Illinois State Museum Opens Two Exhibits At Lockport Gallery

LOCKPORT, IL — Visitors are invited to experience two new exhibits at the Illinois State Museum’s Lockport Gallery that reflect on the enduring cultural traditions of Native Americans with homelands in Illinois and the Midwest, according to a release from the museum.

“Minohsayaki ‘Painted Robes’” presents the story of collaborative efforts by the Peewaaliaki (Peoria Tribe) and Myaamiaki (Miami Tribe), along with non-Native scholars, to reconnect with their historic practice of hide painting, the release states.

This exhibition was supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation through the Humanities Without Walls Consortium, administered by the University of Illinois. It was first exhibited at the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum at Miami University in 2024. The exhibition is part of the Reclaiming Stories project, the museum said.

Coinciding with the Minohsayaki exhibit is “Indigenous Beadwork of the Great Lakes: Selections from the Illinois State Museum Permanent Collection,” which features examples of beadwork by Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) artists from the turn of the 20th century, according to the museum. The exhibition explores beadwork as a form of resiliency and a method for expressing and maintaining one’s identity.

“This is the first time in many years these beaded objects will be on display, and we are thrilled to pair this exhibition with ‘Minohsayaki’ to share the important work of reclaiming cultural practices and sustaining those practices in the face of difficult circumstances,” said Brooke Morgan, curator of anthropology at the Illinois State Museum.

The exhibitions will run through Sept. 6 at the Lockport Gallery at 201 W. 10th St., in Lockport. Admission is free.