Duane “Dewey” Goodwin is a Minnesota artist and sculptor who lives near Bemidji. A member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Goodwin is a sculptor who primarily works in stone. He’s worked for over 50 years as an artist, including as art teacher in Bemidji. In 2012, Goodwin was a Community Spirit Award Honoree with the First Peoples Fund, which honors people for their commitment to sustaining the cultural values of Native people.
Goodwin’s sculptures can be found across Minnesota, including along the banks of the Mississippi River and on college campuses. The sculptures portray the reality of life for Indigenous people in Minnesota, a mixture of embracing their culture and a remembrance of pain inflicted through colonization. Health issues have made it challenging for Goodwin to make art in recent years, and KFAI’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with the artist to find out if he is still planning to work and make art in the years ahead.
