A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ (i hope it will stir your mind)
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

Exhibition, Burnet Gallery: February 12–July 5, 2026 [GET TICKETS]
Performances, McGuire Stage: May 14–16, 2026 [GET TICKETS]

Created by transdisciplinary and dance artist Rosy Simas (Seneca Nation of Indians, Heron clan), A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ (i hope it will stir your mind) is a dance work, an installation, and a community engagement project. 

Simas weaves a “mind of peace” into every aspect of the project’s creation—every stitch, movement, sound, and image is imbued with the Seneca notion of a “good mind” and a peacemaking state of being. A:gajë:gwah dësa’nigöëwë:nye:’ cultivates peacemaking and community well-being in a time of deadly politics, racism, and bigotry.

Simas’s abstract, transdisciplinary universe rejects false dichotomies between the traditional and contemporary, the sonic and somatic, the visual and the physical, even the separation between life and art.

The installation, rooted in Simas’s intentional practice, weaves together moving image, sound, and sculpture. It combines materials such as cornhusk-twined bottles, deerskin lace, and annuity cloth into a space for considered contemplation and reflection. The installation serves as both a physical representation of Simas’s family and a reflection of Hodinöšyö:nih philosophies. 

The contemporary dance work draws from Simas’s movement practice of deep listening to the earth, stars, and ancestors, to create a performance that draws the audience into a space of relationality.

Accompanying the performances and installation are a series of community engagement activities (workshops, discussions, lectures, demonstrations) with Hodinöšyö:nih artists and scholars that aims to share Hodinöšyö:nih art and culture with the local Native and broader Twin Cities communities. 

Exhibition Credits
Composer: François Richomme
Fabrication and Design Assistant: Jeffrey Wells
Benches: James Simas
Lighting Design and Production: Heidi Eckwall
Fabrication Assistance: Eliza Erdrich
Lead Access Consultant & Audio Description: Barak adé Soleil
Audio Describer: Sequoia Hauck
Deaf ASL Interpreter: Cindi Martin

Audio description and haptic tour information TBA

Performance Credits
Composer: François Richomme
Performers: Sam Aros-Mitchell, Talia Dixon, Charlie Maybee & Lela Pierce
Set Design: Heidi Eckwall, Rosy Simas & Jeffrey Wells
Benches: James Simas
Fabrication Assistance: Eliza Erdrich
Lead Access Consultant & Audio Description: Barak adé Soleil
Audio Describer: Sequoia Hauck
Deaf ASL Interpreter: Cindi Martin
Outside Eye: Tanya Lukin Linklater

All performances are ASL interpreted.
Audio description and a pre-show haptic tour will occur at the matinee performance on Saturday, May 16.
Reserved wheelchair seating is available for every performance.