By Lee Egerstrom
The Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC) has a full day of festivities planned for it grand re-opening of the center on May 1 that coincides with the annual launch of Minnesota American Indian Month.
Since December 2022, construction crews have worked on making more than $32 million in renovations to the unique center along what is called Minneapolis’ American Indian Cultural Corridor. This doubles MAIC’s space to house events, shops and programs for the urban Native population.
The celebration begins with the American Indian Month Kick-off Parade that starts at 10 a.m. at Cedar Ave. Field, 2500 Cedar Ave. near Little Earth facilities in south Minneapolis. It will proceed to the MAIC, 1530 E. Franklin Ave.
Mary LaGarde, executive director, said a ribbon cutting and ground blessing ceremony will be held at about 11:30 at the center. And then, visitors can tour the remodeled and expanded structure and grounds in an open house from noon to 2 p.m.
But she is giving prospective visitors a heads-up on what they will find. “It is beautiful inside!”
Food will be available from both the then-reopened Gatherings Café at the center and by food trucks provided by the Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors (MUID) group.
The metro Indian organizations have supported MAIC’s renovations all along, she said. For instance, Robert Lilligren, president and chief executive at the Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI), has been an important fundraiser in this and in past efforts, she said.
All Roads Capital Campaign has been the MAIC’s fundraising effort. It has raised $29.25 million so far and has a goal of $32.54 million. Information on how people can donate is listed on the center’s site below, and additional help is being sought from the Minnesota Legislature.
State Rep. Aisha Gomez, who represents large parts of south Minneapolis; and Sen. Mary Kunesh, (New Brighton), a Native American who champions various Indigenous causes in the Legislature, have bills introduced seeking $2.4 million in additional state aide. Both are DFLers.
The celebration
Open house entertainment will be provided by Keith Secola and the Sampson Brothers.
Secola, originally from Cook, is an Ojibwe musician who sings and plays rock and roll, folk rock and folk music; and plays guitar and flute. Micco and Samsoche Sampson (Seneca and Muscogee Creek) are famous hoop dancers from the powwow circuit.
LaGarde (White Earth Nation) said there will be a shutdown period for cleaning the building after the open house. Later, the celebration will wind up with a MAIC Powwow from 5 to 8 p.m., with a Grand Entry at 6 p.m. It will feature well-known people and performers from the powwow circuits.
Jerry Dearly, a Minneapolis-based Lakota elder and entertainer, will serve as master of ceremony. Area director is Chaske LaBlanc, and David Carson, a popular Dakota dancer, will serve as head dancer. Powwow details show a good number of locally based drum groups are invited to participate.
The host drum is Midnite Express, founded by Ojibwe drummers, and a co-host group is Southern Boyz. Natalie Rademacher, MAIC’s communications coordinator and a Grand Portage descendant, said local groups Bear Runner, Hoka Maza and Mississippi Ojibwe are also invited drums.
Building details
The renovation and expansion project was designed by Native architect Sam Olbekson, founder and owner of Minneapolis-based Full Circle Planning & Design. A White Earth Nation member, he is also a member of the MAIC board and the Center notes he is the nephew of one of the construction workers who built the original building in 1975.
One architectural feature that should catch a visitor’s eye is a rotunda ceiling, said Lilligren, the NACDI executive. “You are inside a drum,” he said. “This is an Indian center for the 21st Century!”
And it is a center for the community and Indigenous groups throughout the Twin Cities, Lilligren added, a point groups make up and down Franklin’s corridor since more Native Minnesotans now live in urban areas than on the state’s 11 federally recognized reservations.
In announcing the re-opening plans, MAIC cited both its community connections and its role in providing services. The renovations allow it to continue services and programming for more than 10,000 community member it serves each year, it said.
The first level of the building is dedicated to community services. That includes its Two Rivers Art Gallery, Woodlands Indian Craft Gift Shop and the Gatherings Café. All are open to the public and the café serves Indigenous food breakfasts and lunches, for dining in or take-out, and catering service.
A new second floor houses offices and meeting spaces for internal use and for other groups to reserve. Space will be available for people and organizations to use space for meetings, events, funerals and various other needs.
More space
Various other benefits were explained this way:
- The Boys & Girls Club of the Minneapolis American Indian Center will have its own space, including the new Best Buy Teen Technology Center.
- A new fitness center overlooking the gym will house Native Fitness and Nutrition programming.
- An artist studio will provide space for Indigenous artists, and it will complement the Two Rivers Art Gallery.
- A new co-working office space will offer alternative workspaces available for short-term use. The expanded meeting spaces will provide state of the art technology for meetings and conferences.
In other changes, MAIC said its Ginew Golden Eagles program has come under the Boys and Girls Club Native Services umbrella that will expand opportunities for young people. A Best Buy Teen Tech Center space will let youth pursue creative digital opportunities such as creating podcasts and videos and, MAIC said, it is dedicating space for youth to do arts and crafts.
One later developing program will help the surrounding south Minneapolis neighborhood. In a project with Excel Energy, MAIC was tapped to be a Resilient Minneapolis Project backup site. It will be one of three emergency energy centers in the city. With rooftop solar and battery storage, the center will be a source for power whenever weather or other disturbances may cause a power outage.
Details for the groundbreaking, open house and powwow; and the center’s renovation project can be accessed online at https://www.maicnet.org.
