Inside Marzen, a quaint fine art showroom on Atwood Avenue, contemporary Indigenous artwork covers the walls, from beaded quilts to portraits to paintings that depict vivid landscapes.

The art is part of an exhibition featuring the work of 17 Indigenous artists from across the Upper Midwest, including some nationally acclaimed artists such as Tom Jones and Leah Yellowbird.

“Many of the artists that are located here are already in the Metropolitan Museum of Art,” said Jason Levy, general manager of Integrated Art Group, the local art firm that runs Marzen. “They just happen to be in a small, neighborhood gallery.”

“Indigenous Artists of the Upper Midwest: Intersections of Art and Healing,” is on view at Marzen through Dec. 15. The group exhibition, which focuses on the theme of healing, features artists who come from a variety of Native nations, including Ho-Chunk, Menominee and Ojibwe. It’s a collaboration between Integrated Art Group and the Rabbit, Bird and Bear gallery in Duluth, Minnesota, founded by Michelle LeBeau and Avery Makes Room For Them. 

Indigenous artists “have been overseen for so long, and so it’s been really empowering for both Michelle and I to bring Indigenous artwork into places where it’s never really been seen before,” Makes Room For Them said. “We’ve heard from multiple people that Madison is lacking Indigenous art and very few galleries focus on Native art.”

Chris Sweet, a Ho-Chunk and Ojibwe artist from Lyndon Station, is one of the exhibition’s featured artists. By being a part of the exhibition, Sweet’s work is being celebrated alongside artwork from both emerging and award-winning Indigenous artists. 

“The format of artists sharing that one space, with so many different stories and visions, that’s just an awesome feeling,” Sweet said.

One of Sweet’s featured pieces in the exhibition is “Generational Resilience,” a collaboration with Makes Room For Them that addressed the strength of their ancestors and the vibrancy of their culture through both a painting and a poem. For those who visit the exhibition, Sweet is optimistic that they will be able to connect to artwork, regardless of their background.

“My focus is on unity and healing,” Sweet said. “So I’m hoping that people will take all the emotion from each artist and walk away with a feeling of a connection, of closeness.”

So far, the public’s response to the exhibition has been overwhelmingly positive, Levy said. During the opening reception, there was a line out the door and around the corner and some attendees drove from Minnesota or Chicago to attend. Since the opening, there has still been consistent interest in the exhibition, and several pieces have already been sold.

“It’s truly harboring to see how many people from the neighborhood just walk in every day,” Levy said. “There’s definitely affordable, authentic, Indigenous originals down here.”

The exhibition is a prime opportunity for anyone to see and celebrate work from Indigenous artists who are constantly pushing the envelope, and breaking stereotypes of what Indigenous artwork should look like, exhibition organizers said. 

“Everyone was so excited to be on board with this project and it was great to give everyone exposure,” Makes Room For Them said. “We wanted people to know that there’s still contemporary artists, Native artists, evolving.”