Gift from Jim Denomie's family honors Red Lake artist and their mentor relationship

Diane Wilson and her family received an outpouring of love and support this past spring following the passing of her husband, artist Jim Denomie. Beginning this summer, Wilson is reciprocating that love through the creation of the Jim Denomie Memorial Scholarship.

This week the scholarship announced it awarded $10,000 to Jonathan Thunder, a visual artist and citizen of Red Lake Nation, who lives in Duluth.

The Wilson-Denomie family is working in partnership with All My Relations Arts, a nonprofit gallery in south Minneapolis, and the Todd Bockley Gallery to administer the award.

A writer and arts organizer, Wilson wanted to announce the award on Jim’s birthday to celebrate his life and his work.

“There was so much beautiful, loving, kind energy that came out of his passing,” said Wilson. “We wanted to just find a place where we could use it to help transmute some of this grief into something really positive and forward-moving for our community.”

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/07/08/gift-from-jim-denomies-family-honors-red-lake-artist-and-their-mentor-relationship