By Emily Jarrett Hughes
Indigenous Peoples Task Force invites the community to join them in celebrating the grand opening of their new center for Indigenous wellness through culture and arts, Mikwanedun Audisookon, on Wednesday, June 24.
Mikwanedun Audisookon means “remember our teachings” and reflects that culture is the thread that weaves together all of programs at the Task Force.
For nearly four decades the Indigenous Peoples Task Force (IPTF) has been nurturing community health and Indigenous resurgence.
The intersecting crises of HIV, unhoused relatives, and opioid mis-use have led the IPTF prevention and care services to become increasingly comprehensive. The new building affords more clinical space in addition to a healing room and spaces to learn cultural arts and wellness practices.
Ikidowin Youth Theater Ensemble has grown from a humble peer education program into a troupe that has performed across the country. The theater space in the new building will represent the first indigenous owned theater in the Twin Cities.
As programming in regenerative farming and indigenous foodways has grown, the new building provides teaching gardens, a commercial kitchen, and café space.
Designed as a “Living Building,” Mikwanedun Audisookon itself represents indigenous values. Part of the lower level of the building is constructed from stabilized compressed earth blocks. These earth blocks were made by youth interns on site with soil from the Twin Cities. It is a building material with low environmental impact, effective at preventing mold and mildew growth, and reduces the building’s energy needs for heating and cooling.
Everyone in the community is welcome to the grand opening celebration 1-4 PM on June 24, 2313 13th Ave S, Minneapolis.
