Premo Premiers ‘Avenues of Creation’
Check out the rest in the Gallery! PHOTOS BY B.J. ROACHE, JR.
The Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI) and All My Relations Arts is presenting Avenues of Creation, a solo exhibition from Mille Lacs Band member Steven Premo. The event is running now through April 16.
Through his lifelong artistic career, multi-disciplinary artist and designer, Band member Steve Premo has learned that there are many different avenues for creation, and each requires a particular medium. In his Twin Cities solo exhibition debut, Steve reflects his pride in his Ojibwe heritage through a variety of retrospective works highlighting narratives of the Mille Lacs Ojibwe people and the evolution of Ojibwe art forms.
A self-taught artist and designer, Steve’s artistic practice takes many forms including graphic designer, illustrator, fine artist, muralist, and fabric designer, all contributing to the legacy of the Mille Lacs Band. His public work can be seen at the Hinckley Minnesota Fire Museum, in the Mille Lacs and Hinckley Casinos, Grand Makwa Cinema, in the Mille Lacs band Government Center and District 3 Health Care Center, and Lac Courte Orellies Cultural Center. For Avenues of Creation, Steve examines and celebrates traditional Ojibwe art traditions in thoroughly contemporary ways.
“At Mille Lacs today, we are the descendants of Ojibwe leaders, men and women, who refused to leave our homelands at the turn of the century," said Steve. "They continued to harvest rice and maple syrup, hunt and fish, as we do today. My art takes its inspiration from our lifeways and history, and from those men and women who offered decades of consistent and strong leadership. If we cease our traditions, we cease to be Native people. Even though I work in contemporary arts forms—painting, illustrations, textile design—I hope to advance the idea that Ojibwe art forms are both old and new and are not limited to birch bark and the materials our ancestors used (though I also love those mediums), but rather have evolved just as we have evolved in the modern day. Ojibwe art is just as relevant to the community today as ever, and our traditions can be passed on in thoroughly contemporary ways. My own art is a reminder of our history and the continuation of our existence and expresses our cultural influence across the community and beyond."
Steve is a proud enrolled Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe member who is nationally known for his paintings, murals, illustrations, and graphic design. Steve’s concepts are prominently featured in educational materials utilized throughout public elementary, secondary schools, and private institutions. More than 500 of his illustrations and graphics have been published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press, Minneapolis Public Schools, Hazelden Treatment Center, Grand Casino Inc., and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. He has designed logos for individuals, professional organizations and special events. His formal art training includes time at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis, and the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe (attended with recommendation by then Governor of Minnesota.) Steve has also provided art direction and instruction for the Minnesota State Department of Education, the Minneapolis Public Schools, Heart of the Earth Survival School, LCO Tribal School, and various art organizations. Steve’s passion for art and for his people are reflected in all that he creates.
