We Are Still Here: Course celebrates Native American popular culture

Native American culture is alive and illuminating. A new course from Dr. Shannon Epplett explores the arts and ideas of current Indigenous artists.

“The idea is to bring culture hiding in plain sight and make these artists visible,” said Epplett, an instructional assistant professor of theatre at Illinois State University. He began teaching the theatre class “We Are Still Here: Native American Popular Culture” in the spring of 2022. “People often dismiss Native American culture as historical, or traditional, as something that only exists in the past. This class is about looking at the work that is created by and for Indigenous people today, to make Native America visible and present for non-Natives.”

By Rachel Hatch