Lac Du Flambeau/ Ojibwe (Midwest III)

A visit to Lac Du Flambeau "lake of the flames" Ojibwe band near Lake Superior. I was fortunate enough to participate in doing a youth workshop with this community. I hope the pictures speak for themselves. This was a great experience working with the people and youth of this northern woodland tribe in northern Wisconsin. In the end the youth schooled me on who they are, and as a collective we created a mural that speaks to who these people are and the legacy they carry on. This community project is one of my favorites to date. Thank you to everyone involved, and for having me.

Jazmine after our walk through her community...she gathered a feather and other natural materials.

A boarding school dorm

"Gi Waabanda Min (What we collectively see)

Traditional birch bark artwork and floral patterns

Down the lake

Ojibwe floral pattern beadwork

The primer

This community is named after an event in which French traders witnessed Ojibwe fisherman spearing fishing at night from their canoes on the lake...with torches guiding them.

Milwaukee(Midwest part II)

My 1st time in MKE(Milwaukee). For about 7 days I was back and forth between Chicago to the south and Lac Du Flambeau Ojibwe Reservation in Northern Wisconsin(Check back for part III).

MKE has a contrast of newer starbucks gentrified areas such as the 3rd ward south of downtown, to old, dirty, grimey abandoned areas of an obsolete era of early to mid 1900's industrial warehouses made of "cream city brick". I personally dig the decay of past footsteps.(Cream City brick is a brick made from cream or light-yellow colored brick made from clay in the Menominee River Valley and the western shore of Lake Michigan.)

MKE night time tourism

2:30am site seeing. Some serious camera power going on.

Ghosts of the past

Light at the end of the tunnel(river)?

In the end Milwaukee shows its age and past. Green hills, trees, lakes...and a history of diverse architecture with everything from Victorian Gothic, Art Deco, Post Modernism and more. Not my choice in cold ass winter weather...nor mid summer humidity and heat. But not a bad first visit. And props to the Potawatomi tribe with their trust land Casino in the Menominee valley south of Downtown. Or at least I thought that was interesting?

Chicago (Midwest part I)

Back in the desert after a few days in the midwest. Had a chance to paint a spot in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood of Nw Chicago. Thanks to Tony "Once" for the spot.

process

Downtown at night. Its been many years since my last visit. Good to see you again Chicago.

CTA outside Taco Chino in uptown.