Welcome to the June edition of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Newsletter. In this edition you will find recent news and past, current, and upcoming happenings at IAIA. For questions, comments, or feedback, please contact IAIA Interim Director of Marketing and Communications Jason S. Ordaz at jason.ordaz@iaia.edu.

Live-streamed on Saturday, May 15, the IAIA 2021 Commencement Ceremony included a video presentation comprised of submissions by members of the graduating class—each student in their cap and gowns or regalia—as well as honor songs and footage of students, staff, and faculty, and much more. If you were unable to “attend,” you can watch the video.

Join us on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 beginning at 5:30 pm (MDT), as we come together to raise funds for the IAIA student scholarships, which are critical for student success.

The IAIA 2021 Virtual Scholarship Event and Auction will feature an online auction of art pieces donated by some of IAIA’s award-winning artists, including Featured Artist and IAIA alumna Kathleen Wall (Jemez Pueblo) ’14. Wall, who created a collection of work specifically for the event, titled Create Our Future—Honor Our Past, features an extraordinary cohort of artists who contributed to the final work. Contributing artists include Tony Abeyta (Navajo Nation) ’86, Penny Singer (Diné) ’96, Diego Romero (Cochiti Pueblo) ’86, Jody Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo), Marcus Amerman (Choctaw), Kelly Church (Potawatomi, Odawa, Ojibwe) ’96, Wanesia Spry Misquadace (Ojibway) ’04, and Linda Lomahaftewa (Hopi, Choctaw) ’65. For more information, visit www.iaia.edu/bid.

If you want to support student success right now, make a donation.

IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) is pleased to announce that the annual IAIA Recent Graduate Art Market will be happening this year on August 21–22, 2021, 7 am–5 pm.

For safety reasons, and due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the number of booths have been reduced by three, making a total of 17 available booths. Learn more about the application process.

There’s a swarm of honey bees on the IAIA Campus, and they’re working to bring goodness to the students, staff, and faculty. Established by IAIA’s Land-Grant program and maintained by student-workers, the community of pollinators will provide food sustenance and products that can be used for student art. As pollinators, the bees also play a vital role in maintaining equilibrium within the ecosystem by directly impacting the production of food, and helping to maintain ecological biodiversity. Sustainability is one of the core values at IAIA, and introducing this population of bees is helping to support the revitalization of biodiversity on the IAIA Campus and surrounding community in line with IAIA’s Climate Action Plan.

Listen to a short audio recording of Land-Grant Extension Educator Melanie Kirby (Tortugas Pueblo) and learn more about IAIA’s beekeeping journey. Land-Grant is also partnering with Continuing Education (CE) to host beekeeping and pollinator preservation webinars.

USA TODAY 10Best named MoCNA number three in the Readers’ Choice contest for “Best Art Museum” in the United States. A panel of relevant experts were 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 advance contemporary Native art through exhibitions, collections, public programs, and scholarship,’ and took the time to cast a vote for us.”—MoCNA Director Patsy Phillips (Cherokee Nation)

WarnerMedia funded scholarships for the Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing (MFACW) students. The total amount of the funding granted to IAIA is $20,000. In addition to scholarships, WarnerMedia will also be providing mentor services to these MFACW students.

“IAIA has done so much impressive work to support this community. We’re incredibly proud to be able to support this program and the students that benefit from these efforts.”

—Karen Horne, Senior Vice President, Equity and Inclusion, WarnerMedia

The 2021 IAIA Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing Thesis Residency brought together a diverse range of voices working in the literary arts. Watch craft talks and readings that were live-streamed during the residency.

The 2021 IAIA Student Anthology, Out of Storms Into Stars, is now live on the anthology website. Throughout the year, Creative Writing students at IAIA hold a sacred space to meet, create, and listen to the storytellers of their generation “create medicine through microphones.” Out of Storms Into Stars captures a moment in time that feels bizarre, stormy, and uncharted—while still finding ways to survive, endure, and thrive in the new stars we ponder and create.

If you missed MoCNA’s monthly announcement on May 20, you can still view the June Exhibitions and Public Programs newsletter on the Constant Contact website.

The newsletter features recent news, happenings, exhibitions, public programs, new offerings from the IAIA Store, and much more.

We’re pleased to announce that Financial Aid and Scholarship Advisor Leah Boss (Laguna, Hopi, Akimel O’Odham) was selected as the 2020–2021 IAIA Staff of the Year. This year the IAIA administration surveyed IAIA students and asked, “which staff member has inspired you to do your very best work, and who have you learned the most from?”

The results of the survey were announced during a live virtual town hall meeting for IAIA Trustees and Staff on Friday, May 14, during the noon hour.

Watch Town Hall meetings hosted by IAIA President Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee Nation). Includes town hall meetings, convocation, and others.

The Vimeo playlist includes 16 videos, all of which are archived and can be viewed at anytime.

This exhibition, located in the Robert and Barbara Ells Family Collection Gallery on the IAIA Campus, honors the art of esteemed IAIA Alumnus and Associate Professor Lyndon Jeffery Kahmakoatayo “Jeff Kahm” (Plains Cree, 1968–2021). The works in the In Loving Memory: Lyndon Jeffery Kahmakoatayo “Jeff Kahm” exhibition include several prints created when Kahm was a student at IAIA (1990–1992), an editioned print created for the US Art In Embassies program, and a major gift by Kahm in 2012 at the close of Vernacular, his solo exhibition at MoCNA.

IAIA Cinematic Arts and Technology recently held the eighth annual IAIA Student Film Festival. Virtually view the best student films produced during the 2020–2021 academic year.

Image Credit: Photograph by Lonnie Begaye (Diné) ’21

The Museum is open Monday and Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 am–5 pm, and on Sunday from 11 am–4 pm at 75% capacity (maximum 100 individuals at any given time). The Museum remains closed on Tuesdays. Face coverings are recommended.

Tickets can be purchased online ahead of entry or in-person.

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.

In order to encourage and help our freshmen students prepare for a successful transition for the upcoming semester, IAIA is awarding the first 50 freshman students (who have been accepted for Fall 2021) with a $1,000 cash award.

The first 50 Freshman Students that complete the checklist will automatically be awarded the $1,000 cash award the first day of the Summer Bridge Program on July 18, 2021. The funds can be used at the student’s discretion.

The IAIA Continuing Education Summer Courses are now available for registration. The course schedule features unique and affordable educational offerings, including a beekeeping series, Indigenous language, writing, and business courses.

Continuing Education is committed to providing comprehensive training and adult education for the advancement and growth in workforce skills, lifelong learning, and empowerment through community-based learning opportunities.

The following contains information about recent happenings and news within the IAIA community.

Recent additions to the staff. For a full list of faculty and staff, view the Contact page. To see available positions, view the Employment page.

Upcoming and ongoing Happenings at IAIA and MoCNA.

Current and upcoming Exhibitions at MoCNA.

Additionally, you can view the IAIA Community Calendar, which includes community-only happenings, as well as important dates from the Academic Calendar.

For questions, comments, or feedback, please contact IAIA Interim Director of Marketing and Communications Jason S. Ordaz at jason.ordaz@iaia.edu.

Offering undergraduate degrees in Studio Arts, Creative Writing, Cinematic Arts and Technology, Indigenous Liberal Studies, Museum Studies, and Performing Arts, MFAs in Creative Writing and Studio Arts, along with certificates in Broadcast Journalism, Business and Entrepreneurship, Museum Studies, and Native American Art History. The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is the only college in the nation dedicated to the study of contemporary Native arts. The school serves approximately 500 full time equivalent (FTE) Native and non-Native American college students from across the globe. IAIA is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.