This piece by Tony Tiger will be on display at Burpee Museum of Natural History in July as part of an exhibit done in partnership with the museum and several Native American delegations. (Photo provided by Burpee Museum of Natural History)
By Chelsea Meyer
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Tony Tiger, an artist from the Sac and Fox nation, was moved to tears as he stood underneath the Blackhawk Statue and slowly dipped his hands into the Rock River

He used that emotional moment to produce a piece of art that will now be featured as part of a collaborative exhibit at the Burpee Musuem of Natural History, according to Anne Weerda, executive director of the museum.

Burpee and Native American delegations representing the Ho-Chunk, Sac and Fox, Potawatomi and Ojibwe nations are opening a collaborative exhibit of historic items and modern art called “Of This Place,” which was organized by Starla Thompson (Forest Band Potawatomi).

“They’ve flown out several times, all these different groups of people, they’ve looked through our collections. We’ve had really important discussions about things that are in our collections that belong at Burpee, and things that maybe belong back in their native land with the families,” Weerda said in an interview on the B103 Morning Routine.

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Weerda said it’s important that the native groups are telling their story and choosing artifacts that represent them.

“As a natural history museum, we have to be very careful of who’s telling the stories, and I think it’s very important that we are accurate and appropriate in the way we tell these stories because people look at us as a source of information,” Weerda said.

The exhibit, which ranges from contemporary and traditional artworks to information about the histories of the four represented nations from their own cultural educators and artists, is set to open July 29.

Burpee Museum of Natural History is located at 737 N. Main St.

This piece by Tony Tiger will be on display at Burpee Museum of Natural History in July as part of an exhibit done in partnership with the museum and several Native American tribes. (Photo provided by Burpee Museum of Natural History)

This article is by Chelsea Meyer. Email her at chelsea@b103fm.com.

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