Chicago Organizations Focused on Indigenous Legacy

The American Indian Center’s mission is to promote fellowship among Indian people of all Tribes living in metropolitan Chicago, create bonds of understanding and communication between Indians and non-Indians in this city, advance the general welfare of American Indians into the metropolitan community life, foster the economic and educational advancement of Indian people; to sustain cultural, artistic and avocational pursuits, and perpetuate Indian cultural values. Location: 3401 W. Ainslie St., Chicago, IL 60625 Phone: 773-275-5871 Website: www.aicchicago.org

The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian focuses on the history, culture and arts of American Indians across the U.S., Canada and the Arctic. Virtual tours are available. Location: 3001 Central St., Evanston Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Closed Sunday. Admission: $7 adults age 18-64; $5 seniors, age 3-17, students & teachers with ID; FREE to tribal members with ID. Phone: 847-475-1030. Website: mitchellmuseum.org

The Trickster Cultural Center’s vision is to be an authentic first voice of Native American veterans and artists of all media, including music. A registered nonprofit 501(c)(3), it features post- 1960s Native American art, speakers, panel discussions, school tours and educator workshops. Come to Trickster to learn about Native American culture, Native peoples and their contributions to the U.S. military, to view veterans’ artwork, to experience multicultural exhibits and to browse unique items in its gift shop. Location: 190 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg, IL Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Closed Sunday-Monday Admission: $5 adults, $3 kids Phone: 847-301-2090 Website: tricksterculturalcenter.org

4000N (formerly known as the Northwest Portage Walking Museum) follows Irving Park Road between the Chicago and Des Plaines rivers, and emphasizes Chicago as a transportation nexus because of its waterways, even before European contact. 4000N’s nine miles feature interpretive works of public art across seven neighborhoods diversified by race, ethnicity and income. Anchoring both ends of the trail are significant earthworks: The Serpent Twin on the Des Plaines River at Schiller Woods on the west end and the Coil Mound at Horner Park on the Chicago River at the east end. 4000N began as part of the Great Rivers Chicago initiative (StreetWise: August 30-September 6, 2021 Vol. 29, No. 34). A steering committee comprised of members from the American Indian Center, Portage Park Neighborhood Association and Chicago Public Art Group were awarded a grant from The Chicago Community Trust. With the grant, they commissioned indigenous futurist artist Santiago X, an enrolled member of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana and indigenous Chamorro from the island of Guam. Santiago X proposed earth mounds at the two river sites as a way to pay homage to the ancestral practice. 4000n.org

The Center for Native Futures is comprised of Native artists who came together during the pandemic. The newly formed non-profit seeks to make space for a perpetual Native presence, an Indigenous gallery, in the city of Zhegagoynak (Chicago). Before its physical space opens, the center is hosting artist talks online, advising, and developing a Native artist network. Indigenous Futurism is an artistic means for expanding possibilities and realities by imagining Indigenous realities without colonial limitations. The definition of this term is ever-changing and dynamic. www.centerfornativefutures.org