McKnight Foundation honors poet Heid E. Erdrich

The McKnight Foundation announces the selection of poet, editor, and literary artist Heid E. Erdrich as its 2026 Distinguished Artist. Presented annually since 1998, the award honors a Minnesota artist or culture bearer who has made significant contributions to the state’s cultural life.

Erdrich, a Southwest Minneapolis resident, is Ojibwe, enrolled at Turtle Mountain, and has spent more than three decades expanding what poetry can be and who it can reach. She calls herself a literary artist because her work extends far beyond the written page. She performs, collaborates with visual artists and dancers, co-creates films, curates exhibitions, edits anthologies, and brings poems into sidewalks, storefronts, parks, markets, and other public spaces.

“Everybody has a poetic utterance in their life somehow,” she said. “Many people think poetry is inaccessible.

For me, it has always been something anyone has the potential to create.”

Writer Sun Yung Shin, who nominated Erdrich for the award, has known her for more than 15 years as a member of the poetry community and an admirer of her work. “Heid E. Erdrich is a Minnesota artist of the highest caliber as well as a uniquely influential arts leader, organizer, educator, and public intellectual,” Shin wrote in the nomination. “Heid works in community spaces because she believes that language belongs to everyone, and I have seen her enjoy, value, and champion the language of all kinds of people.”

DeAnna Cummings, Arts & Culture program director at the McKnight Foundation points to Erdrich’s impact both as an artist and as a champion for other creatives. “Heid has spent decades bringing poetry into public life while creating opportunities for other artists to create and collaborate. She is a Distinguished Artist in the fullest sense. Moving across forms from poetry and film to visual art and public projects, she draws on her Ojibwe and Midwestern experiences while expanding what literary art can be and who it can reach.”

For Tonya Allen, president of the McKnight Foundation, Erdrich’s influence extends far beyond her own artistic practice. “Heid is a visionary poet and cultural leader whose work has helped shape the literary landscape of

Minnesota and Native Nations across the country. Through decades of creativity, collaboration, and leadership, she has enriched Minnesota’s cultural life and shown how art can connect people, strengthen communities, and open new possibilities.”