Click here for “Passages Exhibition” photo gallery.

Click here for Madeline Island Museum photo gallery.

Madeline Island Museum Announces New Two-Year “Passages” Exhibition, “Bad River” Documentary Screening with Producer Mary Mazzio and Return

 of the Popular Indigenous Artist-in-Residence Series

Take a ferry ride to Madeline Island and explore the vibrant cultures of the Apostle Islands

LA POINTE, Wis. – Madeline Island Museum, a site managed by the Wisconsin Historical Society and located in the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, is open for the season. The museum features a variety of engaging events, including a new two-year exhibition entitled “Passages: Ojibwe Migration to the Place Where the Food Grows on the Water”, the story of the Ojibwe’s journey to this prophesied island told through their ancestors' eyes.

In a collaborative effort between Mike Wiggins Jr., interim site director of the Madeline Island Museum and former executive director and chairman of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and the Wisconsin Historical Society, the legend of the Megis Shell and the island’s captivating history is revealed through this beautifully curated exhibit.

“Stories passed on through generations recount our 500-year journey from the east coast to this powerful region where food grows on water,” said Wiggins. “Much of our ancestors’ travel was prophesied, and this exhibit offers a rare look into our culture from establishing a home here to the efforts of Chief Buffalo to secure our land for the future.”  

In addition to the “Passages” exhibition, a screening of "Bad River," the documentary by award-winning director Mary Mazzio, will take place on the evening of July 9. The nationally syndicated documentary focuses on the Bad River Band’s ongoing fight to protect their land from outside sources. Narrated by Quannah ChasingHorse and Academy-Award nominee Edward Norton, the film features members of the Bad River Band, including Wiggins.

The Madeline Island Museum celebrates all the cultures—Ojibwe, French, English, American—who have called the island home. Museum highlights include a collection of artifacts from early explorers and inhabitants including a pioneer barn built by a 19^th-century Swedish immigrant and the 1835 American Fur Company Building—the oldest structure on the island. To tour Madeline Island Museum, visitors travel by ferry via the Madeline Island Ferry Line. Ferry tickets are priced separately from museum admission and sold on a first-come, first-served basis for the 25-minute ferry which leaves from the Bayfield Terminal.

Madeline Island Museum is open from May 25 – Oct. 19. Beginning May 25 – July 3, the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from July 4 – Sept. 1, it is open until 5 p.m. From Sept. 4 – Oct. 19, the museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. General admission is $10 for adults and teens, $8 for seniors, $5 for youth, and children under five get in free. Wisconsin Historical Society members receive free general admission and 10% off ticketed events.

“Passages: Ojibwe Migration to the Place Where the Food Grows on the Water” is supported in part by the Friends of the Madeline Island Museum with a generous contribution from the Coffin Family in memory of Robert P. Coffin.

Upcoming Events:

Indigenous Artist in Residence Series – June 15-16, July 22-23, Aug. 19-20

Watch as Indigenous artists showcase their skills and knowledge of traditional techniques and contemporary styles. Engage with the artists, learning about their creative process. This series is a combination of teaching workshops and meet-the-artist sessions.

-          June 15, 16 – Beadwork Workshop with Ramona Morrow, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Join Indigenous artist Ramona Morrow and learn traditional beadworking skills while crafting beaded earrings during this special workshop. Learn to make and fashion your own jewelry using traditional Ojibwe methods. The cost is $50 per person.

-          July 12, 13, 14 – Print Making with Artist in Residence Gordon Coons, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Watch Gordon Coons demonstrate his art of printmaking as he teaches guests how to make prints. Each of his pieces portrays views of traditional Native stories. His heritage is Ojibwe from the Lake Superior Chippewa Band of Wisconsin and Ottawa from Michigan. Now living in Minneapolis, Minn., Gordon is an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe of northern Wisconsin. 

-          July 20,21 – Indigenous Arts Birchbark Quillwork Workshop with Dana Trickey, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Join artist Dana Trickey, from White Earth Minnesota, as she teaches the traditional art of quillwork. Learn how to work with Porcupine quills, birchbark and beads and create a bespoke medallion showcasing your new found knowledge of this age-old practice. The cost is $90 per person.

 -          Aug. 10, 11 – Birchbark Art with Artist in Residence Pat Kruse, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Watch Pat Kruse demonstrate his birchbark art. Kruse, a member at Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and a descendant of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Onamia, Minn., is an accomplished and awarding-winning Ojibwe birchbark and quillwork artist and culture teacher.

 -          Aug. 17, 18 – Moccasin Workshop with Biskakone Greg Johnson, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Moccasin crafting is an important part of many Indigenous cultural traditions. Learn the art of Anishinaabe moccasin crafting firsthand from Biskakone Greg Johnson, a proud member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, at this two-day moccasin sewing workshop. A cultural practitioner and Indigenous educator, Biskakone teaches traditional Ojibwe practices, including crafts, tool working and moccasin making.

 Madeline Island Speaker Series – Every Wednesday, June 26 - Aug. 28, 7 to 8 p.m.

Visit the Madeline Island Museum this summer for free engaging discussions on historic and cultural topics. The event is part of the Madeline Island Speaker Series, presented in partnership with the Madeline Island Wilderness Preserve and with generous support from Madeline Island Museum Friends donations. Pre-purchased tickets are not required for these events, which are free and open to the public.

-          June 26 – Madeline Island History Quiz Show

-          July 3 – Canids of Wisconsin with Jane Weber

-          July 10 – Mike Sullivan will discuss Ojibwemowin/Treaty Rights

-          July 17 – The Amazing World of Bats with Brian Heeringa

-          July 24 – Trails and Towns Before Washburn with Amorin Mello

-          July 31 –Bob Mackreth speaks about the life, times and adventures of Florantha Thompson Sproat

-          Aug. 7 – Storm Surges, Seiches, Currents and Edge Waves with Dr. Chin Wu and Sarah Peterson

-          Aug. 14 – Brian Finstad will discuss Indigenous trails during his talk, “Trail to La Pointe: Old St. Croix Trail & Native American Footpaths.”

-          Aug. 21 – Speaker Marina Lachecki will discuss Protestant and Catholic missions on the island, including their impacts, successes and drawbacks

-          Aug. 28 – Factors influencing the evolution of Sandstone Sea Cave with Tom Fitz

Historic La Pointe Walking Tour – 20, 27; July 11, 18, 25; Aug. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 2:30 to 4 p.m.

Explore downtown La Pointe, discovering island landscapes, present and past architecture, and captivating stories representing the many cultures and people who have impacted Madeline Island's rich history. Many of the island's secrets are brought to life on this trek through time. The cost is $15 per adult and teen, $13 for seniors (65+), $5 for youth, and children under five get in free.

Connecting Cultures: Fur Trade Weekend – July 5 – 7, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Travel back in time over 150 years, stepping into a recreated fur trade encampment. Discover the history of the fur trade on Madeline Island and beyond. Interact with historians and re-enactors as they demonstrate many aspects of life at a fur trade post, including wilderness medicine, firearms, birch canoe building, blacksmithing, surveying and other trades. The cost is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for children and free for children under five.

Bad River Movie Screening and Panel Discussion – July 9, 5:30 to 8 p.m.

When the Anishinaabe began settling the lands east of the Atlantic, Gichi Manidoo, the “Great Spirit,” told them to travel until they found “the food that grows on water.” What they discovered was a Lake Superior region teeming with wild rice, fresh water and natural resources—and in the centuries to come, they would also find themselves embroiled in a harrowing fight for sovereignty. Narrated by Quannah ChasingHorse and Academy-Award nominee Edward Norton, Bad River chronicles the hope, loss and resilience experienced by the Anishinaabe Bad River Band as they fought—and continue to fight—for a more prosperous future. The movie will be screened at the Madeline Island Museum alongside director Mary Mazzio, who will host a panel discussion of her David and Goliath-style Indigenous epic after the showing to discuss the rich and complicated history of the original inhabitants of Mooningwanekaaning (Madeline Island). Cost is $20 per person. 

Madeline Island Chamber Music at the Museum – July 16, 7 to 8 p.m.

Enjoy an evening of classical music from the American String Quartet, a group of world-renowned string performers. Heralded as a troupe dedicated to 'luxurious, beautifully sculptured performances' by The New York Times, the quartet will play selections from their upcoming tour at the Madeline Island Museum Clubhouse as part of their residency with Madeline Island Chamber Music. The group will also discuss the cultural and historical implications of several pieces at length to provide a more enriching experience.

For more information, visit madelineislandmuseum.org, or click here or call 715-747-2415.

About the Madeline Island Museum

The Madeline Island Museum is one of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s 12 historic sites and museums. Founded in 1958, it tells the stories of Madeline Island and the surrounding region. Madeline Island is the homeland of the Anishinaabe people and one of the earliest areas of European settlement in the state. Mooningwanekaaning is the Ojibwe name for Madeline Island meaning place of the yellow breasted flicker bird. The site includes several historic buildings as well as the modern Capser Center Gallery where visitors can view special exhibits, watch films about island history, attend lectures, and participate in workshops. Owned and operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society since 1968, the museum is in La Pointe, a half block from the ferry dock. Visit madelineislandmuseum.org or call (715) 747-2415 for more information. Wisconsin Historical Society members receive free admission to this site during regular operating hours.

About the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active, and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.