Indigenous‑curated lounges change how visitors experience art in Minnesota

Two new exhibitions in Minnesota are inviting visitors to get comfortable – literally – as Indigenous curators re‑design gallery spaces with couches, blankets and reading rooms.

Reporting for ICT, Dan Ninham describes how curator and poet Heid E. Erdrich, from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, has installed lounge areas in “Once Upon a Shore” at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona. Visitors are greeted by a couch draped with a Dyani White Hawk blanket, surrounded by books by Indigenous authors such as Gwen Westerman and Tashia Hart.

Erdrich says the lounges, which she previously used in her “Boundless” exhibition, are designed to welcome guests to rest and, more importantly, to read, turning the gallery into an informal learning and storytelling space. “Once Upon a Shore” features five Dakota and Ojibwe artists with strong connections to water and narrative, and the museum describes it as “a water’s edge meeting place” for stories from an Indigenous perspective.

Across the state at Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center, Sičáŋǧu Lakota artist Dyani White Hawk has created a similar environment for her survey show “Love Language”, with couches, blankets, pillows and reading material by Indigenous authors. White Hawk told ICT that the seating was designed so elders and all visitors could sit and stand comfortably, signalling that they are welcome to stay, rest and reflect.

Both exhibitions run into early 2026 and are part of a broader shift towards interactive, multimedia and comfortable spaces that counter the “no sitting” norm in many public venues.