Mni Art Wall

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.