Human Rights Institute Gallery

Fall 2024 Exhibit

Wigstock Beauty in Diversity

by Pierre Dalpé

As a Canadian photographer, Dalpé captured individuals and their bright personalities in his personal exploration of the Wigstock festival - which began in Manhattan from 1984 through 2001. His captures took place during the festivals peak. The moments of joy and community in these photos evoke a sense of coming together in strength and pride. 

Spring 2024 Exhibit 

Athena LaTocha: Mesabi Redux

Athena LaTocha (Lakota and Ojibwe) created the works in her Mesabi series on-site at iron deposits in the Mesabi Mountain Range of northern Minnesota, which is known to the local Ojibwe as Misaabe-wajiw, “Giant Mountain” or “Sleeping Giant.” The range is the site of the one of the world’s largest open-pit iron ore mines. LaTocha cast iron reliefs during a month-long residency, coordinated by the MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids and supported by the Minnesota Museum of Mining in Chisholm, where iron mining started in the 1880s and continues today.