Wohpe by Marlena Myles is a sacred Dakota spirit of harmony and peace. Photos: Marlena Myles
The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum isn’t just a living wonderland of trees, plants and flowers. It’s also a destination for art lovers, thanks to indoor exhibits and outdoor sculptures, including more than two dozen contemporary pieces in the Harrison Sculpture Garden.
The sculpture garden features works of art near walkways leading up to a peaceful grove of trees that encircle the highest point at the arboretum. It’s also the starting point of a new, ongoing augmented reality exhibit by Dakota artist Marlena Myles, honoring the Indigenous people, who first called this land home.
Twin Cities–based, nationally known artist Myles launched the first stop in the exhibit, Dakota Sacred Hoop Walk, in 2022 and recently debuted the rest of the exhibit, which visits five significant sites. At each stop, visitors can use their phones to launch the Revelo AR app by Pixel Farm, which allows art and audio by Myles to be accessed.
Visitors can learn about numerous sacred Dakota concepts, including the Four Winds and the ways in which Grandmother Earth and all her plants, animals and living beings are related through the Sacred Hoop. They’ll also meet Wohpe, the Dakota spirit of harmony and peace.
Sarah Jackson is a media specialist at the arboretum. She lives and gardens in Minnetonka. Learn more at arb.umn.edu.
