Native education re-imagined with Trickster's newest exhibit

Trickster Cultural Center in Schaumburg is preparing to open its largest exhibit to-date, "A Place of Teaching."

The exhibit features community contributions of Native American cultural items from across America, items from the Field Museum collection and contributions from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Other features include traditional indigenous housing structures, information on Native American cultures from present-day Illinois, and the first Native military timeline.

The exhibit began in concept in early 2019, with construction in July, and was designed with educators in mind to encourage more school tours and meeting curriculum details, providing an opportunity for Native American communities to teach their own history and culture with your students.

"A Place of Teaching" touches on a wide range of indigenous cultures, including housing, agriculture, regalia, travel and war, with narratives in first-person, directly from Native American voices.

In addition to historical artifacts on loan from the Field Museum collection, Trickster has several Native American cultural items that are still in use today in Indigenous traditions.

The opening of "A Teaching Place" is following the renaming of Trickster Cultural Center, formerly Trickster Art Gallery. The organization aims to shift the attention to an educational atmosphere that uses art to uplift Native American voices and teach about indigenous culture.

Trickster Cultural Center is one of only a few Native American cultural centers in Illinois, and one of the largest educational centers in the Northwest suburbs.

The opening date of this exhibit is still to be determined, as COVID-19 restrictions are changing rapidly. Updates will be made available at TricksterCulturalCenter.org.