Pat Kruse
Pat Kruse was born in Oakland, California and is a member of Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Red Cliff, WI and a descendent of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Onamia, MN. Kruse is an accomplished and award winning birchbark & quillwork artist & culture teacher who has worked with birchbark for over 30 years. Coming from a family of birchbarkers, Pat knew at an early age he wanted to be a birchbark artist, and his mother is his greatest influence. Kruse is known for remaking old-style Ojibwe birchbark and quill basketry, and his work is in the collections of Plains Art Museum (Fargo, ND), Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN), Science Museum of Minnesota (St. Paul, MN), and Mille Lacs Indian Museum (Onamia MN). Pat teaches birchbark basket workshops with students and adults who are willing to learn.
