Bus Tour: Native Architecture w/ Full Circle Indigenous Planning + Design Architects Sam Olbekson & Regine Kennedy - June 5
Minneapolis Community Education is privileged to partner with Full Circle Indigenous Planning + Design in offering a tour of their work in our community.
This tour offers an inspiring opportunity to experience the rich history, culture, and ongoing vitality of Indigenous communities in Minnesota. Together, these sites provide a meaningful journey that highlights Native resilience, cultural preservation, education, environmental stewardship, and the powerful community impact of Indigenous-led organizations that strengthen cultural understanding and community wellbeing.
Full Circle Indigenous Planning+ Design is a 100% Native American-owned and community-focused design firm. Full Circle collaborates with communities and organizations to create culturally appropriate, operationally efficient, and fiscally responsible design solutions.
This tour will take you to four urban sites❤️
The Minneapolis American Indian Center sought to renovate and add to their aging facility. The modernized and expanded building offers a variety of spaces and services at the heart of the urban American Indian Cultural Corridor.
Red Lake Nation College leveraged existing buildings to expand its campus to Minneapolis. Highlights include culturally-focused learning spaces and an upper-level roof deck.
The new offices for Owamniyomni Okhódayapi, which is a Dakota-led non-profit working to transform five acres of land along the riverfront into a place of restoration, education, healing, and connection.
Named to honor the significance of Waḳan Ṭípi Cave as a Dakota sacred site, the mission of Waḳan Ṭípi Center is to serve as an intergenerational gathering place that honors Waḳan Ṭípi and Wic̣aḣapi as Daḳota sacred sites. Our work here connects people to this sacred landscape though immersive experiences in Daḳota history, lifeways, language, and values.
The 7,500 sq. ft. building features an exhibit hall, classrooms, ceremony space, a community gathering area, a teaching kitchen, and teaching gardens to showcase and expand the value of the sanctuary as a place for cultural healing, life-long learning, and inspiration.
We hope you can join us as we learn about these important resources in our community.
If event is sold out, please add your name to the waitlist. We will let you know if a tickets becomes available.
Only transfer of registration after May 5th. .
Katherine Bodger
Community Education Coordinator
Trips, Tours & Events
Questions?
612-668-3000
Katherine.Bodger@mpls.k12.mn.us
Regine Kennedy
Director of Cultural Resource Planning at Full Circle Indigenous Planning + Design
Regine brings more than ten years of experience working with cultural sites and communities across the country. She is skilled at understanding the stories, places, and cultural contexts that support meaningful, inclusive, and accessible interpretation. Her work helps organizations translate complex histories into experiences that resonate with diverse audiences while honoring the significance of place.
She pairs this expertise with strong experience in community engagement and facilitation, interpretive planning and writing, and exhibit development. Regine has effectively engaged a wide range of stakeholders, including multiple Native American tribes, and is known for creating welcoming, thoughtful processes that center community knowledge and lived experience. She is a trusted collaborator with community organizations; local, state, and Tribal governments; state and national parks; and heritage sites nationwide.
Regine’s community-led approach is grounded in humility, kindness, and respect. She prioritizes listening and relationship-building, ensuring that project outcomes authentically reflect community voices and values while supporting clear, well-crafted interpretive anddesign solutions.
Relevant Experience
• Owamniyomni Okhodayapi - Season 2, Minneapolis, MN
• Two Inlets at Bdé Heháka - Omashkooz Zaaga’igaans Regional Park, Clear Lake, MN
• Hiawatha Links Schematic Design, Minneapolis, MN
• Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Museum, Cloquet, MN
• Dakota County 2050 Vision Plan, Dakota County, MN
• Wakan Tipi Cultural Center Exhibits, St. Paul MN
• Mississippi River Learning Center, St. Paul, MN
• Itasca State Park Long-range Interpretive Plan, Park Rapids, MN
• Spring Lake Park Reserve, Hastings, MN
• Oheyawahi/Pilot Knob Interpretive Concepts, Mendota Heights, MN
• Vermillion River Greenway Interpretive Concept Design, Hastings MN
• Veteran Memorial Greenway, Dakota County, MN
Education: Master of Urban and Environmental Planning, University of Virginia
Bachelor of Science, University of Minnesota
Sam Olbekson
Principal-in-Charge at Full Circle Indigenous Planning + Design
As a Native American architect with over 25 years of design, comprehensive planning, and cultural visioning experience, Sam serves tribal communities and Indigenous organizations by bringing a contemporary and forward-thinking perspective to the design and planning process.
With a sincere commitment to improving the lives of tribal community members, Sam brings a wealth of experience and cultural knowledge as a lead designer on a wide range of mixed-use, urban design, residential, institutional, hospitality, landscape, educational, and community-oriented projects. He is committed to advancing the cultural preservation, economic growth, health, and well-being of Native communities through sound planning and practical design strategies.
Sam is known as a progressive and thoughtful design thinker on culturally significant projects and produces unique and inventive design solutions, responding to cultural tradition with innovative designs without relying on stereotypical imagery.
Relevant Experience
• Bloedel Reserve Interpretive Master Plan, Banbridge Island, WA
• St. Croix Chippewa Museum, Gallery, and Cultural Education Center, Webster, WI
• Mississippi River Learning Center, St. Paul, MN
• He Sapa Otipi Museum and Cultural Center, Rapid City, SD
• Ione Band of Miwok Indians Community Plan, Plymouth, CA
• Oheyawahi/Pilot Knob Interpretive Concepts, Mendota Heights, MN
• Squaxin Island Community Plan, Shelton, WA
• Wakan Tipi Center, St. Paul MN
• Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Museum, Cloquet, MN
• Minneapolis American Indian Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Anpetu Was’te Cultural Arts Marketplace, Minneapolis, MN
• American Indian Magnet School, St. Paul,
Education: Master of Architecture in Urban Design, Harvard University; Bachelor of Architecture, Cornell University
AE-56333-S27-SWT
Instructors:
- Katherine Bodger
- Regine Kennedy
- Sam Olbekson
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Jun 5th 2027 | 1:00 - 5:00 PM | South High School |
