Anishinaabek:
    The Original People
    of This Place

    Closed for Renovations: Reopening Fall 2026

    About the Redesign

    For over 30 years, the Grand Rapids Public Museum has been proud to welcome students, community members, and visitors to experience the core exhibit Anishinaabek: The People of This Place, created collaboratively with the Anishinaabe people of Michigan. The Museum is excited to announce that over the next two years, Museum staff and Native partners will complete a redesign and expansion of the space to breathe new life into the exhibit for future generations to learn and enjoy. 

    The new design was developed through consultation with Tribal leaders and community members on the Eshtoojik (the ones who create) Advisory Council.

    The redesigned exhibit will include:

    • Updated technology
    • Natural elements
    • Connections to the Grand River
    • Opportunities for visitors to dig deeper into topics central to today’s Anishinaabe communities
    • Unique art from local Anishinaabe artists

    Guests will learn about Anishinaabek culture’s past, present, and future, underscoring that Anishinaabe communities are still here, shaping the future of Turtle Island (our world).

    During the renovation, the GRPM will continue telling Anishinaabe stories through other exhibits and displays until the new exhibit opens.

    Anishinaabe Murals

    While the exhibit is closed for renovations, we are finding other ways to continue telling Anishinaabe stories. Guests can now see three new murals on the third floor exploring The Anishinaabe Creation Story, Modern Anishinaabek of Grand Rapids, and the Seven Grandparent Teachings. Hear from each of the artists by watching the following videos. Stay tuned for the final interview with Brittany Benson.

    Ogitchidaak Wall of Honor Nominations

    Indigenous people join the military at a per capita rate that is higher than that of any other race, serving in every major American conflict since the Revolutionary War. Indigenous people do this for many reasons: early veterans joined to protect their homeland or to gain citizenship. Today, many veterans join for education, career and economic opportunities, or to travel. 
     
    The Ogitichidaak section of the updated Anishinaabek: The Original People of This Place exhibit will include an interactive screen where visitors may view profiles and learn about Anishinaabe veterans. Families are encouraged to nominate Ogitchidaa relatives who have walked on. Any Anishinaabe veteran, past or present, wartime or peacetime, deployed or stateside, is eligible for the Wall of Honor. 
     
    Submitted nomination forms will help us create a base for the exhibit database. After the exhibit opens, additional nominations can be made via a QR code. 
     
    Get the Nomination Form

    Anishinaabek: The Original People of this Place Beadwork Project

    This project consists of two pieces of beadwork to be integrated over the entrance of Anishinaabek: The Original People of This Place. We aim to collect a total of 363 four-inch by four-inch beaded squares. Artists are requested to submit two tiles; one with a white background and 1 with a darker background of the artist’s choosing.

    This call for artists is now closed. Thank you to all who submitted their beadwork!

    Digital rendering iof a wall along the exhibit featuring wigwams, trees, organic walls that curve like rivers flowing canoes and post over a fire.
    People in a digital rendering of the future exhibit. One sits on large stones in the center of the space speaking to a child. Another looks at a plaque. Trees and grasses line the edges.
    Aerial view of the future Anishinabek Exhibit. Guests enter into a round space with Tribal flags and then wander down a river-like path through natural elements and plaques

    Video Exhibit Tour

    Teacher Resource Guide