OKCIYAPI (HELP EACH OTHER)

Walker Art Center

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Minneapolis, MN

In collaboration with Angela Two Stars, public artist

2021

In 2019, the Indigenous Art Commission and the Walker Art Center commissioned artist Angela Two Stars, in collaboration with Urban Ecosystems, to create a site-specific installation for the Walker’s Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The resulting installation, titled “Okciyapi,” is a series of concentric rings that symbolize the levels of learning a language. In particular, the installation celebrates the Dakota language, which is currently in danger of disappearing. Dakota words, phrases, and teachings are inscribed throughout the piece. This contemplative space is a powerful and moving celebration of the Dakota language and culture. The centerpiece is a slow-moving water feature that represents a drop in water that forms a ripple, spreading knowledge and understanding of the Dakota language. The concentric rings of benches spread outward from the center, symbolizing the ripples we make in our community through learning, action, and connection. The seats are inscribed with Dakota value words and visitors can use their phones to hear tribal elders tell stories in English and Dakota. The center space is encircled by a carefully selected plant palette including sage and prairie dropseed. As observed by the artist, “It’s like the whole piece is surrounded by medicines, as I consider the Dakota language to be a medicine that acts as healing for the people that enter the space.”