and public art classes at the Dakota County libraries amongst other places around the Twin Cities. As a teaching artist he promotes the idea that when you believe in something, you create it. This mindset enables us to empower our creative freedom and grow into conscious relatives in ways that nurture our community positively.

Connect with Tomas in the links below:

Instagram: @aratti.artworks
Website: www.aratti-design.com

Thriving and Flourishing

Loriene Pearson is a Minnesota artist and photographer and a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Her intention with these works is to tell a story of Natives thriving and flourishing despite the traumas inflicted through the Doctrine of Discovery and subsequent colonization. Her aim is not to minimize the hurt and degradation inflicted upon Native Peoples; her goal was to design and embroider a declaration that Natives have survived and now are asserting and defining a strong paradigm beyond the negative narratives accepted and propagated by the media. Much has happened between the time Loriene was awarded the grant to do this work in March of 2024. She survived chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant, experienced the loss of her brother, mother and grandmother; and is currently reeling with the political divisiveness of the current administration. There is hard work ahead to safeguard Native survival beyond resiliency. Self / community / earth must continue to heal to thrive and flourish.

Loriene Pearson is a fiscal year 2024 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.