Institute of American Indian Arts IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts December 2019 Exhibitions + Public Programs

Upcoming Exhibitions at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA)

Anne and Loren Kieve Gallery,

Live Long and Prosper: Indigenous Futurism in Contemporary Native Art

February 13, 2020 - July 26, 2020

Artist Reception, February 13, 2020 | 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Live Long and Prosper highlights artworks that present the future from a Native perspective, and illustrates the use of cosmology and science as part of tribal oral history and ways of life. The science fiction and post-apocalyptic narratives depicted in these artworks are often reality for Indigenous communities worldwide. The imagery and narratives also emphasize the importance of Futurism in Native Cultures. Artists use Sci-Fi related themes to pass on tribal oral history to younger audiences and to revive their Native language. The works in this exhibition create awareness about how cultural knowledge and tribal philosophies are connected to the universe, science, and the future. Live Long and Prosper was co-curated by IAIA art history faculty Dr. Suzanne Fricke and IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts chief curator Dr. Manuela Well-Off-Man.

Among the artists in this exhibition are Marcus Amerman (Choctaw) (IAIA 1984); Sonny Assu (Liǥwildaʼx̱w of the Kwakwaka'wakw Nations); Luzene Hill (Eastern Band of Cherokee); Frank Buffalo Hyde (Onondaga/Nez Perce) (IAIA 1995); Daniel McCoy Jr. (Muscogee Creek/Citizen Band Potawatomi) (IAIA 2003); Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pueblo); Ryan Singer (Diné); Santiago X (Coushatta); Robert Dale Tsosie (Navajo/Picuris Pueblo) (IAIA 1991); Nicholas Galanin (Tlingit/Unangax̂); Teri Greeves (Kiowa) (IAIA 1996); Suzanne Kite (Oglala Lakota); Ehren Kee Natay (Kewa/Diné); Sarah Sense (Chitimacha); Hoka Skenandore (Oneida/Oglala Lakota/Luiseño/Chicano) (IAIA 2006); Neal Ambrose Smith (Salish, Métis, Cree); Rory Wakemup (Boise Forte Band of the Minnesota Chippewa) (IAIA 2010); Debra Yepa-Pappan (Jemez Pueblo) (IAIA 1992); and Jeffrey Veregge (Port Gamble S'Klallam).

North Gallery

Charlene Teters: Way of Sorrows

February 7, 2020 - May 17, 2020

Artist Reception, February 13, 2020 | 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Way of Sorrows, a new installation by Charlene Teters (Spokane), addresses current issues such as forced migrations and the US-Mexico border crises, while asking questions about responsibility and identifying new myths.

Teters explains: "From famine, disease, and empire, Native people have experienced forced migrations and marches. There have been many trails of tears and marches of death in this hemisphere since Columbus. The caravans coming to our southern border are part of an uninterrupted history of forced migrations and trails of tears." Way of Sorrows reminds viewers that the "manmade climate crisis may soon make refugees of all of us, too. No wall will protect us from the wrath of a dying planet." Teters' installation also seeks a spirit of hope and includes interactive elements inviting visitor responses and dialogues.

Charlene Teters (Spokane) is an artist, educator, and activist. Teters' activism has led to a strong upswing in efforts to eliminate Native American mascots in the United States. This history of her activism is the subject of a nationally aired award winning documentary "In Whose Honor?" by Jay Rosenstein. Teters' art has been featured in several major exhibitions, commissions, and collections. She was also the first artist-in-residence at the American Museum of Natural History.

Helen Hardin Media Gallery

G. Peter Jemison: Iroquois Creation Story

November 15, 2019 - March 15, 2020

Artist Reception, February 13, 2020 | 5:00pm - 7:00pm

This exhibition features colored pencil drawings and 3-D works by renowned contemporary Native artist G. Peter Jemison (Seneca, Heron Clan) created in preparation for his film Iroquois Creation Story, which will be screened in the Helen Hardin Media Gallery. The film and artworks are inspired by John Mohawk's (Seneca) 2005 publication Iroquois Creation Story and Chief John Arthur Gibson's (Seneca) more detailed 1898 version of the creation story, published in 1928. Jemison collaborated with Friends of Ganondagan, Garth Fagan Dance, and graduate students from the Rochester Institute of Technology School of Film and Animation on the film -- which includes 2-D and 3-D animated and live action scenes. The dances were performed by traditional Iroquois dancers and dancers from Garth Fagan Dance. Brent Michael Davids (Stockbridge Munsee) composed the film music. The 17 minute film tells the story of Sky Woman and her grandsons Flint and Sky Holder. The story's message is about balance between forces on the earth and gratitude towards the unique position of Turtle Island in the universe.

Jemison earned a BS in Arts Education and an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Art from Buffalo State College. His works are included in major collections such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, Heard Museum, Phoenix; Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, Santa Fe; Denver Art Museum, Denver; British Museum, London, UK; and Museum der Weltkultern, Frankfurt, Germany. Jemison is also an esteemed curator and writer. In 2004, he was elected Board Member at Large of the American Alliance of Museums (formerly the Association of Museums), and was the founding director of the American Indian Community House Gallery in New York City.

Ongoing Exhibitions at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA)

Anne and Loren Kieve Gallery

Visual Voices: Contemporary Chickasaw Art

On view through January 19, 2020

Visual Voices showcases the diversity of expression in contemporary Chickasaw art across different media and multiple perspectives. The artworks analyze the complex relationship between contemporary Chickasaw life and the rich tribal history and culture. Each of the fifteen emerging and established artists demonstrates a personal approach. Many of the artists are inspired by traditional Chickasaw elements of design, and render them in contemporary materials and aesthetics to create an innovative, thought-provoking visual language. Others investigate tribal stories, belief systems, or family histories and traditions; and how these relate to present-day Chickasaw life. With more than 45 artworks reflecting a wide variety of themes, techniques, and methods -- the exhibition finds balance in the artists' strong connection to tribal identity as well as his or her distinctly individual and cultural roots.

The exhibit is organized by concepts and subjects important to the artists: including personal and collective identities; nature and humans' relationships with the land; environmental concerns; place and belonging, i.e. artists' connections to their current and historic homelands; the importance of women in Chickasaw culture and society; tribal and personal histories; community life; cross-cultural relationships; the preservation, continuation, and further development of Chickasaw art traditions; as well as contemporary art practices. One of the main characteristics of Visual Voices is the individuality and diversity of the artwork's chosen media, style, and processes. What connects these works is the artists' strong sense of Chickasaw identity. Among the participating artists are Brenda Kingery, Paul C. Moore, Kristin Dorsey, Margaret Roach Wheeler, Dustin Mater, Billey Hensley, Norma Howard, Brent Greenwood, and others. Visual Voices was co-curated by MoCNA chief curator Manuela Well-Off-Man and Karen Whitecotton (Citizen Potawatomi Nation).

Visual Voices is made possible by a grant provided by the Chickasaw Nation, assistance from The American Indian Cultural Center and Museum, and guidance from the Chickasaw Artist Board.

Kieve Family Gallery

Experimental exPRESSion: Printmaking @IAIA, 1963-1980

On view until July 11, 2021

Experimental exPRESSion: Printmaking @IAIA, 1963-1980 features fifty-one recently acquired works on paper from the Tubis Print Collection, donated by the Nina Tubis Wooderson Trust. Notable artists in the exhibition include Peggy Deam (Suquamish), Mary Gay Osceola (Seminole), and Sandy Fife (Muskogee Creek), among other IAIA Alumni. The exhibition will be on display for two-years and closes July 2021.

"Printmaking today contains so many variables, so many possibilities exist in the uses of materials. It is unlikely that any contemporary printmaker has not experimented or thought of experimenting with the same materials and processes." Seymour Tubis, 1966

The Tubis Print Collection illustrates the experimentation that took place in the IAIA Printmaking Studio from 1963-1981, which established a standard of modern printmaking practice for Native artists. Printmaking students learned skills that were central to the fine art curriculum developed for young Native artists. The process introduced students to the concepts of design, layout, shape, line, texture, and color. Printmaking informed other media, such as painting and sculpture, and helped shape the Contemporary Native Arts Movement at IAIA.

"This exhibition celebrates the experimentation of IAIA students during the first two decades of the Contemporary Native Art Movement. The variety of works on paper on exhibit is a testament to the progressive arts education program in graphic arts," stated IAIA archivist and exhibit co-curator Ryan S. Flahive.

About Seymour Tubis

Seymour Tubis (1919-1993) was hired to teach graphic arts and printmaking at IAIA in September, 1963. Originally from Philadelphia, Tubis studied at the Philadelphia Museum School of Art and the Arts Students League of New York in the 1940s. From 1949 -1950, he studied and exhibited his work in Europe and returned to the United States in the 1950s to further his art career and supplement his income through teaching art in New York until he moved to Santa Fe in 1963. Tubis was a key faculty member at IAIA until his retirement in 1981.

South Gallery

Sámi Intervention/Dáidda Gázada

On view until February 16, 2020

Loosely translated, dáidda gázada in the Sámi language, means, "to make questions with art as a medium." Through video and installation art, this exhibition creates a narrative of visual sovereignty and cultural and intellectual connections with contemporary Sámi -- who are Indigenous peoples from parts of Norway, Sweden, and northern Finland. Indigenous histories and narratives are recorded, retold, characterized, re-imagined, and re-envisioned throughout time. Geographical, cultural, political, and resilient forces inform indigenous knowledge and imagination in every part of the world including Scandinavia. Dáidda Gázada explores alternative futurities, the complex realities of Sámi/American Indian/First Nations identity, and the changing terms of Sámi art and political agency. The exhibition highlights the work of Sámi artists Carola Grahn (Sámi/Sweden), Joar Nango (Sámi/Northern Norway), and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot, Kainai First Nation (Blood Reserve)/Sámi/Northern Norway) in collaboration with local Diné artist Autumn Chacon.

About the Artists:

Autumn Chacon (Diné) is a multi-media and new-media artist from Albuquerque, New Mexico. From an early age she has worked as an active community organizer for the advancement of Native American Rights, Environmental Justice, Media Rights, and Access. Using new media, Chacon considers herself a modern day storyteller and strives to tell old stories in new and abstract ways, often collaborating with other indigenous artists in the process. Her work has been featured in exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Paved Arts, and Raven Row.

Carola Grahn (Sámi/Sweden) is a visual artist from Jokkmokk Sápmi, based out of Malmö, Skåne County, Sweden. Grahn works primarily with materializations of text, installation strategies, and sculptural media. Her affective text and sculptural installations lend poetic dialogue to the contexts of place, labour, and gendered social constructions of the North. Carola is an internationally-known artist whose work has been shown at ); Carleton University Art Gallery, (Ottawa, CA); Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, (Brandon, CA); Art Centre KulttuuriKauppila, (Finland); Bildmuseet, (Sweden); Galleri Jinsuni, Seoul, (Korea); amongst other places. Grahn is one of the founders of Sámi Girl Gang.

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot, Kainai First Nation (Blood Reserve)/Sámi/Northern Norway) is a filmmaker, writer, and actor based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Tailfeathers is the 2018 Sundance Institute Merata Mita Film Fellow and is an alumna of the Berlinale Talent Lab, the Whistler Film Festival Aboriginal Film Fellowship, and the International Sámi Film Institute Indigenous Film Fellowship. Tailfeathers received a Canadian Screen Award and a UBCP/ACTRA VWIFF Award. Her short documentary, Bihttos, was included in the TIFF Top Ten Canadian Shorts and was also nominated for a Leo Award for Best Short Documentary.

Joar Nango (Sámi/Northern Norway) is from Áltá, Sápmi, Norway and lives and works in Romssa, Tromsø, in Northern Norway. He is a Sámi architect and practicing artist. He works with site-specific installations, video and self-made publications, which explore the boundary between architecture, design, and visual art. His work relates to questions of Indigenous identity, often through investigating the oppositions and contradictions in contemporary architecture. Nango's work has been exhibited internationally in Canada, Ukraine, Finland, China, Russia, Colombia, and Bolivia; including spaces, 161 Gallon Gallery, Gallery Deluxe Gallery, GallerySAW, and the Western Front. More recently his work was featured in documenta 14 in both Athens and Kassel, Germany.

North Gallery

Reconciliation

On view until January 19, 2020

Reconciliation responds to the transformation and last year's ending of "La Entrada" as part of the Santa Fe Fiestas. This reenactment depicted a particular version of the late 17th century "reconquest" of the region by Spanish authorities, following the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. Although the event was never universally accepted, and had been resisted for decades, in 2017 protests escalated nearly to violence. Following careful negotiations the pageant was discontinued in 2018.

Recognizing the power of art to open dialogue toward reconciliation, the exhibition will serve as an expression of 'post-entrada' creativity in Santa Fe and surrounding communities. Grounded in wiya eh kodi ani - Tewa for "putting things right again" Reconciliation features the collaborative visions of Hispano and Pueblo artists, characterized by their notions of reconciliation, healing, and transformation; and includes a healing garden and six distinct installations. Among the artists are Lynnette Haozous (Chiricahua Apache/Diné/Taos Pueblo); Deborah Jojola (Isleta and Jemez Pueblos); Paula Castillo; Roger Montoya; Camilla Trujillo; Ramon Barela; Josh Suina (Cochiti Pueblo); and others. Dr. Estevan Rael-Gálvez, former state historian and one of the individuals involved in the years-long facilitated process to end the Entrada, guest curated the exhibition, with MoCNA Chief Curator Manuela Well-Off-Man and MoCNA Curator of Collections Tatiana Lomahaftewa-Singer (Hopi/Choctaw).

"The present in New Mexico retains traumas born from the past, a spiritual, emotional, and psychological wounding that radiates across the generations and has contemporary implications, including internalized wounds that are only beginning to be measured," Rael-Gálvez said. "Recovery, healing, and transcendence begin with a critical remembering, but also with projects such as Reconciliation, a creative reimagining of the present and future."

MoCNA Director Patsy Phillips (Cherokee) noted, "We are honored to bring together artists from across the community to ensure that we keep the conversation moving forward toward a more critical understanding of history and culture."

Allan Houser Art Park

Lynnette Haozous: Abolishing the Entrada (mural painting, acrylic)

On view until June 30, 2020.

As part of the Reconciliation exhibition, artist Lynnette Haozous (Chiricahua Apache/Diné/Taos Pueblo) has painted a mural depicting the last day of the Entrada.

Haozous explains, "The path to reconciliation is to first acknowledge the events that have brought us here today, post-Entrada ... It is an honorary mural depicting the strength of the community members coming together to abolish the Entrada, especially the Indigenous women who stood on the front line. These warriors also fought against all that it represents: colonial police state violence, patriarchy - the fight for Indigenous rights and ways of life, also includes the protection of land, air, water, and sacred sites for our future generations." The mural depicts the different points of view from community members who voiced their opinions and feelings surrounding the Entrada. "It is important to understand each other's perspectives, while also acknowledging the true history of these lands. We must remember that reconciliation is an active process," says Haozous.

Hallway Gallery and Honor Gallery

Heidi K. Brandow: Unit of Measure

On view until January 2020

Heidi K. Brandow (Native Hawaiian/Diné), has created a new mural painting in MoCNA's first floor Hallway and Honors Galleries in February. Brandow is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work is filled with whimsical characters that are often combined with poetry, stories, and personal reflections. She hails from a long line of Native Hawaiian singers, musicians, and performers on her mother's side -- and Diné storytellers and medicine people on her father's side. Inspired by everyday life, Brandow's work concerns discovering, defining, and constantly redefining personal identity by questioning authority and deconstructing mainstream assumptions of Native Americans.

Brandow explains, "Unit of Measure can be considered a transitory impression that playfully acknowledges the intricacies, complications, and the unknown as components of personal identity."

Second Floor Hallway Gallery

Robyn Tsinnajinnie and Austin Big Crow: The Holy Trinity

On view until October 2020

Robyn Tsinnajinnie (Navajo) and Austin Big Crow's (Oglala Lakota) mural The Holy Trinity (2018) commemorates the strong women who have resonated through their lives.

Tsinnajinnie explains "The Holy Trinity symbolizes how we should encourage each other as native women to strive further in our lives. Multiple reports of abuse and abductions have lead to fear, but this is the time to help and encourage others, and to remind each other, that no matter what, we are still here. Native women have always had a strong presence, so along with the size of the depicted women, the amount of color emanates an uplifting amount of encouragement." The three female figures represent three generations of women, and the graffiti words read Saint, Goddess, and Pure, representing characteristics of these women.

Attending IAIA has inspired both artists to create art with a strong message that can resonate with others to do the same. Big Crow's knowledge as a screen printer has helped him to emphasize and bring attention to certain subjects, while Tsinnajinnie's painting skills contributed to the strong color pallet to go alongside the women.

"The Holy Trinity reflects our experiences and passion, and reminds women everywhere that they will

always have a strong presence in the world," said Big Crow.

South Courtyard

Wayne Nez Gaussoin: Adobobot

On view until July 26, 2020

New on view in MoCNA's South Courtyard: Wayne Gaussoin's (Diné/Picuris Pueblo) Adobobot!

Wayne Nez Gaussoin's (Diné/Picuris Pueblo) Adobobot is a modern modular robot with a southwestern adobe façade. The sculpture melds traditional materials and techniques with contemporary high-tech forms, reflecting the evolution of Pueblo culture over time. The work also explores the connection between today's popular culture and traditional Indigenous mythology. Many traditional Pueblo stories have non-human beings that are both protectors and behavioral enforcers. Tales of heroic figures, idolized by modern society, dominate today's popular culture. Adobobot relates to traditional Pueblo stories that can be viewed from a modern perspective.

Wayne Nez Gaussoin (Diné/Picuris Pueblo) received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts and a Master of Fine Arts with a minor in Museum Studies from The University of New Mexico. Gaussoin has also an extensive background in teaching jewelry and art theory.

For more information on any of these exhibitions please visit:

iaia.edu/iaia-museum-of-contemporary-native-arts/museum-exhibitions.

Ongoing Public Programming at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts

IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts Tours:

MoCNA offers group tours for educational, travel, and corporate groups. Group tours must be arranged at least four weeks prior to arrival. Please call 505.428.5907 for more information.

Walk-In Tours with our Docents:

The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts provides current exhibition highlight tours every week on Mondays and Saturdays at 11:00 am led by our Docents. With cost of admission, these walk-in tours are free to our guests and offer insight into contemporary Native American art and experience. In some cases, we might not have a docent available, so please call 505.428.5907 during museum hours to confirm that the walk-in tours are offered on a particular day--or ask the museum admission desk.

Programs are subject to change, please visit our website for the most up to date programming calendar at: iaia.edu/iaia-museum-of-contemporary-native-arts/museum-happenings.

Traveling Exhibitions

The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) has organized an exhibition that is available to travel to other major museums in the country and is available to continue to travel beyond the venues listed below. The exhibitions originated in the MoCNA's south gallery which has approximately 600 sq. ft. of space and is available beginning January 2020. If you're interested in scheduling this exhibition, please contact MoCNA's Exhibition Coordinator at 505.428.5906 who can provide the prospectus as well as more specific information.

Last Supper is a conceptual installation pointing to the effects of how the food we consume is making a negative impact within our communities. C. Maxx Stevens (Seminole/Mvscogee Nation) builds a visual narrative based on private and public memories and experiences to deal with the devastating effect of diabetes throughout native nations. The exhibition Last Supper creates a larger social awareness of the epidemic and its dilemma in all of the United States. The mixed media installation includes her family archives and testimony about the disease and its impact on traditional values and the drastic evolution of diet as well as economy. C. Maxx Stevens is an installation artist and a member of Seminole/Mvscogee Nation from Oklahoma. She has recently retired as a Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.

At The Museum Store and Lloyd Kiva New Gallery

The Museum Store offers a unique shopping experience, featuring a collection of high-quality, Native-made, and Native-designed products including one of the most extensive collections of books on Native-related topics. The inspiring collection of items also includes prints, textiles, paintings, jewelry, pottery, sculpture, various home goods, and children's products. We are pleased to offer Native brands like Eighth Generation, The NTVS, Trickster Company, Bison Star Naturals, and more!

Upcoming Pop-Up Shop, 12/7/19 - 12/8/19

Meek Watchman (Navajo) - Jewelry and Watercolor Artist

A graduate of IAIA's MFA program (2014 - 2016), Meek Watchman is a talented jewelry artist, watercolor painter, poetess, and aerial silk artist. Born in San Francisco, Meek has traveled the Southwest, discovering her art and building her life. She has recently returned to her roots as an artist, and will be showcasing her 2019 Winter Collection at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts Store through the season.

"I feel like I am waking up from a heavy transition - now I'm in a place where I can feel the goals, sacrifices, and challenges I made for myself before I started my family, fiercely tugging at the reins. As a new mother, wife and artist I am discovering who I am now - and I've realized nothing has changed. My goals, aspirations and determination are still in place, I just unknowingly slowed the process to grow and heal. There is one major difference, however, now I have my greatest loves, my son and husband, to share it with."

The 2019 Winter Collection - Textile Watercolor Earrings inspired by the geometric patterns, timeless beauty of Navajo Textiles and guidance from R.C. Gorman. Each pair is intricately designed and hand-painted, cut, assembled, sanded, and polished. Each pair is truly unique, no two are alike.

Upcoming Gallery Exhibition, Lloyd Kiva New Gallery Space, 12/6/19 - 1/17/20

"Yiiyah Man: Taken Beyond Culture", Duhon Lee James (Diné)

My works combine traditional and contemporary styles into block printing. I have a unique imagination of introducing Aliens, UFO's into Navajo culture and storytelling; sometimes, it feels like there is a purpose of why there might be a relationship with Aliens or another life form...being curious of who else we could be chanting and praying to in our traditions and thoughts."

An alumnus of IAIA, with his BFA in Studio Arts, Duhon James will be holding his first exhibition in the Lloyd Kiva New gallery space. Duhon combines daily life with the supernatural, reminding us of the possibility of other life outside our universe. All work in the gallery space will be available for purchase.

Stop by to experience all that the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts Store has to offer! For more information contact us via email: museumstore@iaia.edu and phone: 1.888.922.IAIA (4242) or 505.983.1666.

Shop Online at http://www.iaia.edu/store.

About IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts:

The mission of the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) is to advance contemporary Native art through exhibitions, collections, public programs, and scholarship. MoCNA's outreach through local and national collaborations allows us to continue to present the most progressive Native arts and public programming. MoCNA's exhibitions and programs continue the narrative of contemporary Native arts and cultures.

The museum is located at 108 Cathedral Place, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Hours: 10:00 am-5:00 pm Monday & Wednesday-Saturday / 12:00 pm-5:00 pm Sunday / Closed Tuesdays / $10 for adults; half-price for seniors (62+), students w/ valid ID, and NM residents; and free for members, Native people, veterans and their families, youth (16 & under), and NM residents visiting on Sunday. Events are free with admission.

For more information please contact: 505.983.1666 or visit iaia.edu/iaia-museum-of-contemporary-native-arts.

IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts marketing is partially funded by the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission and the 1% Lodgers' Tax.

About IAIA:

For over 50 years, the Institute of American Indian Arts has played a key role in the direction and shape of Native expression. With an internationally acclaimed college, museum, and tribal support resource through the IAIA Land Grant Programs, IAIA is dedicated to the study and advancement of Native arts and cultures -- and committed to student achievement and the preservation and progress of their communities. Learn more about IAIA and our mission at http://www.iaia.edu.