Community Opening Reception for A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ (i hope it will stir your mind) Postponed until April 30
MINNEAPOLIS, February 3, 2026—The community opening reception for Rosy Simas’s A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ (i hope it will stir your mind) previously scheduled for February 12, 2026, has been postponed to April 30, 2026. Simas and the Walker have jointly made this date change in consideration of the safety of the Native community and out-of-town guests planning to travel to Minneapolis for this special event. The exhibition will still open to the public on February 12.
Simas comments, “My new exhibition is a space for the community to rest and contemplate. Spaces like this are important for us to have moments to breathe and take refuge from the violence around us.
However, at this time, I cannot ask the community to gather to celebrate this exhibition opening. I cannot ask Native people from other places to travel to Minneapolis at this time. I cannot ask the community to come together when many do not feel safe enough to leave their homes.
In the meantime, and as you feel comfortable, I invite you to come experience the exhibition at the Walker—I hope it offers you the rest and reflection you may need.”
Exhibition
A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ (i hope it will stir your mind)
February 12–July 5, 2026
Gallery C/Burnet
Created in partnership with a team of collaborators, A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ (i hope it will stir your mind) foregrounds the Seneca notion of a “good mind.” Rooted in Rosy Simas’s (Seneca Nation of Indians, Heron clan) intentional practice, this transdisciplinary exhibition weaves together moving image, sound, and sculpture. It combines materials such as treaty cloth, deerskin, and traditional cornhusk-twined bottles into a space for considered contemplation and reflection.
For Simas, the installation serves as both a physical representation of her family and a reflection of Hodinöšyö:nih philosophies. Citing Anishinaabe writer Gerald Vizenor, Simas describes each element of the exhibition as an act of “survivance,” a reflection of the circular patterns of protection between herself and her ancestors. Integrating extensive research with lived experience, A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ cultivates peacemaking and community well-being in a time of deadly politics, racism, and bigotry.
This exhibition is the culmination of Simas’s two-year, cross-disciplinary residency at the Walker. Other components include a major new dance commission premiering in the McGuire Theater in May 2026 and a series of community engagement events throughout the run of the exhibition.
Curators: Pablo de Ocampo, Director and Curator of Moving Image, and Philip Bither, McGuire Director and Senior Curator of Performing Arts
ABOUT ROSY SIMAS
Rosy Simas (Seneca Nation of Indians, Heron Clan) is a transdisciplinary, Twin Cities-based artist. Her knowledge of her Hodinöšyö:nih (Haudenosaunee) family and lineage is the underpinning of her relationship to culture and history—stored in her body—expressed through her work of moving people, images, and objects that she makes for stage and installation. Simas’s work weaves personal and collective identity themes with family, sovereignty, equality, and healing. She creates with a team of Native and BIPOC artists.
Simas’s works for stage include she who lives on the road to war, Weave, Skin(s), and We Wait in the Darkness. Her installations have been exhibited at the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center, All My Relations Arts, SOO Visual Arts, and the Weisman Art Museum. Simas is a Doris Duke Artist, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Fellow, Forge Project Fellow, Guggenheim Fellow, McKnight Fellow, Dance/USA Fellow, United States Artists Fellow, First Peoples Fund Performing Arts Fellow, and a Joyce Awardee. Her other accolades include a Native Arts and Cultures Foundation SHIFT award and multiple awards from the New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project, the MAP Fund, and the National Performance Network. Simas is a 2024–2026 Walker Art Center artist in residence.
RELATED EVENTS
Community Opening: Rosy Simas
Thursday, April 30, 6 pm
McGuire Theater, Free
Join artist Rosy Simas (Seneca Nation of Indians, Heron clan) and Reuben Roqueñi, Executive Director of the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, in conversation to celebrate the opening of the exhibition Rosy Simas: A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ (i hope it will stir your mind). The two will discuss Simas’s transdisciplinary practice, from her long history in choreography to her recent work in sound and video installation.
Following the artist talk, enjoy conversation and small bites with a reception in the Cargill Lounge beginning at 7 pm.
This event requires a free ticket, and seating is first-come, first-served. Registering online in advance is recommended and holds your seat until 15 minutes prior to the event start.
Opening Talk
Jamie Jacobs: Preserving Seneca Language and Culture
Date TBA
Bentson Mediatheque, Free
Join artist, curator, and educator Jamie Jacobs (Tonawanda Seneca Nation, Turtle clan) for a discussion that delves into Seneca language and culture. Presented alongside Rosy Simas: A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ (i hope it will stir your mind), Jacobs’s talk will expand on research and themes from Seneca culture and history at the center of Simas’s exhibition. A fluent speaker dedicated to teaching the language and preserving Seneca material culture, Jacobs will also highlight his artistic practice of porcupine quillwork.
Karen Ann Hoffman on Raised Beadwork
Thursday, February 19, 6 pm
Bentson Mediatheque, Free
Join artist Karen Ann Hoffman for a discussion about Haudenosaunee raised beadwork, presented alongside the exhibition Rosy Simas: A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ (i hope it will stir your mind). This style of beadwork is characterized by raised lines of beads that create a three-dimensional texture on the fabric’s surface. Infusing contemporary design into her artistic practice, Hoffman views her beadwork as a written language that holds the traditions, stories, and worldview of her ancestors.
This presentation is free; seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
ABOUT THE WALKER ART CENTER
The Walker Art Center is a renowned multidisciplinary arts institution that presents, collects, and supports the creation of groundbreaking work across the visual and performing arts, moving image, and design. Guided by the belief that art has the power to bring joy and solace and the ability to unite people through dialogue and shared experiences, the Walker engages communities through a dynamic array of exhibitions, performances, events, and initiatives. Its multiacre campus includes 65,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, the state-of-the-art McGuire Theater and Walker Cinema, and ample green space that connects with the adjoining Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The Garden, a partnership with the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, is one of the first urban sculpture parks of its kind in the United States and home to the beloved Twin Cities landmark Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Recognized for its ambitious program and growing collection of more than 16,000 works, the Walker embraces emerging art forms and amplifies the work of artists from the Twin Cities and from across the country and the globe. Its broad spectrum of offerings makes it a lively and welcoming hub for artistic expression, creative innovation, and community connection.