This is Native America
Title: This is Native America #4: Wells Fargo Indians
Created: 2020
Medium: Graphic Design
Software: Adobe Illustrator CC
Dimensions: 36″x48″
Article (Wells Fargo Indians)
“The work of five Native American artists is showcased in new credit and debit card designs.”
– Wells Fargo News, Native artwork emphasizes balance, protection, respect, connection.
“Wells Fargo is not the lead bank on the project. Wells Fargo is one of 17 banks that have made a loan to the developers of the pipeline. The company is lending $120 million — 4.8 percent of the total financing — to the project’s $2.5-billion credit facility. The additional $1.28 billion required for the project is being funded by the pipeline’s owners.
While Wells Fargo fully respects concerns being expressed, as with other financing agreements, the bank is legally obligated to satisfy the requirements as a lender if all conditions of the credit agreement are met, said Bart Schouest, head of Wells Fargo’s Energy Corporate Banking Group.
“Wells Fargo is a company that serves a broad range of industries and constituents by providing financing that supports economic development to satisfy needs within our markets. While there are times when constituents have different interests around a particular project, our businesses will continue to support our customers on both sides of the issue — in this particular case, the pipeline owners and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe,” said Schouest.
In September, a campaign against the banks financing the pipeline began in earnest. On Nov. 15, designated a “National Day of Action” by pipeline opponents, demonstrations took place at Wells Fargo locations in 17 states, beginning a stream of largely peaceful, coordinated protest activity that has occurred at Wells Fargo locations in the weeks following.
Cora Gaane, the Tribal Advocacy relationship manager for Strategic Philanthropy in Wells Fargo Government and Community Relations, has been meeting with those who serve tribal entities across the U.S. to hear their concerns. Shortly after the protests began onsite in North Dakota, Gaane joined Wells Fargo senior leaders from Corporate Banking, Environmental Affairs, and the Business Banking relationship team in a meeting with leaders from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, with whom the company’s relationship spans decades, and the nonprofit First Peoples Worldwide, to hear their concerns about Wells Fargo’s involvement in the pipeline.”
– Wells Fargo News, Wells Fargo’s involvement in funding the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Poster
Download the 18″x24″ poster (.pdf), This is Native America #4 – Wells Fargo Indians.
Close-Ups
This is Native America
This is Native America is a series of artworks by Ihanktonwan Dakota artist David Bernie that promotes issues and stories within Native American and First Nations communities.
Creative Commons License
This work by David Bernie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. You may download, share, and post the images under the condition that the works are attributed to the artist.
