This experience empowers Native people to reclaim their history. A series of workshop experiences in which Indigenous people annotate and write over Westernized, Eurocentric textbooks with their histories and perspectives allows for the reclamation of identity. Within the space, a hanging scroll of collaged images of both historical and modern-day imagery leads the audience throughout the space which represents the journey to Indigenous Futurism. The collaged imagery is a compilation of the misrepresented Native experience that has led to generations actively working together to preserve their culture. The historically inaccurate textbook spreads from the workshop hang throughout the space. When these spreads are scanned with mobile devices, the annotative marks from the workshop can be viewed through Augmented Reality (AR). This exhibition experience along with the facilitated workshops implements space for Indigenous people to have a voice and to reclaim generations of wrongfully documented history of the Native experience.
This exhibition is only to act as a proof of concept for the entirety of this experience. If this were to be fully built out, a team of educated facilitators and community outreach professionals would be required to build out a workshop curriculum. The workshop would entail building community trust over a long period of time. Additionally, acquiring proper resources would be necessary to build out this experience’s concept. This includes textbooks and photographic imagery that is accurate and honest to the region of Metro Detroit.
