ST. PAUL, Minn. - A group is looking at how art portraying Native Americans should be used inside the renovated Minnesota Capitol when it reopens in 2017.
The art subcommittee of the Capitol Preservation Committee meets Monday to take up the topic. Gwen Westerman, a Dakota educator and subcommittee member, will lead the discussion.
DFL state Rep. Dianne Loeffler of Minneapolis says concerns have been raised about the historical accuracy of some current Capitol paintings. Loeffler tells Minnesota Public Radio News some of the paintings are "romanticized visions" of Native Americans.
Rep. Dean Urdahl, a Republican from Grove City, has resisted efforts to change the existing Capitol art. But he says the painting titled "Father Hennepin at the Falls of St. Anthony" is problematic, because it shows a partially dressed Native American woman.
