UPDATE: Recently, evidence has been uncovered that shows Kay LeClaire, who also went by the name nibiiwakamigkwe, has been falsely claiming to be an Indigenous person with Tribal membership. This is a terrible act of racial fraud inflicting grievous injury to Indigenous people.
The Academy offered a free workshop on cultural appropriation in October 2022, in coordination with an exhibition at the Academy’s James Watrous Gallery and in partnership with UW-Madison’s Center for Design and Material Culture and the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection. Kay LeClaire was one of the workshop leads as part of their residency at UW-Madison's Center for Design and Material Culture and was not paid by the Academy. With the free workshop, we sought to fight cultural appropriation and increase engagement with Indigenous cultures in a respectful and ethical manner. We were deceived by Kay LeClaire and take responsibility for and deeply regret providing them with a platform.
