Indigenous Peoples Day events set for Oct. 10 and 13 at UW-Eau Claire

Indigenous artwork unveiling

2-4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, in the “lantern” on the third floor of Centennial Hall

In collaboration with Centering Native Voices, an organization that promotes awareness of Indigenous culture on campus and throughout the community, UW-Eau Claire is proud to welcome celebrated Native American artist Christopher Sweet to campus in honor of Indigenous Peoples Day. He will unveil a new, original artwork created specifically for UW-Eau Claire.

The new piece honors the sacred, ancestral lands upon which our university stands, along with the Council Oak. Sweet’s artwork will be on display, with select pieces available for purchase. His powerful visual storytelling reflects the depth of Native traditions and the resilience of Indigenous communities.

The university also is honored to welcome Dee Sweet, Wisconsin’s poet laureate from 2004-08, a UW-Eau Claire alumna and Christopher Sweet’s cousin. She will share a poem written in recognition and celebration of this significant day. Christopher’s mother, Lenore Sweet, was the first Native American student to graduate from UW-Eau Claire. Christopher will dedicate his art, and Dee will dedicate her poem to Lenore.

This commissioned artwork has been funded through a Foundation gift from 2020 Blugold English graduate Annie Titus. Titus says she was inspired to designate funds to commission Indigenous art because the beauty and serenity of the campus landscape had so positively influenced her mental health.

“The landscape of UWEC has a profound effect on education,” Titus says. “Future generations of students can benefit from what the Indigenous nations understood 200 years ago and why it’s sacred. Art can be a reminder of that.”

Faculty-produced documentary film screening

5-7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13, in the Woodland Theater of Davies Center

Centering Native Voices also will host a screening of “Sacred Wisdom Sacred Earth,” produced by Dr. Brian McInnes, assistant professor of American Indian studies at UW-Eau Claire and professor of Ojibwe language at UW-Madison.

“Sacred Wisdom Sacred Earth” is a compelling feature-length documentary about the efforts of Wisconsin’s Native American tribes to restore their spiritual, cultural and environmental resilience rooted in a sacred connection to the land and waters of the Great Lakes.

The screening will be followed by a panel of film participants and a small reception. Rooted in Indigenous wisdom, the film uplifts voices of Indigenous leadership, knowledge and lifeways while emphasizing core Indigenous values of kinship, reciprocity and interconnectedness.

For more information about the film and the team behind the production, visit the Sacred Wisdom Sacred Earth website.