Setup for the second annual Indigenous Artist Market began at 8 a.m. July 10 when local youth assembled the Honoring Dakota Project community tipi in Central Park as a reminder of the city’s history. 

Originally, generations of Indigenous families lived in tipis spread along the riverside in the land we now know as downtown Red Wing. 

And today, Red Wing Arts and the Honoring Dakota Project came together to host a day of reconciliation and appreciation through various art forms, storytelling and music.

“We are deeply honored to host the second annual Indigenous Artist Market, a celebration that pays tribute to the Dakota heritage and the vibrant arts scene in Red Wing,” said Red Wing Arts Executive Director Emily Foos. “This event is a testament to the power of art in bridging cultures and building community.” 

The Indigenous Artist Market was established to provide a platform for Indigenous artists to share their work, stories and cultural heritage with the broader community, said Foos, while simultaneously creating a space for connection and dialogue.

“It’s really meaningful seeing this form of representation in the community,” Tipi Designs artist and owner Jasmine Fiddler said. “We always want the younger generations to have a platform to tell their story from their perspective.”

Fiddler played a large role in organizing the market this year and said she appreciates how this event brings people from different communities together to express themselves through contemporary art and handmade items.

All afternoon Indigenous artists and business owners displayed their products in tents lining Central Park – including bead and quill work, wall art, jewelry, clothing, natural products and more.

Estella Yeung, owner of Growing Blue Flowers, sold her natural products for the second year during the July 10 market. 

“I’m just so happy to see Red Wing and the Prairie Island Indian Community come together like this,” Yeung said. “To see them building this type of relationship is beautiful.”

She expressed how events like the Indigenous Artist Market “need to happen” to help people recognize that we are more alike than different.

“The ancestors must be smiling down on our communities today,” Yeung said. 

Design by First Light artist and owner Crystal Wabnum displayed her two-needle embroidery stitching and hand-sewn beadwork designs for the first time at the market. 

Wabnum, now based in Minneapolis, is from the Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas and describes her art-making process as a form of meditation.

“It’s really nice to get out in the community and have conversations,” she said. “Connecting with the local folks makes it a more personable experience.”

Having conversations is important to acknowledge history, even when it’s difficult to address the violent past, she said.

Other artists exhibiting their work included Angel Froemel of Ojibwe Dreams, Dionne Jacobs of I.Moore Collective, Charisse Nepoose of Charisse’s Pieces, Mat Pendleton of J&M Arts, Jeff Pulliam of River Valley Trading Company, Cassie Hindsley and Bianca WhiteClaw, Beads & Bling Buckskin and Sheila Smith, “The Party Lady.” 

And from the bandshell, Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Member DJ Austin Owen returned for a second year to fill the park with a blend of contemporary and traditional music.

Later in the evening, hundreds came to watch Native American blues artist Corey Medina & Brothers perform at the Concert in the Park.