As part of the North Dakota Human Rights Film & Arts Festival, we would like to have the "Silent Witness" art exhibition created by Lisa Brunner, Member of the White Earth Nation and 2016 Bush Fellow, placed in the businesses of downtown Fargo.

The Friday night portion of the film festival will be dedicated to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis. The film "1200+", which documents 1,200 Native American women and girls who have disappeared or have been murdered in Manitoba. The film’s co-directors, Shelia North and Leonard Yakir, both from Winnipeg, are currently scheduled to join us. Sheila is also the current Grand Chief of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, a non-profit, political advocacy organization that provides a collective voice on issues of inherent, Treaty, aboriginal and human rights for the citizens of 30 sovereign First Nations.

In addition to holding a panel discussion that will include Lisa Brunner, Grand Chief North and Leonard Yakir, we would like to bring awareness and discussion around the MMIW crisis through the "Silent Witness" project. Lisa Brunner created 5 life-size silhouettes of women who were murdered at White Earth. We would like to bring these 5 silhouettes to Fargo and construct 5 additional silhouettes and work with businesses in downtown Fargo to have them stationed in their stories. As shoppers are visiting the stores, they'll randomly come across these silhouettes and learn about indigenous women in the region who have been murdered.

The silhouettes will be on display Monday, November 12, 2018 through Sunday, November 18, 2018. The "Silent Witness" project will be culminate on Sunday when they will be on display at the Radisson Hotel during their Sunday morning brunch.