Indigenous Reverence

Sunday, October 18, 2026 | 1-4PM

Join us for Indigenous Reverence with Marlena Myles on Sunday October 18, 2026 from 12-4PM. 

This transformative learning experience features artist-in-residence Marlena Myles as she debuts her multi-year site-based project at Franconia. This event will center Indigenous knowledge from a next-generation cultural leader rising to prominence in Minnesota and beyond. 

In addition, join artist-in-leadership Giiwedin (St. Croix Chippewa/Ojibwe) for a wild rice winnowing dance lesson from 1-4PM. Giiwedin will teach the tradition of wild rice winnowing by dance with live DJs and a cauldron-roasting.

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Marlena Myles is a self-taught Native American (Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscogee) artist located in St Paul, Minnesota. Her art brings modernity to Indigenous history, languages and oral traditions while using the land as a teacher. Growing up on her traditional Dakota homelands here in the Twin Cities, she enjoys using her artwork to teach Minnesotans of all backgrounds the Indigenous history of this place we call home.

Her professional work includes children’s books, augmented reality, murals, fabrics, animations and has shown her work in fine art galleries such as the Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Museum of Russian Art, Red Cloud Heritage Center and the Minnesota Museum of American Art to name a few. Her first permanent site-specific augmented reality public art installation known as the Dakota Spirit Walk is available on the Revelo AR app.

In 2021, she opened her own Dakota publishing company called Wíyouŋkihipi (We Are Capable) Productions to create a platform that educates and honors the culture, language and history of Dakota people.