RECONNECTING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH A SHARED LOVE OF THE ARTS

Presque Isle Park Sign

Artist: Sherri Loonsfoot Aldred

Mikwendaagozi is an oil painting that became the basis of the entrance sign to Presque Isle Park. It depicts a historical representation of Anishinaabe activities that would have occurred at the park’s location when an Indigenous presence was prevalent along the shorelines of what was to become the City of Marquette. This sign updated the original park entrance that needed to be replaced due to being weathered beyond restoration. The decision to commission an Ojibwe artist to reinterpret the imagery was a deliberate one. The City of Marquette partnered with Keweenaw Bay Indian Community to ensure that the new sign featured a culturally appropriate, authentically representative, and artfully symbolic entrance for Presque Isle.

The original painting was made during the summer of 2013 in conjunction with a 3-week tribal youth photography workshop. The event was a collaboration between Kristine Granger of Rock Street Community Darkroom, NMU Center for Native American Studies, Moosewood Nature Center, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and the City of Marquette. The youth who attended engaged in a modern form of storytelling by documenting the creation of the sign while exploring the history of Presque Isle, learning Anishinaabe terms, as well as darkroom techniques.

Fun fact: Mikwendaagozi currently resides in the Marquette City Commission Chambers

City Jurisdiction

Medium type: Oil

Date created: 2013

PHOTOS

Associated artists

Location

Marquette, MI, 49855