“We’ve rested this exhibit for almost two years, and today we are bringing it back all refreshed and renewed and with a lot of the old stories that were in there and some new stories as well.”
Katrina Furman is a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and curator for the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s revitalized exhibit, Anishinaabek: The Original People of This Place. She says while the original 1994 exhibit was appropriate for its time, some updates were necessary.
“Maybe there was some terminology that could’ve been improved on. There were some stories that we just kind of mentioned, kind of scratched the surface on, and we wanted to dig a little bit deeper into that.”
Furman worked with local tribal councils to ensure Indigenous perspectives are represented. The exhibit includes holographic experiences, immersive environments, and multimedia storytelling.
“I want school kids to come in and get a little more education than just those few paragraphs that are in their history book, or maybe that footnote that’s at the bottom of the textbook for the university students.”
The project was financially supported by lead sponsor The Wege Foundation, the Bay Mills Indian Community and other donors.
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