By Micah Friez
Published 4:21 p.m. on July 26, 2024
Indigenous music, art and culture have made a colorful splash at Bemidji State University.
The Anishinaabe Art Festival came to campus on Friday, July 26, with approximately 50 Anishinaabe artists and vendors showcasing works that range from paintings and literature to beaded jewelry, clothing and more.
And among the talented crowd are several BSU alumni who have contributed their creations to the can’t-miss galleries.
“I remember when I was maybe a junior in high school. Friends brought me here, to BSU, for one of the first Anishinaabe Art Festivals,” said Kent Estey, a 1989 Bemidji State graduate. “So now, coming back 40-some years later is pretty awesome. It’s great to be a part of that same festival, basically, and at the same location. And now I’m a contributing artist, so that’s a lot of fun.”
The current iteration of the Anishinaabe Art Festival is in its third year and its first at BSU’s Hobson Memorial Union. Estey’s contemporary landscape paintings – depicted with bright, bold colors – were a popular attraction for event-goers.
Estey, who is Ojibwe, draws inspiration from the scenery of White Earth Nation. Not only has he lived there for more than six decades, but he said that his grandmother was in one of the first families to reside on the newly formed White Earth Reservation. On that same land, he called his artwork an avenue to tell his story.
“The work I do represents my community, which is really important to me,” he said. “I live in the middle of the White Earth Reservation. Not all the time do you hear positive news coming from little small towns. When I can capture the most beautiful parts of my community in this way, that’s what I want to do: tell something positive and beautiful.”
In a nearby booth, Tallie Large’s own unique identity is woven into her creations. She is a member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, and her jewelry incorporates the traditional designs of her homeland with mediums found amongst local Ojibwe artists. Her forte is in birch bark and beaded earrings, necklaces and bracelets.
Large graduated from BSU in 2018 after transferring from Leech Lake Tribal College. It was there where she gained a foundation of technical skills, and it was her own ingenuity that made possible her signature style of today.
“When I started at the tribal college, my first class was an art class with Dewey Goodwin,” she said. “He taught us how to bead, how to sew, make moccasins and work with leather. I took that passion and messed around with birch bark, and now I love working with birch bark.”
While at BSU, Large met her husband – a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. She also worked in the Sustainability Office and poured into a number of environmental projects. She remembers her time on campus fondly, so bringing a piece of herself back to Bemidji State was a special opportunity.
“Trying to explain my artwork takes a long time because I’m a member of a different tribe, but then I live here regionally and I’ve adapted myself to the culture,” she said. “I’m incorporating who I am into my art.”
The Anishinaabe Art Festival is open until 6 p.m. tonight, and the two-day event continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 27.
“I’m proud that I can bring my work to the university here and showcase it this way,” Estey said. “And I’m also really proud to be involved in the Anishinaabe Art Festival and that organization. They work really, really hard.
“Isn’t it a neat experience, to be able to do this?”
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