An Indigenous History of Bloomington, Minnesota
Indigenous Peoples have inhabited and been in relationship with the land now called Bloomington, Minnesota for thousands of years. Historians Dr. Kate Beane and Peter DeCarlo will discuss this deep history, the Dakota people who have called this land home, and the impacts colonization has had on both the people and landscape. We will ask how history can inform art, help us heal divisions, and create a better future for our communities.
Program Facilitators:
- Dr. Kate Beane (Flandreau Santee Dakota and Muscogee Creek), Executive Director, Minnesota Museum of American Art
- Peter DeCarlo, Historian, Minnesota Historical Society
Program:
- 6:30 - 7:10 PM: Presentation by Peter DeCarlo
- 7:10 - 8:00 PM: Discussion between Peter DeCarlo and Dr. Kate Beane
- 8:00 - 8:30 PM: Questions, Discussion
Sample complimentary tea from Blue Hummingbird Woman - Indigenous Heart Medicine Gift Shop, and don't forget to visit Artistry's exhibitions in the Atrium and Inez Greenberg galleries.
This is a free presentation sponsored by the City of Bloomington Creative Placemaking.
Although registration is full for this event, please sign up for the waitlist. A limited number of seats will also be reserved for walk-ins at a first-come, first-served basis.
Program Facilitator Bios
Dr. Kate Beane (Flandreau Santee Sioux Dakota and Muscogee Creek) holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is the Executive Director of the Minnesota Museum of American Art, and serves as adjunct faculty in American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota. She is vice chair of the board for Vision Maker Media, a national organization based out of Nebraska, chair of the board for Wakan Tipi Awayankapi in St. Paul (Imnizaska), and in 2020 was appointed by Governor Walz to serve on the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB), which oversees Capitol complex preservation and development (including public art) in downtown St. Paul. Previously, Kate served on the leadership team at the Minnesota Historical Society where she was the director of Native American Initiatives engaging with both Native communities and tribes and advocating for and implementing Indigenous MN interpretation and involvement at historic sites throughout the state. In 2018 Kate and her father Syd Beane completed a documentary film,Ohiyesa: The Soul of an Indian, which shares the story of her grandfather, writer, reformer, and physician Charles A. Eastman and in 2019 she presented a Minneapolis TEDX talk titled "The Lasting Legacy of Place Names,” which spoke to her family’s work restoring the Dakota name to Bde Maka Ska in south Minneapolis (Bdeota).
Peter DeCarlo is a historian at the Minnesota Historical Society. As a public historian and independent researcher he produces scholarship on regional history that supports placemaking, exhibits, public programs, and the interpretation of public spaces and cultural landscapes. DeCarlo's research interests include settler colonialism, Native American studies, colonial borderlands, and the nineteenth century Upper Midwest. Among other works, he is the author of Lines on the Land: How Dakota Homeland Became Private Property, a history of Bloomington's South Loop District.
This event is affiliated with the Wakpa Triennial Art Festival, presented by Public Art Saint Paul. The inaugural Wakpa Triennial Art Festival will debut June 24 – September 16, 2023 in locations in Saint Paul, Minneapolis, and some satellite sites.
