BEMIDJI — Years ago, Blair Treuer’s 6-year-old daughter used the word tampon as the audio password to unlock her diary because she thought others would not want to say the word out loud to open it themselves.
Realizing modern culture instilled shame around the word tampon for her child, Treuer was inspired to consider a different way to approach periods and the power that comes with becoming a woman.
A Scandinavian mother of an Indigenous family, Treuer’s fiber art style was originally inspired by the Native American ceremonies of her children. As offerings at those ceremonies, she created quilts depicting the Native American names of her children by situating thousands of tiny pieces of fabric. The result was textured and emotive portrait quilts.
From the love of her children and the respect for their journeys in life, her rare art form was born. Treuer’s first gallery collection “PORTRAITS” celebrated members of her family: her children, her husband and herself.
"it’s not only possible to imagine a different way of approaching (menstruation), but people actually do approach this differently.”Blair Treuer
Her newest exhibit “BECOMING: The transition from childhood to adulthood,” also celebrates family and was inspired by Indigenous ceremony. This time, it was specifically the moon ceremony accompanying her daughter’s first menstrual cycle. Run by women with men in attendance showing support, the moon ceremony celebrates the power and responsibilities that come with menstruation.
The ceremony was “more than just a celebration of the fact that her womb is capable of life, it was about her rights as the owner of her own body, her responsibilities towards her own body, and her expectations from anybody who encounters her body,” Treuer said. “The show is an expression of that beauty and joy and love that I felt in that moment with her.”
The exhibit is a pictorial, coming-of-age story of a young girl amid complex change, whose wisdom from her grandmother ultimately frees her to become her authentic self.
The first half of the exhibit shows works in which a young girl considers becoming various animals inspired by visions. She ultimately falls into despair, recognizing she’s actually not transitioning into an animal, but rather a woman.
Her confusion begins to clear when her grandmother asks the girl to consider what the visions showed her and what lessons she learned.
The second half of the exhibit depicts the lessons learned from the visions. For instance, Treuer noted, the lesson from transforming into the bird was “to never lose sight of the vulnerable."
Through the inspiration from her grandmother, the young girl transitions into her full, feminine power with new wisdom of self and the world around her, and how her new self fits into that world.
Treuer notes she’s not trying to teach people Ojibwe culture. Instead, she’s trying to say there are other ways to address puberty in girls.
“It’s not only possible to imagine a different way of approaching (menstruation,) but people actually do approach this differently,” she said.
“BECOMING: The transition from childhood to womanhood: will be on exhibit at the Watermark until July 29. The opening reception is 5-7 p.m. Friday, June 9, with an artist talk at 6 p.m. Treuer will also be there 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday signing her coffee table book PORTRAITS: An Exploration in
Area Voices is made possible by the MN Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of MN.
