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]
IAIA students and coach Quintana getting after it at AIHEC basketball practice.🏀⛹🏽♀️⛹🏽♂️
Visit with IAIA Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) artists during our January Open Studios event on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) campus on Monday, January 30, 3–5 pm. The locations of each artist will be Nanibah Chacon (Diné) in the Artist-in-Residence Studio, Academic Building, Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache) in the in the Allan Houser Haozous Sculpture and Foundry Building, and Matagi Sorensen (Yavapai Apache) in the Jewelry Studio, Academic Building. Free and open to the public.
Learn more about this event and other upcoming happenings at www.iaia.edu/happenings (link in bio).
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 an Advancement Alumni and Constituent Relations Manager, Communications Writer, Conference Services Manager, Museum Educator, Assistant to the Faculty, and many 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
#BehindTheScenes
Photoshoot with IAIA Student Derrell Lopez (Navajo) ’23 derrell.lopez and former IAIA Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) Jordan Ann Craig (Northern Cheyenne) jordananncraig.
#Repost derrell.lopez
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This past weekend I had a fun photo shoot with the all so amazing jordananncraig in her studio space. Lots of fun and laughs while capturing these images! Put this together to show some of the images, I’ll be posting more so keep a lookout! #filmphotography #analog #fujifilm #kodak
Visit with IAIA Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) artists for a free dinner in the Academic Building on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) campus on Tuesday, January 24 from 5:00–5:45 pm, followed by a tour of the artist’s studio space from 5:45–7:00 pm. The locations of each artist will be Nanibah Chacon (Diné) in the Artist-in-Residence Studio, Academic Building, Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache) in the in the Allan Houser Haozous Sculpture and Foundry Building, and Matagi Sorensen (Yavapai Apache) in the Jewelry Studio, Academic Building. Free and open to the public.
Learn more about this event and other upcoming happenings at www.iaia.edu/happenings (link in bio).
The Campus Bookstore would like to welcome Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) students to the Spring 2023 semester at IAIA! The bookstore is your on-campus resource for textbook rentals and eCampus order pickup and assistance. The store is also a great place to pick up art supplies, snacks, energy drinks, books from IAIA’s family of amazing writers, and branded merchandise. Stop by and check out the new hoodies, sweaters, keychains, and the IAIA student-designed special edition Thunderbird stickers! Pin up a haiku about winter with your name and student ID on the cork board inside the Campus Bookstore and be entered into a raffle for free IAIA branded merchandise. The drawing will be held at the end of January.
The IAIA Campus Bookstore is open Monday–Friday, 10 am–4 pm and closed for federal holidays (non-semester hours may vary). For questions or more information, you can contact the bookstore at (505) 428-5984 and [email protected], or IAIA Stores Assistant Manager Colin Rayn Fraser at (505) 428-5935 and [email protected]
Photograph by Nicole Lawe, Institute of American Indian Arts
Felipe J. Estudillo Colón (Laguna Pueblo) has been selected for the newly created Provost position at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). Colón served as the IAIA Academic Dean from 2020–2023 and transitioned into the IAIA Provost position on January 9. In this new position, Provost Colón is responsible for the Academic and Student Services divisions, all three Master of Fine Arts programs, and the IAIA Research Center for Contemporary Native Arts.
“As inaugural and founding Provost for the Institute of American Indian Arts, I am excited to step into this role during a transformative period of investment in student success. I look forward to working with the IAIA Community and its stakeholders to grow community, collaboration, and communication, and to optimize work for the achievement not only of our mission but also to benefit our students and their goals.”—Provost Colón
Read the full story at www.iaia.edu/felipe-colon-selected-as-iaia-provost, link in bio.
Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
Join the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) from Monday, January 9 through Friday, January 13, 2023, as the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFACW) program presents an Evening Reading Series featuring program mentors and Lannan Visiting Writers. Each evening will engage its audience with poetry, memoir, or fiction from some of today’s most vibrant and vital writers.
• January 9, 6 pm–7:15 pm (MST): Screening of Reservation Dogs with Migizi Pensoneau (Ponca and Ojibwe)—CLE Commons
• January 10, 6 pm–7:15 pm (MST): Readings by Pam Houston, Esther Belin (Diné), and Keenan Norris—CLE Commons and livestream
• January 11, 6 pm–7:15 pm (MST): Readings by Bojan Louis (Diné), Toni Jensen (Métis), and Safia Elhillo—CLE Commons and livestream
• January 13, 6 pm–7:15 pm (MST): Readings by Kelli Jo Ford (Cherokee Nation), Layli Long Soldier (Oglala Lakota), and Raquel Gutiérrez—CLE Commons and livestream
Learn more and tune into the livestreams at www.iaia.edu/mfacw-evening-reading-series/, link in bio.
Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
Our students said it best—the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is a place full of creativity, empowerment, collaboration, and possibility. IAIA offers undergraduate degrees in Cinematic Arts and Technology, Creative Writing, Indigenous Liberal Studies, Museum Studies, Performing Arts, and Studio Arts; graduate degrees in Creative Writing (MFACW), Cultural Administration (MFACA), and Studio Arts (MFASA); and certificates in Broadcast Journalism, Business and Entrepreneurship, Museum Studies, and Native American Art History.
Visit www.iaia.edu/admissions (link in bio) to learn more and apply today!
From all of us at the Institute of American Indian Arts—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 22–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.
Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Master of Fine Arts programs in Studio Arts (MFASA) and Creative Writing (MFACW) are delighted to present a livestreamed lecture by multi-disciplinary artist Tanya Lukin Linklater (Native Villages of Afognak and Port Lions) and a response by poet Layli Long Soldier (Oglala Lakota). This event on Sunday, January 8, is a collaborative offering from the MFACW and MFASA programs and will be livestreamed only (no in-person event).
Learn more at https://iaia.edu/event/lecture-with-tanya-lukin-linklater-and-a-response-by-layli-long-soldier/, link in bio.
Image: Video still from Tanya Lukin Linklater’s (Native Villages of Afognak and Port Lions) They fall the ground beneath you, 2018
A place to embrace the past, enrich the present, and create the future. The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) offers undergraduate degrees in Cinematic Arts and Technology, Creative Writing, Indigenous Liberal Studies, Museum Studies, Performing Arts, and Studio Arts; graduate degrees in Creative Writing (MFACW), Cultural Administration (MFACA), and Studio Arts (MFASA); and certificates in Broadcast Journalism, Business and Entrepreneurship, Museum Studies, and Native American Art History.
Visit www.iaia.edu/apply (link in bio) to learn more and apply today!
Thank you to everyone who came to IAIA’s Holiday Art Market this past Saturday, December 10. With over 1,400 visitors and 100 artists, this was a festive day of celebration and exchange, demonstrating the incredible creative talents of the IAIA community and Indigenous artists around New Mexico. We’d like to thank our partner in this event, Santa Fe Community College, for all their help, support, and coordination. We look forward to working with them in the future.
Make your #GivingTuesday gift to IAIA today to change lives and shape futures! During the next 24 hours, people around the world will come together to celebrate generosity and make an extraordinary difference. At the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), we work every day to uphold our mission “to empower creativity and leadership in Indigenous arts and cultures through higher education, lifelong learning, and community engagement” and your support makes this important work possible.
Your gift today, will shape the future of IAIA and change the lives of our Indigenous students.
Here’s what your gift can do:
• $100 pays for one student’s art studio fees for a year
• $250 covers the fitness center fee for five students
• $500 pays for 54 healthy student meals
• $1,000 covers a student’s housing in the dorms for two months
• $2,500 funds tuition costs for one semester
IAIA emphasizes the importance of providing career-igniting opportunities to our students and helping them graduate debt-free. Over 90% of our students rely on financial support, and community members like you help us support student success and address IAIA’s most critical needs.
Please donate today to make a lasting impact at www.iaia.edu/give (link in bio).
Photographs by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
Did you see our ad in “Pasatiempo” Friday? Learn more about all the great programs the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) offers and what’s happening at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA). Save 20% at the museum store on everything, including jewelry, books, and apparel, made by Indigenous creators. This Black Friday discount is only valid November 25–27, so visit IAIAMoCNA this weekend!
Learn more at www.iaia.edu/making-history-celebrating-60-years-of-iaia-and-50-years-of-mocna, link in bio.
Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
During this Thanksgiving Day holiday week, the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) would like to take the opportunity to express our gratitude for our families, friends, and communities. As we approach the end of November and Native American Heritage Month, IAIA will continue to celebrate Indigenous arts and cultures daily, which is essential to our mission.
In observance of the holiday weekend, IAIA will be closed Thursday, November 24—resuming regular operating hours on Monday, November 28.
Best wishes for a happy and safe holiday!
Photograph by Nicole Lawe, Institute of American Indian Arts
Applications for the Master of Fine Arts in Studio Arts (MFASA) program at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) are due January 13, 2023. The MFASA program is a low-residency graduate degree program mindful of students’ needs to maintain professional, family, and community relationships while pursuing advanced studies in contemporary studio arts. Our model allows artists to pursue an MFA from anywhere in the world and encourages interdisciplinary arts practices throughout the curriculum.
Learn more and apply today at www.iaia.edu/apply-now-for-the-low-residency-mfa-in-studio-arts/, link in bio.
Image Credit: Bob Haozous (Chiricahua Apache), Mother (1988), Institute of American Indian Arts campus in Santa Fe, New Mexico, infrared photograph by Jason S. Ordaz
This evening on IAIA’s campus at 83 Avan Nu Po Road, help us welcome our latest slate of Artists-in-Residence with a turkey dinner in the Academic Building and open studios from 5:00 pm–7:00 pm. The Academic Building is just north of the Dance Circle in the center of campus.
David Beams (Choctaw) ’16 will be in the Allan Houser Haozous Sculpture and Foundry Building. Mikayla Patton (Oglala Lakota) ’19 will be in the Artist-in-Residence Studio, and Pat Pruitt (Laguna Pueblo and Chiricahua Apache) will be in the Jewelry Studio in the Academic Building. Anne Riley (Fort Nelson First Nation) will be in the Performing Arts and Fitness Center Costume Shop.
This event is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Daina Warren at [email protected] or Erin Cooper at [email protected]
iaia.edu/event/iaia-a-i-r-beams-patton-pruitt-and-riley-welcome-dinner/
Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) student artists: how do you envision the Thunderbird of the future?
Help the IAIA Campus Bookstore answer this question with a new sticker design. Three winning entries will be printed onto stickers and sold at the 2022 IAIA Holiday Art Market, and profits will go to the winning artists.
This contest is open to IAIA students only—please submit designs in high-resolution .png file format to [email protected] by Friday, November 18 at midnight.
Photograph by Nicole Lawe, Institute of American Indian Arts
The holidays are coming, and our creative community has the unique handmade gifts you are looking for! On Saturday, December 10, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, over one hundred of the finest artists and craftspeople from across New Mexico will be setting up shop at IAIA’s Holiday Art Market and Santa Fe Community College’s (SFCC) Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair. Both events are free!
We encourage everyone to visit both campuses, which are only a six-minute drive or an 11-minute bike ride apart. IAIA’s Holiday Art Market will be in the Performing Arts and Fitness Center (PAFC) at 83 Avan Nu Po Road. SFCC’s Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair will be in the Main Hallway and Campus Center at 6401 Richards Ave. Works for sale will include jewelry, apparel, handbags and totes, woodcarvings, pottery, paintings, prints, photos, handmade cards and ornaments, and much more.
IAIA will feature the work of Indigenous artists, including traditional incised and carved pottery from Eric Tafoya (Santa Clara Pueblo); contemporary jewelry in titanium, zirconium, and stainless steel by Pat Pruitt (Pueblo of Laguna); traditional and contemporary beadwork by Shannon Hooper (Fallon Paiute and Shoshone); traditional ash and sweetgrass baskets by Barbara Robidoux (Eastern Cherokee); functional porcelain and stoneware by Margarita Paz Pedro (Laguna Pueblo and Santa Clara Pueblo); wood carvings, including Kachinas by Timothy Talawepi (Hopi); photography, linocuts, and screen prints by Tiara Yazzie (Diné), and more.
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, December 10!
For more information, visit iaia.edu/holiday market or contact IAIA Alumni and Donor Relations Manager Danielle Murzynsky-Obiekwe (Chickasaw Nation) at [email protected] For SFCC, call (505) 428-5931 or email SFCC Facilities Coordinator Fran Nawrocki at [email protected], (505) 428-1675. See less
Today the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) observes Veterans Day, a holiday in which we take time to celebrate and honor the duty, bravery, and sacrifice of persons who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Due to their commitment and love of country, we continue to enjoy the freedoms that we all treasure.
Please join us in expressing gratitude to all veterans, especially to the following members of the IAIA community, for their military service.
• Julio Alvarez, Security Personnel, US Air Force
• Douglas Bootes (Saponi Descendant), Adjunct Professor, US Army
• Melanie Buchleiter, Registrar, US Marine Corp Reserves
• Alexander Kurowski (Oneida Nation), Student, US Army
• Montana Miller (Diné), Student, US Army
• Joseph Seymour Jr. (Squaxin Island Tribe), Student, US Marine Corps
Wishing you a happy and safe holiday!
Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
November is Native American Heritage Month, and we are celebrating the culture, creativity, and resilience of our Indigenous community members and Indigenous peoples everywhere! Last month we asked the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) community what Indigenous Peoples’ Day means to them. Swipe to see a few of their answers as well as some Polaroid portraits of students and staff. Happy #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth!
Photographs by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
During the Spring 2022 semester, Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Creative Writing and Studio Arts students came together for Art in Conversation, a collaborative project demonstrating the power and connection of interdisciplinary student conversations. Developed to build relations and critical reflections through an exchange between academic departments at IAIA, these conversations allow students to share knowledge and experiences across educational spaces.
Learn more about Art in Conversation and listen to the in-depth student conversations about their inspirations, methods, concepts, concerns, and aspirations at www.creativewritinganthology.iaia.edu/art-in-conversation-1, link in bio.
Artwork by Roxanne White (Diné) roxxies_art
Join the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) on Thursday, November 10, from 6:00 pm–8:00 pm at the opening reception for “Same World, Different Voices,” an exhibition at Balzer Contemporary Edge Gallery representing the culminating achievements of IAIA’s Fall 2022 graduating BFA in Studio Arts and BFA in Museum Studies classes. “Same World, Different Voices” will be on view from November 10 through December 8, 2022. This exhibition will feature conceptually driven bodies of work developed during the students’ final semester as the capstone of their courses of study and academic experiences. The reception is free and open to the public—a light dinner and refreshments will be served.
Participating students include Lyla Nibaa Begay (Diné), James J. Black (Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho), Elizabeth Lukee (Pueblo of Acoma), Elle Nado (Pueblo of Acoma and Diné), Jerome Nakagawa (Diné and Japanese), Matthew Narcho (Tohono O’odham), Yoshi Sam (Diné), Aubs Staats, Roxanne White (Diné), Tiara Yazzie (Diné), and Jacquelyn Yepa (Diné and Walatowa).
Learn more at www.iaia.edu/event/iaia-fall-22-graduating-senior-exhibition-same-world-different-voices-opening-reception/, link in bio.
Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts
Visit with the IAIA Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) artists during our Open Studio event today, Monday, October 24, from 3:00 pm–5:00 pm in the Academic Building on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) campus.
The A-i-R program provides opportunities for tribally enrolled Native American and First Nations artists to visit the IAIA campus for a meaningful period of focused artmaking and interaction with IAIA students, staff, and faculty, and the broader Santa Fe arts community. This month we are excited to host three IAIA alums whose contemporary practices cross artistic media and engage their Indigenous cultural traditions through materials, techniques, and subject matter, and today they will open their studios up to the public. Carly Feddersen (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation) will be in the Jewelry Studio, Linley B. Logan (Onondowa’ga’, agenyogwai:yo’, Seneca, Deer Clan) will be in the Printmaking Studio, and Melissa Shaginoff (Ahtna Athabascan and Paiute) will be in the Artist-in-Residence Studio. This event is free and open to the public.
Photographs by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts; photograph of Linley B. Logan courtesy of the artist
VISIT THE COVID-19 PAGE
View the COVID-19 resource page on the IAIA website.