Exhibit "Akinomaage - Teaching from the Earth" - Vern Northrup, Visual Storyteller 

Interpreter, educator, learner are three words that describe the lens Vern Northrup (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) looks through when photographing the world. Akinomaage, Teaching from the Earth, is the Ojibwe word for what Northrup seeks to do with his photography. As an interpreter, educator and learner, Northrup wants to gain knowledge from the earth.

Using only the camera on his smart phone, Northrup captures the setting of where he grew up, creating a nostalgia for those familiar with the area, and a curiosity for those who aren’t. He uses photography as a tool to educate both himself and the viewer about the rhythm of nature, the preservation of tradition, and the relationship between resilience and sustainability. Northrup recognizes the ability of the land to act as a narrator and uses photography to reveal the story in landscapes. Exhibit closes February 27, 2020.