Donna Brown recognized in “American Indian Leaders of Distinction” exhibit
The University of North Dakota’s Hughes Fine Arts Center has a new exhibition ― and this one has is here to stay.
The permanent exhibit is titled, “American Indian Leaders of Distinction,” and it highlights and honors the exceptional work of nine American Indian alumni who have become leaders in the state and communities they serve, are committed to improving the lives of others and are preserving and promoting their heritage.
“My vision for the exhibition was to recognize and celebrate these important alumni for their leadership — as doctors, educators, artists and more, and all of them received their education at the University of North Dakota,” said UND President Robert Kelley. “They are role models, not only in their own communities, but beyond.”
One of these role models, Donna Brown, a former administrator for UND American Indian Student Services, found herself honored and thrilled to be considered as one of these exceptional American Indian leaders.
“For a minute, I thought ‘Am I worthy?’ because I know so many other Natives doing great things,” Brown said. “I realized it was important for me to participate in the exhibit, not only for myself, but for others to see and say: ‘Hey, I know that lady and if she can succeed then so can I.’ All of us featured serve as role models — whether we think we are or not.”
Sense of pride
The featured alumni were honored at an opening ceremony May 8. The UND photographers who created the portraits, Jackie Lorentz and Shawna Noel Schill, were recognized as well.
“It struck me when I walked into the room that, as an employee at UND, I assisted almost every other person on that wall and in some ways that made me feel more accomplished than my own accomplishments,” Brown said. “I helped some of them from the day they stepped foot on campus to the day they graduated and I was beaming with pride just looking around the room.”
Brown, who grew up in Belcourt, N.D., on the Turtle Mountain Reservation, and is a member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa tribe, is no stranger to higher education. After receiving her associate degree in business from Sitting Bull College in Fort Yates, N.D., she became a three-time degree holder from UND.
Altogether, Brown and her sisters have seven UND degrees and her husband is a UND alumnus as well.
“I am a very proud UND alum, both in terms of my experience as an employee and my three degrees,” Brown said. “In my immediate family we have 11 degrees between us so I have a very deep appreciation for UND and great pride in UND,” Brown said. “The encouragement and belief that the people at UND had in me both as employers and faculty members — even at times when I didn’t have that belief in myself — gave me confidence.”
About the future
For Brown, it’s all about the future.
“My achievements aren’t just for me,” she says. “I know they’re going to have an effect on my children and their children and so on. We advance our Native American communities with whatever degree we get.”
“I want Native people to truly realize sovereignty, and we can only do that if we have Native professionals teaching in our schools, leading our governments, providing healthcare, etc.,” Brown said. “When I was growing up, all of the doctors, teachers and administrators were non-Indian, so I’ve seen a great change.”
The exhibit that features Brown and the others is located in the newly renovated Anna Mae Hughes Room, Room 103, of the Hughes Fine Arts Center, which is on campus and open to the public.
“The exhibit shows Native people as contemporary human beings, not relics of the past, and I think it’s important to see us as living, breathing, contributing members of society,” Brown said.
The exhibit was brought to life through the efforts of UND Art Collections. Also, students in the UND Art & Design Department’s museum practicum class assisted with the exhibit by measuring the gallery space and drafting a layout for the installation.
“We hope that visitors will encounter American Indian leaders through this exhibition and, whatever their own backgrounds may be, feel a sense of pride for these distinguished alumni who have worked selflessly to help their communities,” said Nathan Rees, UND Art Collections coordinator of exhibitions.