Since time immemorial, Indigenous communities have gathered on Chicago's waterways to work, play, trade, and heal. DePaul Art Museum resides on the ancestral homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: The Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Odawa Nations. The Sac, Fox, Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, and Menominee have also called this area home. We recognize these Nations as the traditional stewards of this land and its importance for the 65,000 Indigenous peoples thriving here today.
Forced removal from ancestral lands has caused trauma for generations of Indigenous people. Museums have also contributed to the exclusion, erasure, and exoticization of Indigenous communities through their collections and exhibitions. Recognizing that history, DPAM is grateful to carry out its commitment to inclusivity and social justice on this land as a space for the exchange of ideas and culture.