Collections: Newberry Library

Newberry Library Collection

Organization: The Newberry Library
Collection: Newberry Library Collection
Contact: Will Hansons, Curator of Americana
Submitted: January 17, 2022 & January 30, 2022
Location: Chicago, IL (Near North Side)
Content: Prints from the Indian Country 52, Print, World News, and Logos (Chicago Community) series

Letter to The Newberry Library

January 30, 2022

Newberry Library Collection Submission

Dear Will,

I am submitting thirty-eight (38) pieces of printed art for the Newberry Library Collection, including work from the Indian Country 52 and World News series and commissioned logos for Chicago-area Native organizations and projects, the Chi-Nations Youth Council, and the First Nations Garden.

I had considered not submitting the logo for the American Indian Center as their leadership showcased their anti-Black values with an All Life Matters (initially “All Lives Matter”) outdoor mural by Robert Wapahi. The previous Director, Heather Miller, requested that the artist capture the times of racial and social justice actions occurring in communities. I submitted the logo in this collection because the community must have a Native-designed and community-based representation, not a non-Indigenous perspective. The logo may stand longer than the colonized leadership currently in place. The American Indian Center’s previous Director had not issued an official apology. The organization has not posted an official statement on its website or stated how the organization and board plan to address racism against the Black, African American, and Afro-Indigenous Communities.

I also need to acknowledge the history of theft by institutions such as libraries, universities, and museums and the systems that keep the resources away from Tribal communities.

I want to thank Will Hansen, Curator of Americana, and Analú López, Ayer Librarian, for taking the Chicago lead to provide space and opportunities for contemporary Native art from Tribally-verified and community-based artists. Hopefully, their hard work and initiatives will lead other collections to do the same and change policies within institutions to return resources to where they tribally belong. By adding Native-created materials to the collection, there is an opportunity for future generations to have access to the work done in the community and through a Native lens.

Pidamayaye do (thank you),
David Emmanuel Bernie
Ihanktonwan Dakota

Letter-Newberry-Library-Collection-2022

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Indian Country 52

World News

Prints

Logos

Creative Commons License

This work by David Bernie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. You may download, share, and post the images under the condition that the works are attributed to the artist.