Sculptor to get community spirit award
BEMIDJI - Duane "Dewey" Goodwin, an Anishinaabe stone sculptor and art instructor at Leech Lake Tribal College, will receive a First Peoples Fund Jennifer Easton Community Spirit Award next month.
"As an artist, Dewey Goodwin demonstrates a gift for creation, storytelling and sharing in his work," Melissa Pond, a colleague of Goodwin's at the college, wrote for the First Peoples Award website. "His sculptures, in particular, are renowned for their ability to unite both the spirit of the stone and the spirit of the subject."
Kyle Erickson, advancement director at the college, nominated Goodwin for the award because of his work for almost 30 years during which he had made numerous contributions in art education and appreciation in Bemidji and on the Leech Lake Reservation.
Erickson said Goodwin teaches Native students myriad traditional Anishinaabe arts and crafts while also instilling pride in his students, which leads to a better self image and outlook on life.
Goodwin will be recognized during a reception at 8 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Goodale Theater of the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts in Minneapolis.
Further information on Goodwin and the other awardees can be found on their website: firstpeoplesfund.org/artists community spirit 2012.
