Mni Art Wall: Artist Spotlight – Loriene Pearson 

Our Mni Art Wall is located in the Pow Wow Grounds coffee shop and operates as a community space for emerging and seasoned artists to showcase their work in an accessible environment. Currently on view is work by Loriene Pearson. Loriene Pearson is a Minnesota photographer and emerging artist whose embroidered work focuses on reciprocity. We caught up with Loriene to talk about her Mni Art Wall body of work and the meaning behind it. 

Read her full bio below. 

What inspires you in your practice?   

LP: Winnebago women’s applique work, my tribe, family, nature, and life’s experiences.

Tell us about this specific body of work. 

LP: This was a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. My intention with these works was to tell a story of Natives thriving and flourishing despite the traumas inflicted through the Doctrine of Discovery and subsequent colonization. My aim was not to minimize the hurt and degradation inflicted upon Native Peoples; my 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. Ah the irony. Much has happened between the time I was awarded the grant to do this work in March of 2024. I survived chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant, experienced the loss of my brother, mother and grandmother; and am 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.

What draws you to your medium? 

LP: I design and embroider each piece by hand. I appreciate the time for introspection and the physicality of creating something tangible from a dream.

How has your practice grown as an artist since the last time you showed at AMRA? 

LP: I’ve created many new pieces, challenging myself with different concepts and techniques. My work is now hanging in two different medical facilities and another was recently hanging in the Colorado governor’s office as part of the “This is Native Art” exhibit. I will be showcasing my work in Hudson at the Phipps Center for the Arts, July 18 – September 7.

What is important to you about showcasing your work on the Mni Art Wall? 

LP: The Mni Art Wall lives inside of the Pow Wow Grounds coffee shop, where so many Native people gather for talk and community. I put a lot of emotion and work into my pieces and I feel a true sense of validation for my work here at the Mni Art Wall.

About Lori:
Loriene Pearson is a Minnesota photographer and emerging artist whose embroidered work focuses on reciprocity.She is a feminist, urban Indian and a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Her embroidery work “MMIW: Break the Chain” was  seen early 2021 at the “Bring Her Home: Sacred Womxn of Resistance” exhibit in Minneapolis’ All My Relations Gallery. Her work “She Heals Me” was also on display during All My Relations Gallery exhibit called, “Noojimo: She Heals” summer of 2022. In July of 2021, Loriene was awarded Best of Division – Emerging Artists at Native POP (People of the Plains) in Rapid City, SD.  She was selected and completed the American Craft Council’s three-month long Emerging Artist Cohort. Loriene’s work was seen at the Sioux Indian Museum, located in the Journey Museum in Rapid City, South Dakota. Her solo exhibition “Contemporary Threads : Traditional Notions” ran from May 21 – August 29, 2022.

Loriene’s self-taught artwork initially began with photography.  Her pow wow photographs inspired her to translate Winnebago women’s applique to embroidery. She also found inspiration for her designs from her family, from her tribe and from the land. She designs and draws her own patterns, and then embroiders each piece by hand. The threads’ colors are carefully chosen by instinct and the stitches decide on their own where to be applied.

Learn more about her work HERE

About the Mni Art Wall:
Located in the Pow Wow Grounds coffee shop the Mni Art Wall is connected to All My Relations Arts Gallery. This exhibit space connects and supports local and emerging artists in our community. The Mni Art Wall was created to provide an opportunity for all artists from our diverse community. On this wall, gallery staff curate visual art with positive and educational principles. It is our hope that this mini art gallery will encourage artists to engage our community through art.