Mni Wiconi

Artwork by Garrigan  | Artwork by Lommen | Artwork by Colby

An art project that grew from an American Indian Youth Enrichment program funded by a 2018 Minnesota State Arts Board grant. The project centers on Mni Wiconi, a claw-style arcade machine whose name means “water is life” in Lakota and whose design reflects the relationship between Native communities in Minnesota and water. Garrigan and her students visited water sites across Minnesota and used carvings, tiles, beadwork, mosaics, and sculpture from those experiences to build and decorate the machine. All proceeds from the game support future summer AIYE art programs, and the piece appears at Schmidt Artist Lofts during the Saint Paul Art Crawl, where Garrigan also invites students to show and sell their paintings.