Native American students and faculty at the University of Michigan have been bringing the annual powwow to the Ann Arbor area since 1972. At this year’s 48th Annual Dance for Mother Earth Powwow, Isabel Engel, the Andrew W. Mellon Academic Teaching Fellow at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, will share images from and information about UMMA’s new Power Family Program for Inuit Art.  This collection of sculptures and prints from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), in the Nunavut region of Canada, will foster rich inquiry and discussion. Learn about the current installation, Reflections: An Ordinary Day, the art and the artists, and plans for the future of the program. Engel's presentation will take place 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28.

The powwow is one of the largest in North America and is a time for "celebration for and by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Native American communities alike," according to the Native American Student Association, which coordinates the event. The two-day event begins Saturday and features vendors, traditional music, dancing, and ceremonial outfits. 

   

The Dance for Mother Earth Powwow is hosted by the University of Michigan Native American Student Association (NASA) with assistance by the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives (OAMI) and the EMU Native American Student Organization (NASO).

This exhibition is made possible by the Power Family Program for Inuit Art, established in 2018 through the generosity of Philip and Kathy Power.