April 24, 2025
9 AM to 5 PM
InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront
11 E Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55101
Creative Economy Summit
Conversations and connections for Indigenous creativity to thrive.
Creating a sustainable lifestyle through creativity is tough, but not impossible. We’re bringing together the best and brightest individuals and organizations who support them to connect with one another on creating a vibrant and abundant life as artists. Being an artist requires hard work and grit, and is entrepreneurship. This day-long summit will provide tools and resources for people looking to expand their skillsets to creating an abundant lifestyle through creativity and the arts.
Join us the day before the Native fashion event of the year to dive deep into issues facing Native creatives and find tactical solutions to support a vibrant life as an artist and maker.
How it works:
Sign-in and registration starts at 8:30 AM
Each session ranges from 1 to 2 hours
Session capacity is limited to 25 people per session
Attendees sign up for session on the day-of the summit
Lunch will be available for purchase on-site
9:00 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks with Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan
MN Ballroom East
Gerald White, Leech Lake Anishinaabe Tribal Elder and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan
Investing in Native entrepreneurs means investing in the future of our communities.
10:00 AM
Mní Wičóni and the Restoration of Owámniyomni
Governor's Boardroom (60 min)
Shelley Buck, President of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi
Mpls - St. Paul Business Journal’s Women in Business Honoree 2025
Learn how Owámniyomni Okhódayapi is creating a future where Dakota culture has a vital presence and Dakota values – such as mni wičóni, or water is life – are embedded into our communal existence.
JCloud Aesthetics “Get Your Glow On”
Governor's III (60 min)
Julia Cloud, Owner of JCloud Aesthetics & Brooke Pendergrass, Manager
Esthetician License and Laser Certification located in Eagan, MN
Explore essential skin care practices, product ingredients and treatments used to maintain healthy skin and sign up for a free, one-on-one skincare consultation and receive a Glo Skin Beauty skincare kit. Participants can sign up for free one-on-one 30 minute skincare consultations.
Springboard for the Arts: Public Art Collaborations
State Suite 2 (60 min)
Moira Villiard, Public Visual Artist & Muralist, Springboard for the Arts
Arts educator on issues of equity and justice
An in-depth look at the process of creating public art from the perspective of an active muralist working in the field.
Grow with Google
Governor's IV (120 min)
Katherine Heppner, Regional Director, North Central Small Business Development Center
Economic Development Association’s Emerging Leader of the year 2020
Setting your Digital Marketing Goals, Google business profile, Google Ads, Google Analytics.
11:00 AM
Sustaining Life through Traditional Arts: The Economy of our Hands & Hearts
State Suite 2 (60 MIN)
Gerald White - Limnology Biologist (Fresh Water) & Cultural Educator
Traditional arts: bough picking, wood carving, pinecone gathering, wild rice harvesting, fishing, and more are not just acts of survival but sacred ways of life that nurture our spirits, bodies, and economies.
Gaining Insights with MN Regional Arts Councils
State Suite 3 and Governor’s Boardroom (60 min)
Patrick Calder-Carriere, Executive Director, Region 2 Arts Council
Theater, Writer & Platinum Tier 3 AI Trainer
A collaborative session between six Regional Arts Councils including: 5 Wings, Prairie Lakes Region, East Central Region, Southwest Minnesota, and Metropolitan Regional Arts Councils to share insights on Minnesota’s arts landscape, funding, and resources and receiving feedback as an essential tool in shaping the future of the arts.
12:00 PM
Engage Artists & Entrepreneurs: Support Creative Communities
MN Ballroom E (60 min)
Panel Discussion
Bringing together artists and organizations that provide essential services & resources to foster growth and sustainability in the arts. We’ll discuss challenges & successes in connecting artists with support systems, identify opportunities for collaboration, and explore how we can collectively strengthen the Native creative community.
1:00 PM
Career Planning for creatives
State Suite 2 (120 min)Mikha Dominiguez, Springboard for the Arts
Queer non-binary Latinx Visual Artist, Set Designer & Art Director in TV industry
Where do you want to be both artistically and profesionally? Learn how to define your values, identify key choices and develop a plan to achieve your career goals.
New Business or Old business, accounting must-haves
STATE SUITE 3 (60 MIN)
Melissa Anderson, MAcc, CIA, Founder & CFO Proworx Accounting & Consulting
Whether you're just starting out or growing an established creative business, this interactive session covers essential accounting tools and practices for Native artists. Learn how to confidently manage your finances—from budgeting and tracking expenses to preparing for taxes and grants—so your art and business can thrive.
Sustaining Life through Traditional Arts: The Economy of our Hands & Hearts
Governor’s Boardroom (60 MIN)
Gerald White - Limnology Biologist (Fresh Water) & Cultural Educator
Traditional arts: bough picking, wood carving, pinecone gathering, wild rice harvesting, fishing, and more are not just acts of survival but sacred ways of life that nurture our spirits, bodies, and economies.
Rooted & Rising: Indigenous Wealth, Wellness, and Creative Power
Governor’s Boardroom (120 min)
Panel discussion with leaders from Mni Sota Fund
Rooted & Rising celebrates Indigenous resilience, creativity, and community wealth-building. This panel explores how Mni Sota Fund is cultivating pathways to financial literacy, homeownership, and entrepreneurship, all grounded in cultural values and relational leadership. Through storytelling, client experiences, and community-centered programming, we honor the power of tradition as the foundation for innovation and uplift Native voices, building vibrant futures in the creative economy.
2:00 PM
From Healing to building Sustainable Futures: Our shared trauma of money
State Suite 3 (60 min)
Nikki Pieratos, Exective Director, Tiwahe Foundation
Integral contributions in the development of Bois Forte Federal Credit Union, Center of Indian Country Development at the Mpls Federal Reserve, and investing in Indian Country at NDN Collective
A brief history of Anishinaabe economic systems in Minnesota, the lasting impact of colonization, how our society’s present-day systems continue to miss the mark, addressing the shared trauma across our two societies with largely economic origins. An orverview of the systemic changes needed, but also how each of us can start working towards a more sustainable and happy future.
3:00 PM
Intangible Property: Copyright & Trademark Law
State Suite I (120 min)
Dena Van De Voort Ehrich, VP Associate Chief of Intellectual Property Council, Safety & Industrial Groups, 3M
Intellectual property for visual and performing artists, focusing on copyright and trademark. Learn the difference between the two, how and why to register them, and how both can be used to protect your brand and your creative work.
Bringing Indigenous History to Life Through Art
State Suite 3 (60 min)
Marlena Myles, Spirit Lake Dakota Artist
Book Illustrator & “We are on Dakota Land” metro bus tour Creator, Designer, & Storyteller
Self-taught Native American (enrolled Spirit Lake Dakota and of Mohegan and Muscogee descent) artist based in St. Paul. Her art brings modernity to Indigenous history, languages and oral traditions while using the land as a teacher. Her professional work includes children’s books, augmented reality, murals, fabrics, animations and has shown her work in notable fine art galleries in the metro including the MIA, Museum of Russian Art and the MN Museum of American Art.
Your Portfolio Kit
STATE SUITE 2 (120 MIN)
Mikha Dominiguez, Springboard for the Arts
Queer non-binary Latinx Visual Artist, Set Designer & Art Director in TV industry
Your portfolio is the core of your promotional material and professional calling card. Focus on the essential elements: sharpening your artist statement, tailoring your artistic resume, and curating and formatting your work samples.
4:00 PM
Inside the World of Fashion Magazines
State Suite 3 (60 min)
Inside the World of Fashion Magazines, Award-winning Native American (Tlingit) Writer + Editor
Go behind the scenes of fashion magazines with award-winning writer and editor Kate Nelson (Tlingit) to learn more about how the media industry works and how you can navigate the ever-changing world of lifestyle journalism.
Crafting Sovereignty: Indigenous Fashion, Education, and Cultural Responsibility
Governor’s VI (120 min)
Sariah Park (Chiricahua Apache) and Leila Kelleher, Assistant Professors of Fashion Design and Social Justice, Parsons School of Design, School of Fashion
This roundtable centers Indigenous creativity, knowledge, and self-determination within the world of fashion and design. As Indigenous fashion continues to expand globally, this space brings together designers, artists, and educators to explore how fashion can serve as a vehicle for sovereignty, cultural continuity, and community empowerment.
We’ll engage in dialogue around what it means to craft sovereignty—through textiles, garments, storytelling, and education—and how Indigenous voices can be amplified not just in representation, but in leadership, pedagogy, and ownership of cultural narratives.
This conversation also addresses the ongoing tensions around cultural appropriation vs. cultural respect, and the responsibility of institutions, educators, and non-Indigenous creators in honoring Indigenous knowledge and practice.
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Sariah Park, Assistant Professor of Fashion Design and Social Justice, Parsons School of Design, School of Fashion
Sariah Park is an interdisciplinary artist and educator currently serving as Assistant Professor of Fashion Design and Social Justice at Parsons School of Design. An enrolled member of the Chiricahua Apache Nation, Sariah’s work is rooted in supporting and centering Indigenous voices within the arts and academia. Her research and creative practice explore the lasting impacts of colonization, cultural appropriation, consumerism, and material waste within fashion and visual culture. As both an artist and educator, she is committed to building space for Indigenous knowledge, resistance, and cultural sovereignty through design.
Sariah’s work has been featured in Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Hyperallergic, The Wall Street Journal, and Women’s Wear Daily. She is a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Fellowship, and artist grants from Creative Capital and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Her work is held in private collections and museum archives, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
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Leila Kelleher, Assistant Professor of Fashion Design and Social Justice, Parsons School of Design, School of Fashion
Dr. Leila Kelleher applies biomechanics principles to fashion design to develop innovative solutions for plus-size apparel design and development. She is an Assistant Professor of Fashion Design and Social Justice at Parsons School of Design. With a PhD in Biomechanics, she takes an interdisciplinary approach to expanding design practices for plus-size fashion. Her previous work includes a multi-year partnership with Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic to support strategic planning and training in community recreation.
Leila is the co-founder of the Size Inclusion in Fashion (SIF) Lab, which advances research, industry collaboration, and education to challenge conventional sizing practices. Her book, Plus Size Patternmaking for Womenswear (Bloomsbury, 2025), is the first specialized textbook on plus-size patternmaking, introducing techniques for designing and producing plus-size garments that account for differences in body shape and proportion.
