Chasing the Declaration of Independence

6018 N Kenmore Ave, Chicago IL

  • Thursday, May 21 at 7 PM – Declaration of Independence 

  • Thursday, May 28 at 7 PM – Treaties

  • June 4 at 7 PM – Declaration of Indian Purpose

This series reflects on the 250th anniversary of the United States by examining the Declaration of Independence alongside the treaties made with Native Americans in Illinois. Using 6018North’s current exhibition Myth of the Organic City, we explore how these histories have shaped our past, present, and how to best move forward. The series will be facilitated by JeeYeun Lee, an artists who has work on view.

Session 1: Thursday, May 21 at 6:30 PM (Food at 6:00 PM)

Declaration of Independence close-reading and discussion

Session 2: Thursday, May 28 at 6:30 PM (Food at 6:00 PM)

Native American Treaties

Dr. Dorene Wiese (Minnesota Chippewa Tribe–White Earth) leads a discussion of Illinois treaties, exploring the Declaration's promise, the impacts of land use changes, and what "the people" means.

Facilitator: Artist JeeYeun Lee 

Session 3: Thursday, June 4 (TBD)

Native American Declaration of Indian Purpose and Present Day discussions

Les Begay (Diné) discusses the Native American Declaration from an Indigenous perspective. 

Also featuring Teresa Montoya (Diné). TBD  We are exploring how to connect Teresa Montoya’s work and the Declaration which mentions water to our original focus on water.

Facilitator: Artist JeeYeun Lee

will be facilitated at 6018North by JeeYeun Lee. May 28 will feature guest speaker Dr. Dorene P. Wiese.

Dr. Dorene Wiese is an enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe–White Earth and a lifelong educator, leader, and cultural advocate. She holds a doctorate in Leadership and Policy Studies from Northern Illinois University and is the founding president of the American Indian Association of Illinois. Dr. Wiese currently serves as president of NAES College Inc., which was the only urban-based American Indian college in Illinois. A past Newberry Library Fellow, she co-directed the library’s first Oral History project and curated the NAES College library and archives to preserve Native scholarship and voices. She is also the Artistic Director of the Black Hawk Dance and Performance Company, which has shared Native music and dance throughout Illinois for over 20 years. As a retired professor from NAES College and past adjunct at Eastern Illinois University, she has spent her career teaching and mentoring future generations. For more than two decades, Dr. Wiese has lectured across Illinois on Native history, oral traditions, film, media, and cultural policy, building bridges of understanding through scholarship, performance, and community engagement.

JeeYeun Lee is an interdisciplinary artist based in Chicago. Through performance, objects, and socially engaged art, her work explores dynamics of connection, power, violence and resistance. Her work has been shown in Chicago, Detroit, Santa Fe, Ohio, Missouri, and France. She has worked with social justice and community-based organizations for over thirty years in immigrant rights, economic justice, LGBTQ issues, and domestic violence. She holds an M.F.A. in Fiber from Cranbrook Academy of Art, M.A. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California at Berkeley, and B.A. in Linguistics from Stanford University.

Illinois Humanities is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that spark conversation, foster reflection, build community, and strengthen civic engagement for everyone in Illinois.