The Mural: Celebrating Kitihawa

In 2026 NPES commissioned the creation of a mural on the exterior of our Annex at 2015 W Montrose Avenue celebrating Kitihawa, the Potawatomi woman who co-owned and operated the trading post that served as Chicago’s foundation. Kitihawa was the wife of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, who is widely-recognized as Chicago’s founder. But despite Kitihawa’s crucial role in the history of our area, she remains little known and seldom recognized.

The mural, called Mamwi (meaning “together” in Potawatomi), was designed, created, and named by Indigenous artists Noelle Garcia (Klamath) and Monica Rickert-Bolter (Potawatomi). It not only honors Kitihawa, but all Indigenous peoples, then and now, who call this land home. Students across second through seventh grades learned about Potawatomi culture and design from Monica and Noelle before contributing the design elements you see around the doorway as well as the painting of flourishes. Students also spoke powerfully about their learning at the dedication ceremony.

Place-Based Learning: Chicago as Classroom

The student connection to the project reflects one of NPES’s Signature Threads: Place-Based Learning, which involves guiding student explorations of the world beyond our walls as they develop a deeper understanding of their community and their unique place within it. You can learn more about our school-wide place-based learning programs here.

The Dedication: A More Inclusive and Just History

Mamwi’s dedication took place on September 9, 2026. The ceremony brought together students, faculty, staff, families, and special guests for a morning of reflection, celebration, and learning. We were honored to welcome Selena Kearney, an accomplished singer and drum performer of Indigenous ancestry, and Jason Wesaw, a renowned contemporary Indigenous artist, special guests of Noelle and Monica.

The dedication read:

We dedicate this mural to Kitihawa—to her indispensable but too often overlooked place in Chicago history—and to the Potawatomi people whose history is inseparable from the history of this land.

And we dedicate it to the Indigenous people who are not simply part of Chicago's past, but who continue to enrich, influence, create, lead, and shape our city today and who will do so for generations to come.

May this mural remind everyone who passes it that our understanding of the past, present, and future becomes fuller, richer, and more just when we make room for the stories that have gone untold—and when we tell those stories together. 

Gratitude: Support for the Fine Arts at NPES

We are deeply grateful to the Peter Nielsen Family and the Faith Nielsen Charitable Fund for making this project possible through their ongoing generous support of the fine arts at our school. Their investment in this mural allows NPES students, families, employees, and visitors to experience this important piece of Chicago history every day while also reflecting our school’s long-standing commitment to the arts for every student.