Sept. 1-30, 2026
This project is a collaboration between Maggie Thompson, Fond du Lac Ojibwe and Peggy Thompson, her mother. It brings together weaving, painting, and shared observation of land.
Together, the pair will create a series of 5-10 small works, each pairing woven florals with painted earth. They will display Ojibwe floral design as a living, evolving practice while situating it in conversation with another generation’s way of making. The works emphasize relationships to land, lineage, and to one another, positioning the arboretum not only as a site of study, but as a shared teacher.
The two artists will explore the grounds of the Arboretum using two distinct visual languages — Ojibwe floral design and painterly depictions of ground. Maggie will create woven textile works with ribbon featuring Ojibwe florals inspired by flowers growing. Peggy will contribute a series of paintings focused on ground, dirt, and earth found at the Arboretum. Rather than depicting flowers directly, her work centers the soil that sustains them, emphasizing texture and a mother’s role as nurturer. Her paintings will function as both physical and conceptual foundations for Maggie's woven pieces. The works will be shown in the Reedy Gallery Sept. 1-30, 2026.
The project reflects how knowledge is passed intergenerationally and how children grow from those familial foundations. Maggie layers her woven florals in with Peggy's painted surfaces, revealing differences in how they see, translate, and honor the land. Read more about the project in the summer issue of the Arboretum magazine.
The Native American Artist Residency Program is funded by the 2024 Gala in the Gardens. It celebrates the intersection of art and nature at the Arboretum and supports co-curated art programming.
Cost: Included with general daily admission, which is free for members and ages 15 and younger and $20-25 for non-members ages 16 and older. Indigenous peoples receive waived general daily admission to the Arboretum when making a reservation by calling 612-301-6775.
Ojibwe Floral Collage Workshop
Make Art with Artist Maggie Thompson | Saturday, Aug. 1 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
This all-ages, hands-on workshop invites participants to explore Ojibwe floral design through drawing, cut paper, and collage. Maggie will guide you to observe flowers, plants, soil, and ground patterns around the Snyder Building and the MacMillan and Morgan Terrace gardens.
As a (Fond Du Lac) Ojibwe woman of mixed heritage, I work with an intuitive hand to bridge cultures and traditions gathered from firsthand experiences. I derive my inspiration from the history of my heritage and what it means to be a contemporary Native woman.
My work calls attention to its materiality pushing the viewer’s traditional understanding of textiles and “Native Art.” I explore materials in my work by incorporating multimedia elements such as photographs, beer caps, ribbon, and beadwork. Each of my pieces are built around a strong conceptual narrative, digging deeper into notions of identity by focusing on issues of cultural appropriation, Native authenticity, relationships, and loss and grief.
Being transparent is a fundamental value in my working process. Although my work is very rooted in personal experiences I aim to educate others about the Native community about both our collective and individualized experiences. I use textiles as a way to contain memory, to reflect, and to tell a difficult story.