The pandemic has brought me much sadness, but also blessings. A couple months ago, my family had lost my aunt to Covid-19. When I first heard the news, I cried so many tears for my aunt. I always hoped she was doing well. It had been many years since I've last seen her. The memories of what she looked like, her voice, and smile echoed in my mind and crumbled my heart. I still really miss her as I am writing this. I deeply wish I can see her and hug her. Just seeing my family has brought me so much comfort, and so is living with my boyfriend. Family has never mattered so much more to me during times like this. All I can believe right now is everything will be okay. #iaiatogetherapart ...

The following letter is a submission from⁣ #IAIATogetherApart, set 50 years from now. To see more submissions or submit your own, visit togetherapart.iaia.edu.⁣
⁣
Pandemic Letter—April 9, 2020, 1:42 pm, Anonymous⁣
⁣
Dear Reader,⁣
⁣
I am writing from a world in which there is no shortage of grotesque heaps of hurt. Assuming that hasn’t gone away, maybe you’re sick of being pat on the head. Maybe you’re sick of being at the receiving end of that hurt. Maybe you’re sick of having to explain why it hurts, or maybe you’re just sick. I take it you’ve heard of COVID-19. Perhaps you’ve been a witness to your grandparent or great-grandparent ranting and reeling about the effect it had on their lives, or maybe told the same stories by your parents. They were stories about how hard they had to work to keep their jobs, or how hard they had to work to educate their children by themselves with countless additional responsibilities. Maybe your elders would say things about how they needed to feel privileged that they had a job at all—from home or at risk. They needed to be grateful that they were slaves to capitalism at the desires of the rich. Maybe your grandparents were children when coronavirus initially began. Maybe your grandparents couldn’t graduate college or high school that initial year. They remember watching their parents struggle to provide, struggle to ration food, some not knowing where their money was coming from after being “guaranteed” their position, but laid off nonetheless. The other side of the coin could be stories of how they remember their parents going out, living as-is, shopping constantly, not wearing masks, or gloves, or caring. Maybe they remember losing someone—a parent, a friend, a child? Maybe they were isolated alone, or without resources. You didn’t live through it, but this is not the depression, 9/11, or the recession of yore. This is different. So much about this disease was unforeseen. It was merciless, fast, suffocating, and unpredictable.⁣
⁣
(Continued in the comments) ...

Join the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) on Saturday, May 11, 1–5 pm for the 2024 “Honoring Our Graduates” IAIA Spring Powwow, immediately following the 2024 IAIA Commencement Ceremony. With the energy and spirit of the dancers and drum groups, IAIA Powwows are a vibrant display of our Tribal cultures—embodying the IAIA community’s resilience.

This free outdoor event is open to the public, and Grand Entry begins at 1 pm in the IAIA Dance Circle at the center of campus. The IAIA Community will provide food, drinks, and art sales. Visitors may bring their own lawn chairs, and umbrellas and canopies are allowed in available open spaces.

Learn more at www.iaia.edu/powwow, link in bio.

Photograph by Nicole Lawe (Karuk) ’16, Institute of American Indian Arts ...

Join the the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) as we welcome our newly arrived IAIA Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) artists, Jerry Brown (Diné) ’95 and Golga Oscar (Yup’ik) ’20, on Monday, April 22 for dinner and a chance to experience their artistic processes firsthand. Dinner is served from 5–6 pm, and a visit with the artists in their studios is from 6–7 pm. Brown and Oscar will be in the A-i-R Studio in the Academic Building. Free and open to the public.

Learn more at www.iaia.edu/spring-2024-iaia-artist-in-residence-program, link in bio. ...

Join the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Land-Grant Department for the IAIA Land Healing and Restoration Celebration. Taking place on the IAIA campus on Friday, April 19 from 9 am–4 pm and Saturday, April 20 from 9 am–2 pm, activities include presentations from renowned land, water, seed, and food stewards, hands-on activity stations on ancestral water catchment practices, seeds, pollinators, and traditional ecological knowledge approaches for soil conservation and habitat regeneration, tree planting, and more! Join us in honor of the land as we collaborate in community to share, learn, and grow. The event will feature live music including New Mexico’s own Indigenous reggae band, INNASTATE, and cool swag, food, and friendship.

This all-ages event is free and open to the public. Guests are welcome to come both days or just one, however, to better gauge numbers for food and swag, attendees are asked to please RSVP. Learn more and RSVP at www.iaia.edu/event/iaia-land-healing-and-restoration-celebration, link in bio.

Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts ...

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Communications Department is pleased to announce the release of Connections, a quarterly print magazine highlighting stories from the IAIA community. Connections builds upon the IAIA email newsletter, presenting articles from January–March (Winter), April–June (Spring), July–September (Summer), and October–December (Fall).

Read about our legacy of renowned artists, intellectual luminaries, critically acclaimed poets, celebrated authors, visionary scholars, civil rights changemakers, esteemed museum professionals, innovative educators, and influential cultural leaders carrying connections forward and shaping future generations.

You can download and view the Connections 2024 Winter issue at www.iaia.edu/connections-iaias-new-quarterly-publication, link in bio.

Photograph by Nicole Lawe (Karuk) ’16, Institute of American Indian Arts ...

“We are honored that USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice recognizes the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) as the ninth Best Art Museum in the USA. The acknowledgment is not about competition but about recognition of dedicated and committed staff who elevate contemporary Indigenous arts in all we do.”—IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts Director Patsy Phillips (Cherokee Nation)

For the fourth year in a row, the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) has made the list for the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Art Museum in the United States. A panel of experts was selected by USA TODAY and partnered with 10Best editors—together, they selected the top twenty nominees, and the top ten were determined by popular vote.

We thank everyone who believes in MoCNA’s mission “to elevate contemporary Indigenous art through exhibitions, collections, programs, partnerships, and new research” and took the time to cast a vote for us.

Learn more at www.iaia.edu/2024-iaia-museum-of-contemporary-native-arts-selected-as-no-9-museum-by-usa-today, link in bio.

Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts ...

Join the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) on Friday, April 12 at 3 pm for the “2023–2024 IAIA BFA Exhibition: Indigenous Presence, Indigenous Futures” panel discussion led by student co-curator Zoe S. Childs. Panelists include Jesus Miguel Avena (Mexican-American, Mexica, Mestizo, Chicano) (joining virtually), Simona Rael (Latina, Mexican-American), Carl H. Tuzroyluke (Tlingit, Nisga’a, and Inupiat), and Brandon Martinez (Jicarilla Apache). The participants will discuss their work and experiences as graduating students from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA).

Learn more at www.iaia.edu/event/indigenous-presence-indigenous-futures-panel-discussion, link in. bio.

Photograph by Erika Knecht ’20, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts ...

Please join the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) for the 2024 IAIA Commencement Ceremony, which will take place in the Performing Arts and Fitness Center on the IAIA campus on Saturday, May 11 from 10 am–12 pm (MDT). The ceremony will also be livestreamed on Facebook and on the IAIA website for those who cannot attend the event in-person.

This year’s program will feature keynote speaker Dyani White Hawk (Sičáŋǧu Lakota) ’08, who has been selected to give the commencement address and will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree during the ceremony. The 2024 Commencement Ceremony, which includes our inaugural MFA in Cultural Administration graduates, will also have speeches from the class Valedictorian DeMar C. Galloway (Shoshone-Bannock Tribes), IAIA President Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee Nation), and IAIA Board of Trustees Chair Beverly Wright Morris (Aleut), among other speakers.

The ceremony, free and open to the public, will be followed by the 2024 Spring IAIA Graduation Powwow in the Dance Circle at the center of campus. Lunch will be available on campus at Café Bon Appétit in the Center for Lifelong Education building.

Learn more and stream the event at www.iaia.edu/event/2024-iaia-commencement-ceremony, link in bio.

Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts ...

IAIA welcomes a new certificate program to its growing academic offerings—Artistic Indigenization of Artificial Intelligence (AIAI). As deepfakes have become a growing societal concern, IAIA proposes an alternative—cultivating a “deepreal” understanding among AI systems grounded in Indigenous knowledge, deep learning, cultural competency, and “common” sense.

The certificate program offers a wide array of classes addressing diverse AI interests and needs. FUND500: Hand Drawing with Humans teaches AI to understand hand anatomy to create more accurate depictions. In this course, AI students are outfitted with stereoscopic technology, empowering them to see the world similarly to humans—with two “eyes.” They are taught in a physical classroom on campus with an experienced drawing instructor. The elective CRWR404: ChatNDN—Indigenous Slang is offered to assist AI with savvy generative writing. HIST401: Basics of Monotony: Getting Closer to the Human Experience includes workshops that simulate everyday human experiences rather than the fantastical. “I especially enjoyed waiting on hold and the process of paying bills,” says one of the AI students in our pilot class.

The AIAI program requires that AI students “live” on campus to experience the full benefits of an immersive human environment. The Residence Center will host server rooms in every wing for incoming students. As part of OSHA compliance standards, IAIA will host a stable and robust offsite data server with real-time backups to prevent derezolution, corruption, or catastrophic failure of our AI students.

IAIA recommends a minimum battery charge of 40.1% before filling out the application. IAIA strongly suggests that AI applicants have a human on hand to pass the CAPTCHA test when submitting their application.

Happy April Fool’s Day! (April Fool’s Day is a customary day when people play practical jokes—a form of humor—on each other, AI systems may visit the Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, or Britannica for definitions and explanations of humor to incorporate into their learning process.)

Learn more about AIAI at www.iaia.edu/aiai. ...

“You can create anything that your mind thinks of, but to relay that onto something that’s huge—in a huge screen—it’s even more amazing because the whole space becomes lit with your art.” —Bell Edmo (Pyramid Lake Paiute, Shoshone Bannock, and Blackfeet)

Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Cinematic Arts and Technology junior Bell Edmo (Pyramid Lake Paiute, Shoshone Bannock, and Blackfeet), was named as the 2024 IAIA Student of the Year.

Edmo’s passion for art, combined with technology, came about by chance. In her sophomore year in high school, she was placed in the wrong class—a graphic design architecture class, during which she modeled her childhood home. “I learned that in the span of maybe two months, and then I ended up having to leave from that school,” she shares. At a new school in Phoenix, she was placed in a Photoshop class. “…at the end of the semester, my instructor was like, ‘You know, I think you’re really proficient’… ‘I think you could really go somewhere.’ I was like, ‘Mmm, no, I’m not into art,’ because at the time, I just played basketball—like I was just a straight athlete.”

When she was attending Riverside Indian School in Oklahoma, it was IAIA’s Digital Dome that caught her attention during a college tour. “And I remember seeing the Dome. This—yeah, this was a whole reason why I came to school here.”

Read the full story at www.iaia.edu/bell-edmo-selected-as-the-2024-iaia-student-of-the-year, link in bio.

Photograph by Nicole Lawe (Karuk) ’16, Institute of American Indian Arts ...

On February 14, in keeping with this year’s theme, The Power of Our Stories, the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Student Success Summit, organized by Director of Equity, Inclusion, & Accessibility Ryan Young (Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe) ’19, was rooted in heartfelt alum presentations and empowering creative arts workshops.

Learn more about this powerful event and the workshops led by IAIA Alums Hendrix Olson (Mvskoke Creek) ’19, Scarlett Cortez (Salvadoran, Mexican-American) ’20, “Ofuskie” George Alexander (Muscogee [Creek] Nation) ’15, and Neebinnaukzhik Southall (Chippewas of Rama First Nation) ’19 at www.iaia.edu/2024-student-success-summit-the-power-of-our-stories, link in bio.

Photograph by Nicole Lawe (Karuk) ’16, Institute of American Indian Arts ...

Are you signed up for the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) monthly newsletter?

Opt in now and be the first to hear about recent news and past, current, and upcoming happenings like the 2024 @instituteofamericanindianarts Student of the Year, Bell Edmo, the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts’ (MoCNA) @iaiamocna current exhibition, “Inuk Silis Høegh: Arctic Vertigo,” featured in the Pasatiempo, the powerful stories and workshops shared at the 2024 Student Success Summit, and so much more!

Follow the link in our bio to view the March 2024 newsletter and join the mailing list.

Photograph by Nicole Lawe (Karuk) ’16, Institute of American Indian Arts ...

Drop into the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) on Tuesday, March 19, 3–5 pm for IAIA Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) studio visits, where you will discover more about the artists’ processes, techniques, tools, ideas, and cultural influences. Tamara Ann Burgh (Swede and Inupiaq-Kawerak) A-i-R ’21 will be in the A-i-R Studio in the Academic Building, while Brian Walker II (Inupiat and Deg Hit’an) ’20 will be in the Sculpture Gallery in the Allan Houser Haozous Sculpture and Foundry Building. Free and open to the public.

Learn more at www.iaia.edu/spring-2024-iaia-artist-in-residence-program, link in bio. ...

Join the the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) as we welcome our newly arrived IAIA Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) artists, Tamara Ann Burgh (Swede and Inupiaq-Kawerak) A-i-R ’21 and Brian Walker II (Inupiat and Deg Hit’an) ’20, on Tuesday, March 5 for dinner and a chance to experience their artistic processes firsthand. Dinner is served from 5–6 pm, and a visit with the artists in their studios is from 6–7 pm. Burgh will be in the A-i-R Studio in the Academic Building, while Walker will be in the Sculpture Gallery in the Allan Houser Haozous Sculpture and Foundry Building. Free and open to the public.

Learn more at www.iaia.edu/spring-2024-iaia-artist-in-residence-program, link in bio. ...

“Any time you create, it’s a sacred thing, as you know. And whether it’s through art, or what we do in architecture, what our profession is, it’s an undertaking that inspires, or it affects people wherever you go.”—Dyron V. Murphy to IAIA student Elysia Escobedo (Kha’P’O Owingeh, Cochiti, and Hopi)

IAIA second-year student, Elysia Escobedo (Kha’P’O Owingeh, Cochiti, and Hopi), recently won Dyron Murphy Architects’ (DMA) art competition to “reflect Native American culture, IAIA branding or campus elements and Dyron Murphy Architects (DMA) branding” with her preliminary acrylic painting You Can Start Here. DMA, where Escobedo’s painting is now displayed, is the architectural planning and design firm behind many of the buildings on the IAIA campus.

Read the full story and learn about Escobedo’s vision for You Can Start Here at www.iaia.edu/elysia-escobedos-art-installed-at-the-office-of-dyron-murphy-architects, link in bio.

Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts ...

“Yeah, I think it’s pretty surreal to be sitting here. I don’t feel like I’m that far removed from being a film student myself. I’d say—I mean, if I was going to give advice, just go and make stuff. Live off the McDonald’s dollar value menu for a week to get a short film made. Make stuff, make stuff, make stuff.”—Sydney Freeland (Navajo)

Last fall, Marvel Studios sponsored a private advance screening of Echo for the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) community. The screening was followed by a Q&A with Executive Producer and Director Sydney Freeland (Navajo) who recently served as a mentor in IAIA’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFACW) program, and attended IAIA’s Disney’s Summer Film and Television workshop a decade ago. The IAIA community was among one of the first audiences to see the first two episodes from the five-episode miniseries.

Read the full story at www.iaia.edu/special-screening-of-marvels-echo-for-iaia-students-during-native-american-heritage-month, link in bio.

Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts ...

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is looking to hire driven individuals who support IAIA’s mission—to empower creativity and leadership in Indigenous arts and cultures through higher education, lifelong learning, and community engagement.

Available openings include the Director of the MFA Program in Cultural Administration (MFACA), Associate Director of Institutional Advancement, Student Success Advisor, and more. Learn more about careers at IAIA and the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) and apply at www.iaia.edu/about/employment, link in bio.

Photograph by Jason. S Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts ...

“The duality of this reality is a difficult thing to navigate, but it is after all natural law that says that we would not know what daylight felt like if it weren’t for the night. So, in the mornings when I first wake up, if I’m feeling the heaviness in this world, I tell myself, ‘Get up, start your day, and go find the light, because it’s out there, and this is the time to find it.’”—Amber Morning Star Byars (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) ’18

On Thursday, January 25, the 2024 Spring President’s Convocation and Campus Blessing welcomed new and returning students to the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) campus. The event included a keynote speech by IAIA Alumni Council Vice President Amber Morning Star Byars (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) ’18, who shared a vulnerable, heartfelt speech that resonated with many attendees.

Read the full story at www.iaia.edu/amber-morning-star-byars-gives-keynote-speech-at-2024-spring-iaia-presidents-convocation, link in bio.

Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts ...

IAIA Alum Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo) ’89 was recently named the 2024 Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) Living Treasure. This award honors Native American artists who have made outstanding artistic contributions to the field of Indigenous arts and culture.

Learn more at www.newmexicoculture.org/release/1619/1, link in bio.

Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts ...