IAIA Together Apart
Keeping the IAIA community connected
#IAIATogetherApart on Instagram
Instagram posts that are tagged with the #IAIATogetherApart hashtag are posted here. (Only posts that are public will be displayed, private posts are hidden.) If you’d like to share images or videos, please post them to Instagram using the #IAIATogetherApart hashtag, and please follow Social Media Guidelines with those postings, too.
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)
Working from home has been a major test of patience for me. My son’s attitude reminds me of me more and more every day. Likewise, I am reminding myself of my mother more and more every day. What is going on? This feels like the Twilight Zone.
This kid keeps taking his diaper off and flinging it across the room. Have you ever had to clean human feces from the carpet at 9 am, and then have a zoom meeting at 9:15? If so, I’m right there with you. There is crayon scribbled on every surface of this house. You know, at first I told him to stop, but towards the end of the first week I just looked at him and said “don’t you want to go color on the walls some more?” just to buy myself a few minutes of silence. Don’t most two-year-olds nap? Not this guy! And he’s become obsessed with TikTok. Every five minutes it’s “Make a TikTok, Mama!? Make a TikTok!?” We’ve watched so many TikToks now that every now and then he opens the front door and screams “CORONAVIRUS!” à la Cardi B. He’s running through the living room screaming it as we speak. Somehow we’ve watched Cars two-million times in two weeks. Ka-chow! And I caught him eating an ant the other day—he squished it under his finger, stuck his finger in his mouth, then went in for more—and I didn’t stop him. I just sat there in my exhaustion and let it happen. But, hey, it’s protein, right? I guess we’re both coping by stress-eating—I’m already three string cheeses, a row of Oreos, and several fruit snacks deep today. I seriously can’t stop snacking! But I need to be better at practicing self control, because I already had to venture out to the store once this week to replenish our snack stock and while I’ve definitely feared for my life at a Wal Mart before, it just hit different this time, ya know?
It’s not all bad of course. We’re having fun and goofing around a lot, and most importantly I can tell he’s happy having me home. It’s just hard not really getting a break now and then and a bit isolating.
So check on your friends with kids, guys! We’re not ok!
#IAIATogetherApart
The #IAIATogetherApart website is now live! It was created to give voice to the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Community—a voice to help cope with the 2020 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its effects on a community who largely relies on day-to-day physical interaction for learning, mentoring, and communicating. All IAIA Community members are eligible to submit their stories to the #IAIATogetherApart website, which includes staff, faculty, students, alumni, board members, parents and family members, other Tribal Colleges and Universities, AIHEC, and AICF. See togetherapart.iaia.edu/submit for criteria and guidelines.
Stories can be just that, a story, or perhaps a poem, a letter—from one word to 512 words. During this pandemic, the IAIA campus is absent of your voice in its classrooms, hallways, walking paths, dorms, office spaces, buildings, and Café, but don’t let that stop you from vocalizing—share your voice, submit a story to #IAIATogetherApart.
After you submit a story, post a photo or video using your story and the #IAIATogetherApart hashtag here on Instagram for a chance to be featured on IAIA’s social media.
#IAIATogetherApart was conceived and created by IAIA’s offices of Institutional Research (Dr. Bill Sayre, Anita Gavin, Jesse Morris) and Marketing and Communications (Jason S. Ordaz, Nicole Lawe). The website launched on Monday, March 30, 2020. For inquires, please contact [email protected]
The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), the birthplace of contemporary Native American art, has been the educational home for esteemed, innovative artists, writers, filmmakers, performers, and leaders since 1962. Just ten years after its humble beginnings on the Santa Fe Indian School campus, IAIA began collecting and exhibiting student artworks, a collection that soon became the world’s premier collection of contemporary Indigenous art—the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA).
Today, InstituteOfAmericanIndianArts continues to grow on its stunning 140-acre campus, offering more and more certificate, undergraduate degree, and graduate degree programs, and IAIAMoCNA continues to expand its renowned collection of over 9,000 artworks, curating numerous progressive and innovative exhibitions, both traveling and at MoCNA’s location in downtown Santa Fe. This year, as we remember our rich history and look to our vibrant future, we ask everyone to join us in celebrating IAIA’s sixtieth anniversary and MoCNA’s semicentennial. The celebration of this monumental 60/50 anniversary will encompass the theme “Making History” and will be a prominent part of all IAIA and MoCNA events in 2022. Additionally, we have designed a commemorative 60/50 Anniversary logo, which will be displayed throughout the year.
In 2022, when you join IAIA or MoCNA for any public event, be it the IAIA Commencement, IAIA Scholarship Event and Auction, MoCNA Opening Reception for Summer Exhibitions, IAIA’s Annual Open House, or any other exhibition or event, you will also be joining us in celebrating our 60/50 Anniversary—Making History.
Read the full story at www.iaia.edu/making-history-celebrating-60-years-of-iaia-and-50-years-of-mocna/, link in bio.
The National Emerging Museum Professionals Network (NEMPN), a major nonprofit, has launched its very first awards program in order to “recognize individuals and institutions who have shown outstanding service to emerging museum professionals.” For the Inaugural EMP Awards the Institute of American Indian Arts’ (IAIA) Museum Studies Department has received an award for Best Museum Studies Program.
“Our program is focused on Indigenous ways of knowing and practice, as well as ethical and moral approaches to museum work. This makes us really unique. We teach our students the traditional Western way to do things in the museum, and then we tell them to unlearn all that and we teach them a more Indigenous approach to museum work.”—Balzer Contemporary Edge Gallery Director Mattie Reynolds (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma)
Read the full story at www.iaia.edu/nempn-awards-iaia-with-best-museum-studies-program/, or follow the link in our bio.
Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
As we prepare for the beginning of the Spring 2022 semester at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), the safety and well-being of our community continues to be the highest priority.
Due to the highly contagious nature of the COVID Omicron variant resulting in a surge of positive cases, all classes will begin in an online format for the first two weeks of the semester, January 18–30, 2022. On January 31, in-person courses will switch from online back to campus.
Please visit the IAIA website for information about on-campus Housing (to schedule revised check-in dates or check-in early if travel arrangements have already been made), Orientation updates, arrangements for laptops through the IT Department, studio access for Studio Arts Seniors, and COVID-19 protection protocols.
Learn more at www.iaia.edu/about/covid-19/, or follow the link in our bio.
Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian
On the twelfth day of Winter Break our Curator showed to me twelve woven baskets.
#IAIA12DaysOfCollections gives a glimpse into the items that are housed in the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Collection on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Campus. This unique collection holds close to 9,000 artworks, and is the premier collection of contemporary Native American art in the world from Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples.
In observance of the holiday season, the IAIA Campus and Collection will be closed for Winter Break until Tuesday, January 4, 2022. To learn more about the Collection visit www.iaia.edu/mocna/mocna-collection/, and follow the link for the Digital Collection to learn more about the artworks shown here.
Catalog Numbers: A-170, CHE-102, CHE-59, CHE-90, SH-150, H-91, H-92, H-93, H-94, PROP-123, PROP-582, P-18Photograph by Nicole Lawe
On the eleventh day of Winter Break our Curator showed to me eleven musical instruments.
#IAIA12DaysOfCollections gives a glimpse into the items that are housed in the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Collection on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Campus. This unique collection holds close to 9,000 artworks, and is the premier collection of contemporary Native American art in the world from Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples.
In observance of the holiday season, the IAIA Campus and Collection will be closed for Winter Break until Tuesday, January 4, 2022. To learn more about the Collection visit www.iaia.edu/mocna/mocna-collection/ (link in bio), and follow the link for the Digital Collection to learn more about the artworks shown here.
Catalog Numbers: A-152, NP-29, ON-46, PI-4, SF-13, SW-165, SW-166, SW-167, SW-168, SW-169, CAN-6Photograph by Nicole Lawe
On the tenth day of Winter Break our Curator showed to me ten glass vessels.
#IAIA12DaysOfCollections gives a glimpse into the items that are housed in the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Collection on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Campus. This unique collection holds close to 9,000 artworks, and is the premier collection of contemporary Native American art in the world from Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples.
In observance of the holiday season, the IAIA Campus and Collection will be closed for Winter Break until Tuesday, January 4, 2022. To learn more about the Collection visit www.iaia.edu/mocna/mocna-collection/ (link in bio), and follow the link for the Digital Collection to learn more about the artworks shown here.
Catalog Numbers: ESK-68, ESK-90, ESK-85, ESK-87, ESK-88, ESK-89, ESK-251, ESK-84, ESK-4, ESK-46Photograph by Nicole Lawe
On the ninth day of Winter Break our Curator showed to me nine Peter B. Jones ceramics.
#IAIA12DaysOfCollections gives a glimpse into the items that are housed in the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Collection on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Campus. This unique collection holds close to 9,000 artworks, and is the premier collection of contemporary Native American art in the world from Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples.
In observance of the holiday season, the IAIA Campus and Collection will be closed for Winter Break until Tuesday, January 4, 2022. To learn more about the Collection visit www.iaia.edu/mocna/mocna-collection/ (link in bio), and follow the link for the Digital Collection to learn more about the artworks shown here.
Catalog Numbers: OND-31, OND-28, OND-52, OND-20, OND-51, OND-22, OND-11, OND-8, OND-23Photograph by Nicole Lawe
On the eighth day of Winter Break our Curator showed to me eight Lloyd Kiva New garments.
#IAIA12DaysOfCollections gives a glimpse into the items that are housed in the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Collection on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Campus. This unique collection holds close to 9,000 artworks, and is the premier collection of contemporary Native American art in the world from Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples.
In observance of the holiday season, the IAIA Campus and Collection will be closed for Winter Break until Tuesday, January 4, 2022. To learn more about the Collection visit www.iaia.edu/mocna/mocna-collection/ (link in bio), and follow the link for the Digital Collection to learn more about the artworks shown here.
Location T13-2CCatalog Numbers: (left to right) CHE-390, CHE-393, CHE-392, CHE-395, CHE-389, CHE-394, CHE-305, CHE-388Photograph by Nicole Lawe #iaia #instituteofamericanindianarts #tribalcollege #nativeeducation #highereducation #education #artschool #arteducation #art #fineart #contemporaryart #artmuseum #artcollector #artcollections #native #nativeamerican #nativeamericanart #indigenousart #contemporaryart #collection #artcollection #permanentcollection #digitalcollection #museum #museumcollection #instaart #artsy #instamuseum #artoftheday
On the seventh day of Winter Break our Curator showed to me seven Earl Biss paintings.
#IAIA12DaysOfCollections gives a glimpse into the items that are housed in the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Collection on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Campus. This unique collection holds close to 9,000 artworks, and is the premier collection of contemporary Native American art in the world from Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples.
In observance of the holiday season, the IAIA Campus and Collection will be closed for Winter Break until Tuesday, January 4, 2022. To learn more about the Collection visit www.iaia.edu/mocna/mocna-collection/, and follow the link for the Digital Collection to learn more about the artworks shown here.
Art Rack 45Catalog Numbers: (top row, left to right) CR-17, CR-16, CR-52, CR-13, CR-6, (bottom row, left to right) CR-44, CR-29Photograph by Nicole Lawe
On the sixth day of Winter Break our Curator showed to me six T.C. Cannons.
#IAIA12DaysOfCollections gives a glimpse into the items that are housed in the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Collection on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Campus. This unique collection holds close to 9,000 artworks, and is the premier collection of contemporary Native American art in the world from Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples.
In observance of the holiday season, the IAIA Campus and Collection will be closed for Winter Break until Tuesday, January 4, 2022. To learn more about the Collection visit www.iaia.edu/mocna/mocna-collection/ (link in bio), and follow the link for the Digital Collection to learn more about the artworks shown here.
Art Rack 37 Catalog Numbers: (top row, left to right) CD-24, CD-16, CD-6, CD-9, (bottom row, left to right) CD-8, CD-10Photograph by Nicole Lawe
On the fifth day of Winter Break our Curator showed to me five silver rings.
#IAIA12DaysOfCollections gives a glimpse into the items that are housed in the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Collection on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Campus. This unique collection holds close to 9,000 artworks, and is the premier collection of contemporary Native American art in the world from Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples.
In observance of the holiday season, the IAIA Campus and Collection will be closed for Winter Break until Tuesday, January 4, 2022. To learn more about the Collection visit www.iaia.edu/mocna/mocna-collection/ (link in bio), and follow the link for the Digital Collection to learn more about the artworks shown here.
Catalog Numbers: (top row, left to right) SUQ-9, SW-70, SW-71, (bottom row, left to right) H-124, SW-81Photograph by Nicole Lawe
On the fourth day of Winter Break our Curator showed to me four beaded belts.
#IAIA12DaysOfCollections gives a glimpse into the items that are housed in the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Collection on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Campus. This unique collection holds close to 9,000 artworks, and is the premier collection of contemporary Native American art in the world from Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples.
In observance of the holiday season, the IAIA Campus and Collection will be closed for Winter Break until Tuesday, January 4, 2022. To learn more about the Collection visit www.iaia.edu/mocna/mocna-collection/ (link in bio), and follow the link for the Digital Collection to learn more about the artworks shown here.
Catalog Numbers: (top to bottom) SS-28, N-398, MQE-1, PROP-415Photograph by Nicole Lawe #iaia #instituteofamericanindianarts #tribalcollege #nativeeducation #highereducation #education #artschool #arteducation #art #fineart #contemporaryart #artmuseum #artcollector #artcollections #native #nativeamerican #nativeamericanart #indigenousart #contemporaryart #collection #artcollection #permanentcollection #digitalcollection #museum #museumcollection #instaart #artsy #instamuseum #artoftheday
On the third day of Winter Break our Curator showed to me shelf location SP7-A3.
#IAIA12DaysOfCollections gives a glimpse into the items that are housed in the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Collection on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Campus. This unique collection holds close to 9,000 artworks, and is the premier collection of contemporary Native American art in the world from Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples.
In observance of the holiday season, the IAIA Campus and Collection will be closed for Winter Break until Tuesday, January 4, 2022. To learn more about the Collection visit www.iaia.edu/mocna/mocna-collection/ (link in bio), and follow the link for the Digital Collection to learn more about the artworks shown here.
Catalog Numbers: (left to right) SC-8, J-80, WIN-22Photograph by Nicole Lawe
On the second day of Winter Break our Curator showed to me two Jodi Websters.
#IAIA12DaysOfCollections gives a glimpse into the items that are housed in the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Collection on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Campus. This unique collection holds close to 9,000 artworks, and is the premier collection of contemporary Native American art in the world from Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples.
In observance of the holiday season, the IAIA Campus and Collection will be closed for Winter Break until Tuesday, January 4, 2022. To learn more about the Collection visit www.iaia.edu/mocna/mocna-collection/ (link in bio), and follow the link for the Digital Collection to learn more about the artworks shown here.
Catalog Numbers: WIN-65, WIN-66Photograph by Nicole Lawe
On the first day of Winter Break our Curator showed to me a piece of Diego Romero pottery.
Happy holidays from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)! In observance of the holiday season, the IAIA Campus and Collection will be closed for Winter Break until Tuesday, January 4, 2022. During the closure, #IAIA12DaysOfCollections will give you a glimpse into the items that are housed in the Collection. The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) holds the premier collection of contemporary Native American art in the world from Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples. This unique collection documents the art movements of IAIA and its impact on the Native American fine art movement. There are close to 9,000 artworks in the collection which is comprised of paintings, works on paper, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, photography, contemporary apparel, textiles, cultural arts, new media, and installations.
To learn more about the Collection visit www.iaia.edu/mocna/mocna-collection/ (link in bio), and follow the link for the Digital Collection to learn more about the art piece shown here.
Catalog Number: CO-55
Photograph by Nicole Lawe
From all of us at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)—the President, Trustees, Staff, and Faculty—may peace be with you and your family today and throughout the New Year.
The IAIA campus will be closed during the holidays December 23–January 3, however, the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) will be open. (The Museum will be closed December 24–25 and on January 1.) Museum admission can be purchased online or in-person at the Museum Store.
https://iaia.edu/product/museum-admission/
Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
Want to visit the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Campus online? A virtual tour of campus is now available through Google Maps technology in partnership with Mass Interact, the leader in interactive virtual tour experiences.
The immersive images provide a 360° view so you can look all around each building, classroom, and studio. Zoom in and out to get a closer look and quickly travel through our halls and from building to building with the easy-to-use navigation arrows, or by clicking through the navigation bar on the left-hand side. The virtual tour is quick and easy to use on a mobile device or a desktop, and the immersive images alone can be viewed directly from Google Maps.
To learn more and virtually visit the IAIA Campus, visit www.iaia.edu/new-virtual-tour-bringing-the-iaia-campus-to-you/, or follow the link in our bio.
For the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) 2021 has been a year of perseverance and growth. We awarded more students scholarships than ever before, we welcomed our first grad students into our new Low-Residency MFA in Studio Arts program, we began construction for our new Research Center for Contemporary Native Arts (RCCNA), we expanded our Land-Grant Program with initiatives such as on-campus apiaries, and so much more. But our mission “to empower creativity and leadership in Native arts and cultures through higher education, lifelong learning, and outreach” would not be possible without your generous support! We would like to offer a very heartfelt thank you to all our supporters. You have made a tremendous difference in the lives of so many students through scholarships, the Student Emergency Fund, enhanced programs and facilities, and other vital resources and services that our students from almost 100 tribal nations need to complete their education.
As we look to 2022, we hope you will continue to support the important work of IAIA. To show our gratitude, if you donate $150 or more to IAIA, your name will be entered in a raffle to receive one of several gifts, including an overnight stay in a King Casita at the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado, Santa Fe; a one-night stay at The Blake Hotel in Taos Ski Valley; an overnight stay at a Heritage Hotel in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, or Taos; a copy of “Making History: IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts” (a beautifully illustrated history of IAIA); passes for free admission to the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA); and more! The deadline for the drawing is December 15 at midnight (MST).
Generations of IAIA graduates have become renowned artists, filmmakers, poets, writers, and community leaders. Please, take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to empower tomorrow’s Indigenous artists and leaders and make a generous donation today at https://iaia.wufoo.com/forms/mxnv1q10y2xx0y/—link in bio.
Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, 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 at IAIA like why IAIA students decided to stay in school during the pandemic, how to be entered in a raffle to receive one of several gifts like an overnight stay in a King Casita at the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado, the IAIA vaccination clinic, our Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, and so much more! View the December 2021 newsletter and join the mailing list to never miss an update—link in bio.
Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
This semester the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Creative Writing Department hosted a writing contest open to all IAIA students. The categories were Poetry, Fiction, and Non-Fiction, and four winners were chosen overall. We are pleased to showcase the incredible talent that is coming out of IAIA and will share these four pieces of work periodically through the remainder of the semester.
About the author:
Shantel’s writing and art tell stories about the land and community she grew up in. She loves telling traditional stories and adding her Diné language and knowledge to let people understand her unique background. She gets her spark from her surroundings and teachings as she grows to become a strong Diné storyteller woman.
“You Helped Me” by Shantel Chee (Diné)
Visit “Pah-K-Si-M-O-Chah-K-Si-K” by artist and Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) alumnus Bryson Meyers (Chippewa-Cree) ’21 goodrunnerdesigns at the Museum Store in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. Located in the Lloyd Kiva New Gallery, “Pah-K-Si-M-O-Chah-K-Si-K” features textile and floral designs reminiscent of symbols used for storytelling within the Cree, Dakota, Lakota, and Ojibwe Nations. Meyers’ inspiration is driven by history, stories, and traditional gatherings. This exhibition will run through March 1, 2022.
Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
This semester the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Creative Writing Department hosted a writing contest open to all IAIA students. The categories were Poetry, Fiction, and Non-Fiction, and four winners were chosen overall. We are pleased to showcase the incredible talent that is coming out of IAIA and will share these four pieces of work periodically through the remainder of the semester.
About the author:
My Crow name is “Bear Medicine” and my English name is KamiJo Whiteclay. I am a member of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation. I come from the Greasy Mouth clan and am a child of the Whistling Water clan. I was born and raised on the Crow reservation. I’m passionate about bringing awareness to issues within my community. I also love doing volunteer work and projects to assist my community. My artwork and poetry is a mix between contemporary understanding and being a modern-day Indigenous woman. I intertwine the workings of Apsaalooké design and identity. Most of my work is very personal but this is a way I cope and how I understand the world around me.
“Always Remembered” by KamiJo Whiteclay (Crow) _kamikrow
“Reemergence was something all these seniors mentioned. A common theme with this exhibition is perseverance—finally crossing the finish line on top of going through a pandemic. These seniors persevered and committed so hard to finishing. It feels so good to have a senior show physically in the gallery again, perhaps we’re starting to come out of the dark of COVID a little bit—into the light. This exhibition is a reflection of that.”—Balzer Contemporary Edge Gallery Director Mattie Reynolds (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma)
This is the last week to view the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) 2021 Fall BFA Senior Graduating Exhibition, “Reemergence 2021,” which will close at noon on Friday, December 10, 2021 in the Balzer Contemporary Edge Gallery on the IAIA campus. In this capstone exhibition, 18 graduating BFA in Studio Arts and Museum Studies students have the opportunity to reemerge into the art world as they showcase the culmination of their course of study in a physical exhibition.
Learn more at www.iaia.edu/event/iaia-2021-fall-senior-graduating-exhibition-reemergence-2021/, or follow the link in our bio.
Photographs by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
This semester the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Creative Writing Department hosted a writing contest open to all IAIA students. The categories were Poetry, Fiction, and Non-Fiction, and four winners were chosen overall. We are pleased to showcase the incredible talent that is coming out of IAIA and will share these four pieces of work periodically through the remainder of the semester.
About the author:
“I am a descendant of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma. My relationship with writing began thirteen years ago, when I wrote my first poem. Since then, I’ve consistently authored poems while recently beginning to explore the techniques and methods of writing creative nonfiction and fiction. Each poem I write is an illustration of the daily mundane, romanticization of my ordinary every day, and symbolic storytelling of more significant circumstances. The weight words hold in poetry has always had an impact on my writing journey. Each poem is based heavily on events from my life, whether those events were middle-of-the-road, dishonorable, or somewhere in-between.”
“that night i couldn’t sleep” by Rebakkah Santos foghighway
It is with a heavy heart that the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) extends an invitation to you to join us virtually for a memorial and celebration of the life of DeAnna Autumn Leaf Suazo (Diné, Taos Pueblo) ’21. The memorial will be live-streamed from the IAIA Facebook page, as well as our website, on Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 12–2 pm (MST).
DeAnna Autumn Leaf Suazo (1992–2021) graduated from IAIA in Spring 2021 with a BFA in Studio Arts and was admitted into IAIA’s inaugural MFA in Studio Arts cohort in Summer 2021. She will be remembered as a dedicated student, a devoted friend, a kind person, and a passionate artist whose creativity knew no bounds. Join us as we come together as a community to honor her memory.
Please visit www.iaia.edu/event/deanna-autumn-leaf-suazo-memorial-and-celebration-of-life/, or follow the link in our bio for more information.
Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
VISIT THE COVID-19 PAGE
View the COVID-19 resource page on the IAIA website.