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Willard Malebear

@willardtattoos

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Huŋkpapȟa Lakȟota - 🌱🌱🌱
Exec-Art Shelf, Owner-Iktomi Tattoo. SPONSORS: @industryinksusa
@reborntattoocare @prodigy.tattooproducts

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

JACKED. Orange Pumpkin Spice scented goodness In The Og consistency. Preorder is live, will ship 10/25. 🎃

#halloween #october #tattoocare #reborntattoocare

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Hau mitáyapi. Meet Willard Malebear Jr, a local Indigenous artist whose work will feature during our annual Native American Heritage Game. Learn more about Willard and his new piece, which incorporates sacred medicines and floral patterns inspired by Lakota, Dakota and Anishinaabe traditions.

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Do good, make art, take action 🌱🎨 What could your creativity change?

Join Lauren of @heartseed.creative for a hands-on workshop exploring storytelling, art, and design as tools for a more regenerative world. You’ll brainstorm a message that matters to you, then use plant-based pigments and materials to create a one-of-a-kind postcard design.

Healthy food systems, less textile waste, stronger communities. Whatever you care about, this is a space to imagine what could be different and make something to share 💌

After the workshop, Heartseed Creative and Gifting Grove will turn your artwork into a risograph-printed postcard, printed by @boneshakerbooks ✉️✏️ Pick it up at our next postcard-writing and sending event!

📅 Wednesday, October 14
⏰ 6:30–8:30 PM
📍 Art Shelf · Minneapolis, MN

No art experience needed, just yourself, your creativity, and a little curiosity. All materials provided.

Register using the link in Gifting Grove's bio 🫶🏻

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Willard Malebear @willardtattoos is a Húŋkpapȟa Lakȟóta tattoo artist, painter, father, and community artist based in Minneapolis. Known for his bold, highly saturated color work, Willard’s tattoos blend illustrative imagery, strong composition, and a playful, sometimes surreal approach that gives his work an unmistakable visual energy. His identity as a Lakȟóta artist, father, and relative deeply informs the way he approaches both art and community, with creativity serving as a means of connection, healing, and storytelling. Through tattooing and his broader artistic practice, Willard is proud to contribute to the growing visibility and presence of Indigenous artists in contemporary tattoo culture.

✨We’re now accepting artists applications for the First annual NDN Territory gathering of ink. Apply now through the link in our bio.
✨TAG YOUR FAVORITE INDIGENOUS TATTOO ARTIST✨
✨October 23-25 2026 OKANA resort and indoor water park. Oklahoma City, Ok.
✨More than Ink- it’s identity, story, and tradition.

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Artist: @willardtattoos will join us this THIS YEAR !!!
“International Puerto Rico Tattoo Convention” December 4-5-6 2026 in San Juan Puerto Rico !!!

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A lot of my favorite things have started with someone saying, “We should do that sometime.”

Building Gifting Grove has given me practice turning those little sparks into real reasons for people to show up, share what they know, and meet one another all in the spirit of the gift economy. Now James @jamesctucker and I are bringing that process to @artshelforg.

We’ll talk through what helps a gathering feel inviting, how to start before everything is perfectly figured out, and ways to shape an idea into something people can join. Then, you’ll have time to sketch out a gathering of your own: big, small, practical, playful, or still very much in progress 🌾✨

There’ll also be coffee from Curioso and breakfast snacks to keep us company ☕️

Come make a plan, borrow some momentum, and maybe send the “we should do that” text afterward (-:

🔗 Register through the link in Gifting Grove’s bio

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BE A GOOD RELATIVE by Willard Malebear @willardtattoos

“I was once told that being a good relative means doing the hard thing, the thing that is asked of you even when it is inconvenient. Sometimes that means bringing your parents groceries, giving someone a ride, or bringing a meal when they are sick. Sometimes it means standing up and defending someone’s humanity. Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ, we are all relatives. Our neighbors are our family, and we must stand up for them as we would our own. Even those who are lost, sick, angry, or causing harm are still our relatives, pray for them too. We belong to each other, and someday we may need someone to stand up for us. Being a good relative means remembering that, especially when it is hard.”

The Radical Act of Having Each Other’s Back

26 MN artists respond to Operation Metro Surge

🗓️ Exhibition on view August 29 - September 20, Wednesday - Sunday, 10 AM - 6 PM

📍FindFurnish @findfurnish 2014 Central Ave NE,Minneapolis, MN 55418

#TheRadicalAct #ContemporaryArt #minnesotaartist #MinneapolisArt

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How can an idea, interest, or shared passion become a gathering? 🌱🌾

Join Gifting Grove at @artshelforg for an interactive workshop on bringing people together. Whether you’re dreaming up a skill share, art workshop, nature walk, website-design class, neighborhood potluck, or something entirely your own!

Founder Veronica @mangokick and Vice President James @jamesctucker will share practical and creative ways to turn a spark of an idea into a welcoming community event.

Then, you’ll jump into a hands-on planning activity to begin shaping a gathering of your own. Come with an idea, or simply a curiosity about connecting with others, and leave with inspiration, practical next steps, and a starter plan to bring it to life ✳️✨

Let’s share what we care about and make more room to learn from one another.

🔗 Learn more and register through the link in Gifting Grove’s bio!

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The second photo dump of Sunday @greatnorthtattoofest in Duluth

I love our tattoo community.

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I took a million photos on Sunday!
Here are some of the trip photos, our booth, and a few of the many portraits i took @greatnorthtattoofest in Duluth this weekend. It was such a pleasure to meet so many of you - i can’t wait to finish editing these photos and post the rest! You are all a beautiful bunch making beautiful work.

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Solid day for the crew! 🥇🥇🏆
Mantis took home 1st place small black and grey, Willard snagged 1st place medium color and Tattoo of the Day!
@iktomitattoominneapolis
@akthegrey
@tattoosbymichaelamay
@sick_brat
@_sinny.boy_
@willardtattoos
@greatnorthtattoofest

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👁️ 🎲 👁️ Behold, @willardtattoos snagged first place for Friday Fresh Medium Color AND Friday Tattoo of the Day with this Beholder 👁️ 🎲 👁️

Congratulations on the wins Willard!

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