Public Reception | The Native Shawl Project: A Message of Hope

The exhibition will bring the completed shawls together with the stories, reflections and documentation created during the residency. All November events are free and open to the public.

Exhibition Nov. 1-30, 2026 Ellipse Balcony Gallery, third floor Fresno State Library, 5200 N. Barton Ave.

Panel Discussion and Film Screening Thursday, Nov. 5, 2-4 p.m. Table Mountain Rancheria Reading Room, third floor Fresno State Library

Public Reception Thursday, Nov. 5, 4-6 p.m. Table Mountain Rancheria Reading Room, third floor Fresno State Library

The School of Art, Design and Art History in Fresno State's College of Arts and Humanities presents The Native Shawl Project: A Message of Hope , an artist residency and collaborative learning experience led by Lakota elder, community activist and generational shawl maker Corky Mills.

Mills, whose Lakota name is Winyan Ishnala ("Lone Woman"), is an 89-winter elder from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, on the Cheyenne River Reservation. Her family lineage includes respected community leaders Chiefs White Horse, White Swan, War Eagle and John Grass. Her knowledge of shawl making, beadwork, storytelling and community service has been learned through a lifetime within family, culture and community.

Mills is also a founding member of Winyan Omnicha - "The Gathering of the Women" - a gathering rooted in the Lakota community that has grown in the Central Valley to include Native women from many Tribal communities. Its guiding spirit is simple but powerful: We help one another.

That same spirit is at the heart of The Native Shawl Project: A Message of Hope . During the eight-week residency, Mills will work with 25 Fresno State students, teaching them how to create shawls while sharing stories and knowledge from her life and Lakota heritage.

As students create their shawls, they will be encouraged to research their own family histories. Photographs, stories, memories, colors and symbols may become part of their designs, allowing each shawl to carry an individual message of hope. Through this process, students will experience how art can connect personal identity, family history, cultural knowledge and community.

"What I love about this project is that Corky is sharing knowledge and wisdom she has lived and experienced - not simply information recorded in a book," said Jamie Nakagawa Boley, project director and curator. "She brings the artistry of a shawl maker and bead artist, the commitment of a community activist, and the experience of a grandmother, wife, daughter and sister. Our students have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn alongside her, and it is a profound honor to welcome her to Fresno State."

"A university can make something meaningful possible when learning extends beyond the classroom and into relationships among people, histories and communities," Boley said. "This project recognizes that knowledge is also carried through elders, families, memory, making and service. As students research their own histories and create their shawls, each piece becomes both something they make and something they have to say."