Created by renowned Anishinaabeg sculptor Jason Quigno, this public artwork honors the Seven Grandfather Teachings of the Anishinaabe people —core values for living in harmony with the natural world and one another. The Seven Grandfather Teachings sculpture is made of carved and locally quarried Kona Dolomite and Green Basalt stones. It is located at the base of the downtown walking pier (400 S Lakeshore Blvd).
The City of Marquette joined a grant funded cohort in early 2025 to expand the sculptural site into a living monument. This monument is one of the first major sites along the City of Marquette’s Shoreline Cultural Trail – a growing network of public spaces and stories that reflect the many cultures, histories, and environments of Marquette.
Phase Two: Summer 2026
Honoring the Three Fires Confederacy
- Phase Two will add a stone sculpture of ishkode (fire), representing the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi nations that collectively make up the Anishinaabe People.
- The cohort is led by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community in partnership with the City of Marquette with cultural advisement from Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and Hannahville Indian Community.
- Phase Two is funded by Forecast Public Art as a part of the Midwest Memory Grant. The funding will also support the creation of educational curriculum to accompany the monument.
Proposed Additional Site Improvements:
In addition to the added Ishkode sculpture, the cohort is considering planting native birch trees and shrubs around the site as an enhancement to the existing native plant garden beds along the walking pier. This will create an “outdoor room” and restore a sense of the natural shoreline in the heart of Marquette’s developed downtown.
Located at the base of the new pier in the downtown lower harbor, this site is comprised of a new outdoor space that features the Seven Grandfather Teachings Monument. The site design creates a contemplative, outdoor “gallery” for the sculptures. This is accomplished by embracing the space in a grove of native plants like birch trees, ferns, blueberry, and sedges. – Urban Ecosystems Landscape Architects, Consultants of the Shoreline Cultural Trail
Supported by the Mellon Foundation, this initiative provides financial resources, training, and guidance to rural communities seeking to elevate significant stories through public art. Selected teams represent small towns with populations under 25,000, over 40 miles from a metropolitan area. This opportunity intends to build cross-sector collaboration in these communities to help enrich these projects.
Learn more about artist Jason Quigno:
