Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce — a.k.a. Minnesota — to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.
Today we’re speaking with artist Thomasina “Tomie” TopBear. She is a self-taught artist, muralist, published illustrator and organizer from the Oglala Lakota & Santee Dakota Nations.
She specializes in large-scale murals; her work can be seen on the sides of buildings throughout the Twin Cities and the country. Cole talks with her about City Mischief Murals, which she co-founded. It’s an all Indigenous, Black & Pacific Islander artist collective centered on healing through art. She had some great things to say about how murals can build a stronger community, the process of painting a mural, and much more.
You can get a taste for her art at: https://www.instagram.com/tomierae
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.
Subscribe to Native Lights wherever you get your podcasts
More from Native Lights
- Rick Haaland: Speaking for the Animals
Today, we’re excited to speak with Rick Haaland, an animal rescuer and advocate who is the Pets for Life community outreach manager for the Leech Lake Tribal Police. - David Wise: Growing Good Medicine
We speak with David Wise, descendant of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and founder of Native Wise, a farm which is focused on soil health, restorative farming and Indigenous agricultural practices. - Wendy Roy: Beading as Healing
Today, we are excited to speak with Wendy Roy, a beader and entrepreneur from the White Earth Nation. She mentors other artists and also teaches at White Earth Tribal and Community College.
MN House Proposes Budget Boost For Some Tribal Colleges