Robert DesJarlait (Endaso Giizhig)

Robert DesJarlait (Endaso-Giizhik) is from the Red Lake Ojibwe Nation. He is a visual artist, muralist, writer, historian, and educator. In the early 1980s, he established himself as a fine artist who worked in watercolor. He later switched to acrylic as his primary medium.  His paintings focused on Ojibwe traditional family life and the role of Ojibwe women in Ojibwe-Anishinaabe culture. His work was featured in solo, juried, and invitational exhibitions. He illustrated curriculum units for numerous Native American educational programs and agencies and organizations in Minnesota. He served as a cultural mentor and advisor on many public art projects. The late 1990s mark his period as a muralist. He served as K-12 arts instructor at Heart of the Earth Survival School (1988-90), and Native arts history teacher at NAES tribal college, Lac Courte Oreilles extension college, and Augsburg college.  After battling colon cancer in 2013 and recurrence in 2016, Robert decided to return to his roots as a fine artist. In 2019, he opened with a solo exhibition at Two Rivers Gallery in Minneapolis. In 2020, his work was featured in a solo exhibit at AICHO Galleries at Duluth. His recent work is in permanent collections at University of Minnesota / Morris Campus and East Central Regional Arts Gallery, and private collections. Robert is listed in Who’s Who in American Art (1986), and Reference Encyclopedia of the American Indian (1987).

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