Unapologetically Indigenous: Minneapolis Morrison Mural Restored

A wood mural created by George Morrison in 1974 for Minneapolis’s American Indian Center has undergone extensive conservation as part of the center’s first major renovation since opening in 1975. The unnamed piece, which the late artist once suggested might be called Turning the Feather Around: A Mural for the Indian, is composed of chevron shapes inspired by feathers. Led by the Midwest Arts Conservation Center, the mural was disassembled piece by piece—all 700 or so boards—documented, cleaned, restored, and reinstalled in a new location on the east side of the building.

“Where it was on the building … [Morrison] was so intent on it being open to the public. So that art was accessible to the community,” says architect Sam Olbekson, who serves as chair of the Minneapolis American Indian Center’s board of directors. “He wanted it to be large scale, in your face, out, and unapologetically Indigenous on Franklin Avenue.”