{"id":1997635,"date":"2025-09-04T21:09:05","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T21:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1997635"},"modified":"2025-09-04T21:09:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T21:09:05","slug":"museum-under-fire-for-censoring-pro-palestine-mural","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/museum-under-fire-for-censoring-pro-palestine-mural\/","title":{"rendered":"Museum Under Fire for Censoring Pro-Palestine Mural"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<div class=\"pull-none item-image\">  <\/div>\n<dl class=\"article-info muted\">\n<dt class=\"article-info-term\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDetails\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n<dd class=\"createdby\" itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n\t\t\t\t\tBy <span itemprop=\"name\">Kaili Berg<\/span>\t<\/dd>\n<dd class=\"create\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-calendar\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<time datetime=\"2025-09-04T15:42:13-04:00\" itemprop=\"dateCreated\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSeptember 04, 2025\t\t\t\t\t<\/time>\n\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<p>\u00a0<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum in Evanston faces criticism after firing Anishinaabe artist Jamie John last month and painting over their unfinished mural due to pro-Palestine imagery embedded in its early stages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">John <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">was commissioned<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> to create a mural based on Anishinaabe creation stories featuring Sky Woman, Thunderbird, and Nanaboozhoo. However, while laying down a preparatory &#8220;doodle grid,&#8221; John embedded phrases such as &#8220;Feed Gaza,&#8221; &#8220;Free the Land,&#8221; and &#8220;From the River to the Sea,&#8221; along with symbols like olive branches, watermelons, and doves.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom nno-mc-in-article\">\n<div class=\"in-article-signupbox\">\n<p><strong>Never miss Indian Country\u2019s biggest stories and breaking news.<\/strong>\u00a0Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!--End mc_embed_signup--><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Although John said the underpainting would have <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">been covered<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> by the final design, the museum viewed the additions as a violation of their contract. The board terminated John&#8217;s agreement and had the mural whitewashed before <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">completion<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In a statement to <\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Native News Online<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, the museum&#8217;s board said its decision was not driven by outside complaints or funding threats.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&#8220;The visuals on our building were not part of the approved design for the commissioned mural,&#8221; the museum board said. &#8220;The artist was contracted to create a work reflecting the cultural elements of Indigenous communities of the Great Lakes region. The imagery that appeared on August 7th was neither submitted for review nor authorized by the museum and did not align with the agreed scope. We made the immediate decision to cover the imagery and end our agreement with the artist.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">When asked whether safety concerns factored into the temporary closure, the board acknowledged they had seen &#8220;disturbing social media posts&#8221; and <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">said<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> staff well-being was a factor in shutting down temporarily.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Still, they maintained that the choice to terminate John&#8217;s contract was an internal decision made &#8220;as soon as we became aware of the discrepancy,&#8221; not one influenced by complaints or external pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">John, who had <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">been promised<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> $24 an hour, said they were never paid and felt silenced and betrayed by the decision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&#8220;I was betrayed and abandoned by an institution that censored, removed, and silenced the call for freedom to the Palestinian people,&#8221; John told <\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Native News Online<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, adding that many Native people in Chicago view Palestinians as fellow Indigenous peoples resisting colonial oppression.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The museum closed its doors from August <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1\u2013<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">6, citing staff safety concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This follows another incident of a Native artist expressing support for Palestine having a contract for mural work canceled.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last year, Lakota artist Danielle SeeWalker had a residency in Vail, Colorado, canceled after the town deemed her recent painting, &#8220;G is for Genocide,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&#8221; &#8220;<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">too political.&#8221; Like John, SeeWalker was denied dialogue despite having already signed a contract and planned community programming. The ACLU sued the city <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">of<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> behalf of Seewalker, and <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the lawsuit was settled<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> last month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Both artists see the experience as part of a larger pattern of suppression.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&#8220;I can&#8217;t help but take this personally as silencing not only an artist, but a person of color,&#8221; SeeWalker said in a statement. &#8220;This piece of artwork has nothing to do with the Town of Vail. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It had never been brought<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> to the Town of Vail&#8217;s attention.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- Author Info Box Plugin for Joomla! - Kubik-Rubik Joomla! 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Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren&#8217;t just cultural preservation efforts\u2014they&#8217;re powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.<\/p>\n<p>Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We&#8217;ll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.<\/p>\n<p>This isn&#8217;t corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It&#8217;s &#8220;Warrior Journalism&#8221;\u2014fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.<\/p>\n<p><strong>We need your help right now.<\/strong> While we&#8217;ve secured partial funding, we&#8217;re still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward\u2014funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.<\/p>\n<p>Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it&#8217;s $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don&#8217;t disappear into silence.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nativenewsonline.net\/images\/2022\/Levi-headshot.jpg\" alt=\"Levi headshot\" width=\"127\" height=\"127\" style=\"margin-right: 15px; float: left;\"\/><\/strong><em\/>The stakes couldn&#8217;t be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.<\/p>\n<p><em>Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor &amp; Publisher<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/giving\/campaigns?campaign_id=REMMBSEZXP7QN\" width=\"382\" height=\"550\" title=\"PayPal donate campaign card\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"author_infobox\">\n<p>About The Author<\/p>\n<div class=\"author_infobox_image_profile\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nativenewsonline.net\/images\/Headshots\/68475777_2308218075894267_1708832779724128256_n.jpg\" alt=\"Kaili Berg\"\/><\/div>\n<div class=\"author_infobox_name\"><span class=\"bold\">Author:<\/span> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nativenewsonline.net\/staff-directory\/kaili-berg\" title=\"Kaili Berg\">Kaili Berg<\/a><span class=\"bold marginleft\">Email:<\/span> <span id=\"cloak84900d3f99a8fada4ae44a9f982e2903\">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Staff Reporter<\/p>\n<p>Kaili Berg (Aleut) is a member of the Alutiiq\/Sugpiaq Nation, and a shareholder of Koniag, Inc. She is a staff reporter for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. Berg, who is based in Wisconsin, previously reported for the Ho-Chunk Nation newspaper, Hocak Worak. She went to school originally for nursing, but changed her major after finding her passion in communications at Western Technical College in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br class=\"clear\"\/>    <\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\nn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;\nn.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,\ndocument,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\nfbq('init', '6281125331913536', {}, {agent: 'pljoomla'});\nfbq('track', 'PageView');\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source nativenewsonline.net \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Details By Kaili Berg September 04, 2025 \u00a0The Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum in Evanston faces criticism after firing Anishinaabe artist Jamie John last month and painting over their unfinished mural due to pro-Palestine imagery embedded in its early stages. John was commissioned to create a mural based on Anishinaabe creation stories featuring Sky Woman, Thunderbird, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1997636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1997635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Museum-Under-Fire-for-Censoring-Pro-Palestine-Mural.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1997635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1997636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1997635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1997635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1997635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}