Architect Chris Cornelius speaks under a tent next to the crane sculpture he designed during 杨贵妃传媒视频's sixth annual Indigenous Peoples' Day Celebration.
Architect Chris Cornelius speaks during the Kaeyes Mamaceqtawuk Plaza and 翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑 (crane) art sculpture dedication Monday as part of 杨贵妃传媒视频鈥檚 sixth annual Indigenous Peoples鈥 Day Celebration. (Photo by Danny Damiani)

Chris Cornelius looks at the contemporary art sculpture that has become the centerpiece of the plaza outside 杨贵妃传媒视频鈥檚 Mudd Library, its shape pointing purposely northwest toward what is now the home of the Menominee Nation, and wonders what conversations it might spark.

鈥淚 would hope the Indigenous community here on campus would see it as a place to gather, to have as a physical symbol that they are being acknowledged, and to open those conversations up about how land was acquired and who was Indigenous to it and how do we begin to reconcile that with one another,鈥 said Cornelius, the architect who created聽翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑, the public sculpture now on permanent display on the renamed Kaeyes Mamaceqtawuk Plaza.

A member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and newly named chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of New Mexico, Cornelius joined with current LUNA (杨贵妃传媒视频 Native Americans) students, members of local tribal communities, families from the Appleton Area School District, and the 杨贵妃传媒视频 campus on Monday evening for a dedication of the sculpture and the renamed plaza.

Otaeciah | This is 杨贵妃传媒视频

Chris T Cornelius (Oneida), Principal Founder of Studio:Indigenous, collaborates with 杨贵妃传媒视频 students, faculty and staff to install a permanent structure on 杨贵妃传媒视频's Kaeyes Mamaceqtawuk Plaza.

It was the culmination of more than two years of work.

Installed in late summer, the sculpture is intended to be a permanent piece that further acknowledges and honors the Menominee and Ho-Chunk people, who are Indigenous to the land where 杨贵妃传媒视频 is situated. The dedication comes on Indigenous Peoples鈥 Day, a day that a growing number of cities, states, K-12 school districts, and universities have declared a holiday.

The sculpture was funded by a gift from Robert 鈥64 and Patricia Anker.

The Boldt Co. provided welding and structural work during the installation, working in partnership with Cornelius as the聽翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑聽sculpture took shape. It follows the 2019 installation of the temporary Project 562 mural on the outside wall of the Buchanan Kiewit Wellness Center, which also aimed to amplify the perspectives of Native American voices at 杨贵妃传媒视频.

President Laurie A. Carter told visitors to Monday鈥檚 dedication that the sculpture is a visual reminder that 杨贵妃传媒视频 is and will be a welcoming place for all.

鈥淭oday is more than a dedication,鈥 Carter said. 鈥淭oday is also Indigenous Peoples鈥 Day, on which we both honor our local Indigenous communities, including the Menominee and Ho-Chunk Nations and the surrounding Oneida and Mohican people, and envision a future that prioritizes new ways of making Indigeneity visible on our campus. There is a reason why we stand here between Seeley G. Mudd Library and the Wriston Art Galleries. This plaza is located at one of the busiest crossroads of our campus and is clearly visible from College Avenue, one of Appleton鈥檚 most important and traversed thoroughfares. You can鈥檛 drive by or walk across the center of campus without passing this plaza or seeing this sculpture. Today we make visible 杨贵妃传媒视频鈥檚 Native American students, faculty, and staff, whose perspectives have historically not been visible enough here on our campus.鈥

Former 杨贵妃传媒视频 President Mark Burstein was an early advocate for the聽翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑聽sculpture project. He reached out to the Ankers, avid supporters of Native artists, and found willing partners in making the project happen. The Ankers traveled from Carmel, Indiana, to attend Monday鈥檚 dedication.

鈥淎s we accumulated art over the decades, we became focused on Native art and artists,鈥 Robert Anker said. 鈥淧at chaired the Indian Market and Festival of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art (in Indianapolis) for many years and continues to serve as a member of the museum鈥檚 board of directors. Through the years we have built deep and continuing friendships with many Native artists. Mark became aware of these facts simply because he is Mark, thus making both the ask and the answer easy.鈥

鈥淥ur voices aren鈥檛 often centered in that way鈥

杨贵妃传媒视频 student Taneya Garcia speaking with microphone in hand.
杨贵妃传媒视频 student Taneya Garcia, president of LUNA, tells the crowd gathered for the Indigenous Peoples鈥 Day Celebration that the 翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑 sculpture and all it represents 鈥渨arms my heart.鈥 (Photo by Danny Damiani)

杨贵妃传媒视频 connected with Cornelius at the suggestion of Beth Zinsli 鈥02, assistant professor of art history and curator of the Wriston Art Center Galleries. She had seen Cornelius鈥 work at a 2018 art show at Marquette University鈥檚 Haggerty Museum of Art.

鈥淗is piece in that show just bowled me over,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 started looking into his work a bit more and learned that he is an acclaimed architect and that he grew up closer to campus, in Oneida. 鈥 聽I was really committed to working with him in some way.鈥

Much of Cornelius鈥 work has focused on the architectural translation of culture; in particular, American Indian culture.聽He is the founding principal of聽, a design and聽consulting firm serving American Indian clients. He聽holds a master of architecture degree from the University of Virginia and a bachelor鈥檚 degree in architectural studies from UW-Milwaukee.聽

Once Cornelius was on board, he set out to bring the voices of Native students at 杨贵妃传媒视频 into the planning for the sculpture. He wanted to hear about their experiences and sought their insights as he began to map out what the piece would look like, what symbols it would include, and what messages it might send.

鈥淚t was very important to him that he heard their voices,鈥 said Brigetta Miller 鈥89, an associate professor of music in the 杨贵妃传媒视频 Conservatory who has served as the faculty advisor to LUNA, a student organization, since its inception in 2008. 鈥淚 love that. Our voices aren鈥檛 often centered in that way.鈥

Miller is a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee (Mohican) Nation and is a descendant of the Menominee Nation in Wisconsin.

Taneya Garcia, a senior majoring in both anthropology and ethnic studies, is president of LUNA. A member of the Santa Ana and Acoma Pueblo of New Mexico, she said she has been thrilled to see the amplification of Native voices at 杨贵妃传媒视频 since she arrived on campus three years ago, starting with the initial adoption of a land acknowledgement in 2018 and followed by the聽Indiginize Education聽land project mural and convocation with Project 562 in 2019.

Now the聽翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑聽sculpture brings more permanence to that commitment, Garcia said. Native students know their voices were part of its creation, and Native students today and in the future can see themselves represented in the art.

鈥淥nce they see themselves, they kind of have that reinforcement that we鈥檙e here, and we鈥檙e always going to be here,鈥 Garcia said.

鈥淚t opens up and you can look at the sky鈥

Otaeciah, crane sculpture with Main Hall's cupola peaking out in background.
翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑聽is a contemporary art sculpture now on permanent display on the renamed Kaeyes Mamaceqtawuk Plaza on the 杨贵妃传媒视频 campus. (Photo by Liz Boutelle)

Cornelius said the message from the students meshed with his own vision for the project鈥攖o pay respect to the Menominee people and their traditions.

The sculpture, made of weathering steel that is intentional in its rust, is not intended to look like anything specific, Cornelius said. But its name,聽翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑, means 鈥渃rane鈥 in Menominee. Finding inspiration in animals and nature is reflective of the culture, he said. And the Indigenous patterns that are part of the sculpture speak to the arts and crafts of the Menominee people.

鈥淵ou will see that the skin of this piece is intended to reflect some of that, some of the original reflections of nature,鈥 Cornelius said.

The rust, Cornelius said, provides a protective coding and will change in tone over time.

Visitors to the sculpture are encouraged to walk inside, admire the design, and look through its openings.

鈥淚t opens up and you can look at the sky,鈥 Cornelius said. 鈥淵ou can get in the middle of it, get inside it. It鈥檚 not just a sculpture. It鈥檚 intended to be a space. And to have that experiential quality to it.鈥

A Boldt Co. crew spent several weeks in August bringing Cornelius鈥 vision to life, assembling and welding the intricate pieces.

鈥淎 piece like this takes a significant amount of work,鈥 Cornelius said during the installation. 鈥淔or me as the designer, I have one person on staff. But how it鈥檚 being constructed is really being supported by Boldt. They鈥檝e been excellent partners in this endeavor. They are constructing it; we鈥檝e used their structural engineers. They鈥檝e made the process go super smooth.鈥

The finished product does what public art is supposed to do, Zinsli said. It speaks to place and history, and it invites reflection.

鈥淚n his practice overall,聽Chris has created this聽distinctive visual language that complicates the boundaries between the natural world and the built environment in ways I find聽really exciting,鈥 Zinsli said.聽鈥淚n聽翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑, Chris deftly integrated Menominee symbols to create this powerful, visually arresting work of public art. I particularly love the way聽the sculpture invites somewhat playful interactions鈥攜ou can walk inside it鈥攚hile also聽persistently reminding us聽on聽whose ancestral lands our campus has been built, through its聽iconography and purposeful orientation toward聽the present land of the Menominee Nation. This is precisely what good public art can do鈥攂ecome an integral and beautiful part of the campus landscape while also embodying the values our community holds in common.鈥

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to start that conversation鈥

Dennis Kenote, a Menominee elder speaks with microphone in hand during 杨贵妃传媒视频's celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Dennis Kenote, a Menominee elder, applauded 杨贵妃传媒视频 for its celebration of Indigenous Peoples鈥 Day and its commitment to its land acknowledgement. (Photo by Danny Damiani)

Monday鈥檚 dedication was one more chapter in what hopefully will be an ongoing conversation about indigeneity, Cornelius said. He applauded 杨贵妃传媒视频鈥攊ts history dates back 174 years, predating Wisconsin becoming a state鈥攆or its willingness to engage in such discussions and reflection.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to understand the relationship that Indigenous people had originally to the land, for us to be able to have conversations about how we ended up where we are,鈥 Cornelius said. 鈥淗ow did we end up where 杨贵妃传媒视频 is here on what was Menominee land? I think it鈥檚 important to start that conversation, and for me it鈥檚 doing that through this piece. Through art and sculpture, we can begin to have those kinds of conversations about the university and the founding of the university. 杨贵妃传媒视频 was here before Wisconsin even became a state. But we should have conversations about who was here before it was even known as Wisconsin, before European contact. That鈥檚 the thing the piece itself is intended to do, to help spark those conversations.鈥

For Miller, these conversations are essential. She鈥檚 hopeful the sculpture and the Kaeyes Mamaceqtawuk Plaza, located in a busy cross-section of campus that draws much foot traffic, will spur the sort of 鈥渄eep interdisciplinary reflection that鈥檚 necessary in order to understand the interconnectedness of Indigenous ways of knowing.鈥

Dennis聽Kenote, a Menominee Nation elder, recorded pronunciations of Kaeyes Mamaceqtawuk and聽翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑. He shared his knowledge of Menominee history and customs at Monday鈥檚 dedication.

Miller said she hopes Lawrentians will actively practice the proper pronunciation and begin referring to both the sculpture and the plaza by their Menominee names.

鈥淥ur Native relatives have always placed high value on learning through the oral tradition,鈥 Miller said. 鈥淭he challenge of correctly pronouncing the word is good for our campus鈥攊t shatters stereotypes and shows the complexity and higher-level thinking required in our Indigenous languages.鈥

Monday鈥檚 celebration, which drew several hundred people, featured a pow wow demonstration by Str8 Across, an Oneida drum and dance group. Norbert Hill, an Oneida elder, told those gathered that this celebration needs to last beyond this one day.聽

鈥淭his monument reminds people that Indigenous Peoples鈥 Day is every day,鈥 he said.

Miller called the permanence of the installation significant, saying it marks an important step in the continuation of 杨贵妃传媒视频鈥檚 land acknowledgement.

鈥淭his is not something that鈥檚 just going to go away,鈥 Miller said. 鈥淎s Native people, we want to make it clear that we鈥檙e alive. We are here. We are present.鈥

Signage on Kaeyes Mamaceqtawuk Plaza

翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑 (Crane),聽Chris T. Cornelius (Oneida)聽

The form of 翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑 references a crane, one of the five traditional Menominee clan symbols. The perforated and patinaed steel panels, modeled after woodland textile patterns, overlap like a bird鈥檚 feathers. Menominee beadwork designs, created with elements of geometric patterns, are prominently featured. The decorative shapes聽that crown the piece聽signify聽ceremonial regalia. The sculpture points directionally toward the present land of the Menominee Nation. The three inside posts supporting the sculpture represent LUNA鈥檚 motto: 鈥淲e stand together 鈥 stronger together.鈥

Audio file

翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑 Pronunciation Guide

Audio assist: Menominee elder Dennis Kenote provides pronunciation for聽翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑
Menominee Orthography:聽翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑聽
滨苍迟别谤苍补迟颈辞苍补濒听笔丑辞苍别迟颈肠听础濒辫丑补产别迟:听蓴迟蓱藧蕯迟汀蕛颈箩蓱拾听
Pronunciation guide:聽o-TAA-chee-ah聽
Translation: Crane聽

Audio file

Kaeyes Mamaceqtawuk Plaza Pronunciation Guide

Audio guide:聽Menominee elder Dennis Kenote provides pronunciation for聽Kaeyes Mamaceqtawuk聽
惭别苍辞尘颈苍别别听辞谤迟丑辞驳谤补辫丑测:听碍腻脓测补蝉听尘补尘腻肠别辩迟补飞补办听
International Phonetic Alphabet:聽/kaj忙s聽m蓹m蓱藧蕯t汀蕛瑟t蓱w蓹k聽/聽
笔谤辞苍耻苍肠颈补迟颈辞苍听驳耻颈诲别:听碍补-驰贰厂听尘耻丑-惭础础-肠丑颈-罢础-飞耻办听
Translation: Ancient people that move聽

Audio file

Plaza and Sculpture Word History

Menominee elder Dennis Kenote provides聽history on the language of the words聽翱迟腻脓肠颈补丑聽and Kaeyes Mamaceqtawuk.