About Intertribal Cultural Corridor
In 2016, 7th Street was recognized by LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) as a business and cultural corridor in partnership with Dayton's Bluff Community Council. This same year, Indigenous Roots hosted a series of pop up cultural events on 7th Street in a vacant space (which previously housed Animal Ark Thrift Store) provided by Dayton's Bluff Neighborhood Housing Services.
In 2017, Indigenous Roots installed its very first series of murals on the 7th Street Cultural Corridor, in partnership with several organizations (such as Good Space Murals, Dayton's Bluff Community Council, MN350, Youth Water Protectors and local businesses.
In 2019, residents, artists and businesses, began to call 7th Street the Intertribal Cultural Corridor to honor the Indigenous Dakota peoples of this land while honoring the many immigrants who have made the East Side their home and/or first home in the Twin Cities.
Within the past three years, Indigenous Roots has installed a dozen murals on the 7th Street Intertribal Cultural Corridor with over twenty artists/muralists and seven businesses. Other murals have been installed on the corridor as well and hope that the Intertribal Cultural Corridor continues to reflect the vibrant neighborhoods of the East Side.
Intertribal Styles Graffiti Jam
City Mischief Murals (Native/ Latinx/ Black artist collective) and Indigenous Roots Cultural Center are hosting and raising funds for the first annual BIPOC art event on September 4th-6th 2020. Co-Sponsored by International Indigenous Youth Council - Twin Cities Chapter and Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Housing Services. The goal of this event was to establish a collective voice and a safe space for BIPOC artists to create and collaborate with one another during a time where BIPOC artists and folx need to be heard and honored.
Locations
Fire Wall - In partnership with Indigenous Roots Cultural Art Center
Water Wall - In partnership with North Lake Contracting Inc.
Earth Wall - In partnership with East Side Enterprise Center
Wind Wall - In partnership with Dayton's Bluff Neighboring Housing Services
Culture Mural
The Culture Mobile Mural was created in partnership with Indigenous Roots, Carryon Homes, City Mischief Artists, City of Saint Paul, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation. The symbols selected for this piece reflected the cultural diversity of the East Side/Saint Paul: Ojibwe floral pattern, Lakota Star, Hmong floral pattern, Afro-Taino sun and Nahua floral design.
Artists: Thomasina Topbear (IG: prime_colors), Holly (Miskitoos) Henning (IG: Miskitoos), Charles (Wanisin) Garcia
Location: Hamm Park
De-installed: October 2019
Las Que Nos Alimentan: Tribute to Mama Rosa Diaz
This Mural is dedicated to La Mañana Restaurant’s Owner/Founder and Matriarch Rosario Diaz who has dedicated her life to sharing and feeding her family and community the culinary traditions of her Salvadorian culture.
Artist: Pablo Kalaka (IG: @Pablokalaka)
Location
Currently in display: 798 7th st E, Saint Paul MN, 55106
Memorial for Cordale Handy
This mural honors the life of Cordale Quinn Handy, who was born on July 27th, 1987. In 2017 he was murdered by Saint Paul Police and his family continues to work to receive justice for Cordale and others who have fallen victim to gun violence and police brutality.. This memorial continues to honor his life and brings light to the police brutality occuring in the Twin Cities.
Artist: Xena Goldman (IG: Xenadecia)
Location
in partnership with La Manana Restaurant
Currently in display: 798 7th st E, Saint Paul MN, 55106
Few & Far Mural
The feminine essence and talents that Few & Far embody were vibrantly displayed at the sidewall of Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center. One wall and four femme artists mixed and matched their styles adorned with colorful flowers and whimsical pieces sprinkled throughout the wall. An inspiration to any young emerging artists in our community.Water Protector Murals
Artist:
Thomasina Topbear
(IG: @Prime Colors)
Holly (Miskitoos) Henning
(IG: Miskitoos)
Charles (Wanisin) Garcia
Martzia Thometz
Location
In Partnership with Indigenous Roots Cultural Art Center
No longer Visible, please see images: 788 7th St. E., Saint Paul MN, 55106
Water Protector Murals
The Water Protector Murals were created and installed in 2017. These murals were inspired by the youth caravan to Standing Rock in 2016, about a hundred Black, Indigenous, and Brown youth participated. The youth depicted in the murals are water protectors who went to Standing Rock and continued to do social justice work within the Twin Cities community.
Artists: GoodSpace Mural
Location
In partnership with CentroMex Supermercado
816 7th Street E, Saint Paul MN, 55106
In partnership with Dayton's Bluff Neighboring Housing Services
823 7th Street E., Saint Paul MN, 55106
Better Together Mural
The Better Together mural was created as a result of the pandemic and civil unrest. Better Together mural represents hope and community empowerment. It serves to uplift the spirits of people on the East Side and beyond.
Artists: City Mischief (IG: Citymischief)
Location
In partnership with CFSC New Money Express
785 7th Street E, Saint Paul MN, 55106
Stronger Together Mural
City Mischief Murals is creating a mural celebrating four Twin Cities multicultural women dancers, showing them standing in unity, this large-scale mural is located on the corner of Arcade & E 7th street in Saint Paul. All women will be painted in their traditional regalia representing their various cultures & traditions. The dancers who are valued members in the community featured on the mural are Mary Anne Quiroz a Meshika Aztec dancer, Holly Henning an Anishinaabe Jingle Dress dancer, Djenane Saint-Juste a Hatian dancer & Sghne Xgino a Hmong dancer. Our goal is to create a mural that reflects the strength, beauty & power we hold when uniting our communities together.
Artists: City Mischief Murals (IG: Citymischief)
Student Artists: Simone Tinker & AJ Kimble
Location
In partnership with Los Paisanos Taqueria
825 7th Street E, Saint Paul MN, 55106
East Side Works
The East Side Works Mural is a representation of the diverse working class community on the East Side of Saint Paul. The mural honors the people that built the East Side and that continue to maintain the community.
Artist: Pablo Kalaka (IG: @Pablokalaka)
Location
In Partnership with La Michoacana
809 7th Street E, Saint Paul MN, 55106
Our Stories
The Intertribal Cultural Corridor is made up of artist and businesses of many cultural identities. Each artist brings their own taste and flavor to their mural and the businesses are able to prove space and platforms for these artist to express themselves.
This dream of showcasing different artist and their art became a reality when the East Side of Saint Paul advocated to give space and opportunity for these to happen. The collaboration between Artist and local business on 7th street helped bridge the gap of artist and business owners showing support.
Here are the Artist and their stories;
Thomasina Topbear
Is a self taught indigenous muralist. She is a member of an international all female art crew Few & Far Women and recently helped form an all BIPOC art collective City Mischief Murals. Thomasina has organized a number of local and national community based mural events focusing on youth, women & indigenous artists. She draws influences from her Dakota/Lakota culture, graffiti and uses her murals to express her feelings on community, social justice, culture, feminism and togetherness.
Joy Spika
Is a dedicated youth worker, teaching artist, muralist and musician. She is a practicing artist who has been engaging with both youth and emerging Twin Cities artists since receiving her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Joy is passionate about working with young people who want to explore the possibilities of what the arts has to offer them and hopes to help elevate the experiences of the community.
Holly (Miskitoos) Henning
is an active indigenous visual artist and has been a part of several community based events throughout the United States, Canada, Africa and Mexico. Holly uses traditional beadwork, birch bark biting, acrylics, aerosol, airbrush and traditional dance as a personal and political tool to address, explore and portray contemporary indigenous struggle. Holly is Marten Falls First Nations, Constance Lake First Nations Cree and Ojibwe.
Intertribal Styles Graffiti Jam
During the Intertribal Graffiti jam many artist from across the nation came and participated in what would be the largest graffiti art jam on 7th street.The goal of this exhibition was to establish a collective voice and a safe space for BIPOC artists to create and collaborate with one another during a time where BIPOC artists and folx need to be heard and honored. To learn more about the murals and their artist please visit the instagram page located in the button bellow.
Other Artist on 7th Street
Pablo Kalaka
Born in Santiago de Chile in 1975 and because of the Military Dictatorship he was exiled with his parents to Venezuela, a country where he grew up and lived. He has a university degree at the UCV and the illustration and painting career in Barcelona, Catalonia. He is a painter and muralist. He has exhibited in Caracas, Barcelona, Santiago de Chile and Minneapolis. These include Cara Candela, Puro Corazón, at Celarg, 2010, and Cuestión Caribe, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas, 2016. He has participated in mural art festivals: Kosmopolite, Paris, 2008; Karupana, Carúpano, 2013, Cromasur, Bogotá, 2015,La Puerta del Sur, Santiago de Chile, 2018, among others. He has participated in the I and II Bienal del sur, Pueblos en resistencia (Biennial of the South. Peoples in Resistencia), Caracas, 2015, and Caracas, 2 017. He has done mural works in Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, México, Spain, Germany, France and the United States.
Charles (Wanisin) Garcia
Is a visual artist and photographer. His artwork and photography examine social and political issues such as; the criminalization of immigrants and indigenous populations; urban life, self-identity and the realities of our communities in which we struggle to thrive.
