Melissa Olson
MPR News
A gigantic quilt in a kaleidoscope of colors greets visitors at the entrance to “Queering Indigeneity,” a new exhibition at the Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul.
Curator and artist Penny Kagigebi and supporting curator Ben Gessner both say they thought for a long time about what people should see as they entered the exhibition. They chose a birch bark basket made by Kagigebi to sit next to the quilt. Made with textiles, porcupine quills and seed beads, the basket retells a story told to the Ojibwe artist about the importance of two-spirit people.
“We make art to remember Aadizookaan, our oral tradition that carries cultural teachings,” Kagigebi said. “In this telling, Two-Spirit ancestors were specifically named, identified as being in a place between woman and man, providing balance as our ancestors traveled from the stars.”
Two-spirit is a term for nonbinary definitions of gender and sexuality within Native traditions.
“Queering Indigeneity” opens Thursday in the Nancy and John Lindahl Gallery and features works by 16 makers and artists. All those who’ve contributed identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community or as two-spirit.
As the exhibition’s curator, Kagigebi said she’s placed queer Indigenous artists at the center of the exhibition.
“In Native communities, if there’s conversation about Two-Spirit and Native queer people, we’re addressed in terms that people should be welcoming or accepting, which sounds like tolerating to me again,” Kagigebi said.
Kagigebi says she wants to shift the conversation to focus on respect and care for queer Indigenous people. It’s one of the reasons she’s worked with the artists on professional development goals. Each of the participating artists has had professional photos taken of their work.
“What I know is that we have special gifts, and we have these things to bring forward,” said Kagigebi.
Sharon Day describes herself as a self-taught artist and has several pieces on display. One is a brightly colored mosaic made from glass in which Day depicts herself receiving gifts from a sky spirit.
“I am standing there to receive that. You always see these images of spiritual connection with spirit beings really being male dominated, right. But here is this feminine force,” Day said.
The show also features a series of portraits by Ojibwe photographer and multimedia artist Ryan Young. On each of the portraits are beaded soundwaves, visual representations of intimate conversations Young has had with close friends and family members. The beadwork invites viewers to lean in to take a closer look.
“I think a big thing, especially for younger folks, is being able to have those spaces to ask questions or to learn more about two-spirit history and just being able to recognize the importance of being able to hold that kind of space for each other,” Young said.
In many ways, “Queering Indigeneity” is about how the artist is inviting people to look a little deeper.
The exhibition also features works by Dakota and Assiniboine artist Delia Touché. Next to a brightly colored triptych of masks hangs an abstract quilt. The small fabric blocks draw inspiration from traditional star quilts. Take a step back and the blocks reveal text — “Running on Indian time,” a reference to a different approach to the concept of time.
Kagigebi, who lives northwest Minnesota, says she looks forward to making the trip to St. Paul for the exhibition’s reception in October, but she says she wants to make sure the work reaches across the state to reservation communities. She’s also looking far into the future.
“I’m also really curious about what happens in five years, ten years, twenty years. I hope to hear from these artists who are exhibiting now that this was a catalyst for something in their life.”
“Queering Indigeneity” will be on display at the Minnesota Museum of American Art through Aug. 16, 2026. The museum will host a reception on Oct. 11.