Mona Smith (artist) facts for kids

Mona Smith is a talented Native American artist, storyteller, and producer of documentaries. She uses her art to share important stories and perspectives, especially about her Dakota heritage.

Early Life and Learning

Mona Smith is a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, a Native American tribe. Their reservation is in South Dakota. Mona grew up in Red Wing, Minnesota. Her mother left the reservation at 17 to go to college.

Mona went to a boarding school called Villa Maria Academy for Girls. Later, she studied at Webster College in St. Louis, Missouri. For her graduate studies, she focused on women's studies at Minnesota State University, Mankato. It was there that she discovered her passion for filmmaking. She took her first videography workshop and started working with Nan Toskey, who became a helpful guide and partner in her early projects. To support herself while pursuing filmmaking, Mona created commercials, documentaries, and educational videos.

Creative Work

Mona Smith made her first short film about Native culture in 1986. It was called "Heartbeat Drumbeat."

Films About Health and Community

Mona directed several short films that explored Native culture and health. One film, Her Giveaway: A Spiritual Journey (1988), is about Carole Lafavor. Carole shares her thoughts on life while living with a serious health condition. Mona thought this film would only be seen by a few local tribes. However, it reached many more people because Carole's story was something everyone could understand.

Another film, Honored by the Moon (1990), is a short documentary. It looks at how people find acceptance and belonging within tribal communities. The film shares modern stories alongside historical views.

Art Installations and Exhibits

From 2004 to 2005, Mona Smith's project "Cloudy Waters: Dakota Reflections on the River" was shown at the Minnesota History Center. This art piece used different forms of media to show the Mississippi River from the Dakota people's point of view. It used water, sounds, videos, and pictures to create a special experience.

The sound part of "Cloudy Waters" is now a permanent display at the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This installation has also been shown at Virginia Tech (2010), in Galway, Ireland, and at other museums.

In 2006, Mona Smith's "City Indians" exhibit explored the place of the Dakota people in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Mona explained that the city of Minneapolis, especially where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers meet, is where the Dakota people first began.

Mona also created a self-portrait called "Between" for an art show. Her piece showed a face that looked like it was pressed between two rocks. It included the date 2012, which was 150 years after the Dakota wars. These wars marked a difficult time for her people.

Interactive Maps and Public Art

In 2012, Mona Smith created the Bdote Memory Map. This is an online map that you can interact with. It shows Bdóte, a very important area for the Dakota people. This area is centered where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers meet. The project was made with the Minnesota Humanities Center. It featured Minnesota places like Fort Snelling, Coldwater Spring, and Pike Island. Mona combined stories, videos, and images to create an informative map about these sites.

Mona Smith also helped start the Healing Place Collaborative. This group includes artists, environmentalists, and others who care about the Mississippi River. They work together to understand and improve the relationship between Native people in Minnesota and the lands around Bdóte. Mona often asks, "What if we put the Indigenous perspective first in our work?"

In 2018, Mona Smith, along with artists Sandy Spieler and Angela Two Stars, was asked to create a public art installation. This art is on the shores of Bde Maka Ska (which used to be called Lake Calhoun) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The project celebrates the lake's Dakota name being restored. The art's theme is "Story Awakening." It honors the history of the Dakota people who lived by the lake before they had to move. The artists created a circle of stones and a walking path with etched railings. These railings show plants that were important to the villagers. Mona was especially involved in creating a website for the project. The website has pictures of the art, historical information, and video interviews with modern Dakota people.

Important Works

• Her Giveaway: A Spiritual Journey (1988), a short film.
• Honored by the Moon (1990), a short film.
• Cloudy Waters: Dakota Reflections on the River (2004), a public art installation.
• City Indians (2006): an art exhibition.
• Bdote Memory Map (2012): an interactive map.
• Bde Maka Ska Public Art Project (2020 and beyond): a public art installation at Bde Maka Ska.

The shores of Bde Maka Ska (renamed from Lake Calhoun in 2020) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mona Smith helped create a public art installation here, honoring the history of Native settlement along the lake shore.