Contemporary Indigeneity Juror Talk

Great Plains Art Museum Author

04/05/2022 Added

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The Great Plains Art Museum has revived its biennial juried exhibition, “Contemporary Indigeneity.” The fourth iteration of this group show will feature work by 28 artists from across the Great Plains who address the contemporary Native American experience in the region. Join the “Contemporary Indigeneity” jurors and Ashley Wilkinson, Director of the Great Plains Art Museum, for a talk about the exhibition, Indigenous art, and the jury process.

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[00:00:04.390]First, I'm gonna start off by saying hello
[00:00:06.530]and welcome to the Great Plains Art Museum
[00:00:08.400]at the Center for Great Plains Studies.
[00:00:10.450]I'm Ashley Wilkinson, director and curator of the museum.
[00:00:14.350]Thank you all for joining us today for this discussion
[00:00:17.270]about our 2022 "Contemporary Indigeneity" exhibition.
[00:00:22.010]I'd like to begin by acknowledging
[00:00:24.070]that the University of Nebraska is a land grant institution
[00:00:27.690]with campuses and programs on the past, present,
[00:00:30.430]and future homelands of the Pawnee, Ponca, Otoe-Missouria,
[00:00:34.950]Omaha, Dakota, Lakota, Kaw, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Peoples,
[00:00:40.670]as well as those of the relocated Ho-Chunk,
[00:00:43.390]Sac and Fox, and Iowa Peoples.
[00:00:46.370]The land we currently call Nebraska has always been
[00:00:49.500]and will continue to be in an Indigenous homeland.
[00:00:52.580]Please take a moment to consider the legacies
[00:00:55.300]of more than 150 years of displacement, violence,
[00:00:58.940]settlement, and survival that bring us here today.
[00:01:05.010]This acknowledgement and the centering of Indigenous peoples
[00:01:08.130]is a start as we move forward together.
[00:01:12.210]I'd like to say a few quick thank yous
[00:01:14.710]before we get started with this program.
[00:01:16.890]First, thanks to all of the artists
[00:01:19.150]whose work is on view here today.
[00:01:20.880]Some of them are in the audience as well.
[00:01:23.570]We're so grateful that you're allowing us
[00:01:25.830]to share your work here at the museum.
[00:01:28.180]Your participation is making this what it is.
[00:01:30.680]So we're incredibly grateful to you.
[00:01:33.250]I'd also like to thank all of the staff at the center
[00:01:35.690]and museum who helped with every aspect of this project
[00:01:39.190]from fundraising to marketing to events.
[00:01:42.160]I'd like to specifically thank museum collections manager
[00:01:44.910]Casey Seger, who was a significant part of this project
[00:01:48.040]and made many things happen.
[00:01:49.920]Most significantly, he was responsible for shipping
[00:01:52.360]47 works of art to Lincoln, Nebraska, (laughs)
[00:01:55.860]and that was no small feat, so thank you to Casey.
[00:02:00.040]Finally, I'd like to thank the generous sponsors
[00:02:02.310]that made this exhibition and event possible,
[00:02:05.110]the Ethel S. Abbott Charitable Foundation,
[00:02:07.540]the BNSF Railway Foundation,
[00:02:09.920]the Lincoln Community Foundation, Humanities Nebraska,
[00:02:13.050]and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment,
[00:02:15.830]Union Bank & Trust, the UNL Research Council,
[00:02:19.550]and the UNL Faculty Senate Convocations Committee.
[00:02:23.787]"Contemporary Indigeneity" is the fourth juried exhibition
[00:02:26.740]of its kind here at the center and museum.
[00:02:29.440]Our last exhibition was in 2016,
[00:02:31.780]and we are planning to move forward with the show
[00:02:34.010]as a biennial in the years to come.
[00:02:36.440]For our 2022 exhibition, Native artists were invited
[00:02:39.510]to submit work that addressed any issues or themes
[00:02:42.540]relevant to the contemporary Native experience
[00:02:45.120]on the Great Plains.
[00:02:46.780]The goal was to highlight current Native American
[00:02:49.160]artistic practice and the diverse media
[00:02:51.770]and content explored by these artists.
[00:02:54.870]We had 59 artists submit this year,
[00:02:57.030]which was an impressive number, we're so pleased with that,
[00:03:01.150]and in the exhibition on view here,
[00:03:02.920]you will see the work of 28 artists
[00:03:04.930]from across the Great Plains working in painting, pottery,
[00:03:08.740]beadwork, metalwork, and much more.
[00:03:11.710]The submissions were reviewed by a panel of jurors
[00:03:14.210]who were selected to participate in this project
[00:03:16.840]because of their knowledge of Native art
[00:03:18.660]within and outside of a museum context
[00:03:21.660]and for their work with and connections to
[00:03:23.980]Indigenous communities.
[00:03:25.820]Please join me in thanking our jurors for their time
[00:03:28.590]and effort on this project and for being here today.
[00:03:31.661](audience applauding)
[00:03:36.480]So I have a few questions that will prompt our discussion,
[00:03:40.180]and then we'll have time for audience questions
[00:03:42.620]as well at the end, but I'm gonna start
[00:03:45.000]by briefly introducing our panelists.
[00:03:47.280]And then after my short introduction,
[00:03:49.470]I'm gonna give each of you an opportunity
[00:03:51.650]to introduce yourself to the audience
[00:03:53.580]and tell them about your work
[00:03:55.350]with Native art and Native communities.
[00:04:00.200]So I'm gonna start here with Joe Williams,
[00:04:03.790]a member of Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate,
[00:04:06.440]and he's the director of community education
[00:04:08.690]and director of Native American Programs
[00:04:10.890]at the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota.
[00:04:13.920]He has a master of fine arts in visual effects
[00:04:16.380]from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco
[00:04:19.830]and bachelor of arts in American Indian studies
[00:04:22.100]from the University of South Dakota.
[00:04:24.150]Prior to his current position,
[00:04:25.670]he served as residential director
[00:04:27.250]at Circle of Nations School,
[00:04:29.040]an off-reservation residential school
[00:04:30.960]for Native American junior high students in North Dakota.
[00:04:34.350]He also served in the Army National Guard for 20 years
[00:04:37.260]and was deployed three times overseas
[00:04:39.210]in service to his country.
[00:04:40.910]Joe, I'd like to say thank you for your service
[00:04:42.980]and also ask you then to please introduce yourself
[00:04:45.670]to our audience.
[00:04:47.397]Well, good afternoon, my name's Joe Williams.
[00:04:50.480]Yes, I am director of Native American Programs
[00:04:53.360]at the Plains Art Museum up there.
[00:04:55.350]And the way I view my role at the museum is,
[00:04:59.650]of course, a curator of exhibitions,
[00:05:03.142]and I help facilitate programs,
[00:05:09.210]workshops, and community engagement.
[00:05:11.700]And I think it's really important that the museum
[00:05:15.290]reaches out to the community and gets perspective
[00:05:19.180]from the community from outside the walls of that building.
[00:05:25.641]Yeah, and so I guess I'll just keep it right there.
[00:05:29.140]We'll talk more about some of my work also
[00:05:31.220]as we move through this.
[00:05:32.390]Great, thanks Joe.
[00:05:33.498]Thanks.
[00:05:34.370]Next I'd like to introduce Dakota Hoska,
[00:05:36.620]who's an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Nation,
[00:05:39.460]Pine Ridge Wounded Knee.
[00:05:41.020]She joined Denver Art Museum in 2019
[00:05:43.340]as the assistant curator of Native arts.
[00:05:45.670]Previously, she worked as a curatorial research assistant
[00:05:48.340]at the Minneapolis Institute of Art,
[00:05:50.720]supporting the exhibition
[00:05:52.227]"Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists."
[00:05:55.070]She received her BFA in drawing and painting
[00:05:57.420]from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2012
[00:06:00.610]and completed two years of Dakhota language classes
[00:06:03.070]at the University of Minnesota in 2016.
[00:06:06.020]She completed her MA in art history in 2019,
[00:06:09.040]focusing on Native American art history
[00:06:11.030]at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
[00:06:14.210]Dakota, if you could introduce yourself to our audience.
[00:06:17.906](Dakota speaking Indigenous language)
[00:06:29.663]Hello, my relatives.
[00:06:30.496]I shake all of your hands with a good heart.
[00:06:32.810]My name's Dakota, I'm a Lakota woman,
[00:06:35.420]and I'm enrolled in the Pine Ridge Reservation.
[00:06:38.810]My work, I work at a, I'm gonna put this in quotes,
[00:06:42.950]encyclopedic museum, because of course
[00:06:45.590]we don't have everything or, you know,
[00:06:49.810]or a complete representation of all things.
[00:06:53.420]But I came there in 2019,
[00:06:58.200]and really my work since that time
[00:07:01.850]has been about engaging the community
[00:07:06.023]and restructuring some of the language
[00:07:09.570]around our collections to be talking more
[00:07:11.980]about our role as stewards of pieces and, you know,
[00:07:17.370]kind of working to, I don't wanna say recolonize the museum,
[00:07:21.440]but I wanna infiltrate it as a Native person,
[00:07:24.590]and I wanna see more Native people
[00:07:27.840]up in our galleries than non-Native people.
[00:07:31.650]So that's my working goal. (laughs)
[00:07:35.210]Thank you, Dakota.
[00:07:36.550]And then we have Tahnee Ahtoneharjo Growingthunder,
[00:07:39.770]who is an enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe
[00:07:42.010]and is Mvskoke and Seminole.
[00:07:43.760]She is the museum director for the Kiowa Tribal Museum
[00:07:46.410]in Carnegie, Oklahoma.
[00:07:48.150]She serves many roles in the arts as a museum professional,
[00:07:51.110]policy advisor, curator, and artist.
[00:07:53.930]She holds a bachelor of fine arts in museology
[00:07:56.540]from the Institute of American Indian Arts.
[00:07:59.030]She received a master of liberal arts in museum studies
[00:08:02.140]from Harvard Extension School
[00:08:03.810]and is pursuing doctoral studies at Swansea University
[00:08:06.770]in international diplomacy.
[00:08:08.660]Tahnee, I invite you to introduce yourself to our audience.
[00:08:12.260]Well, thank you.
[00:08:14.570]Do I sound loud? (laughs)
[00:08:16.330]I'm naturally a loud speaker,
[00:08:17.720]so it's different to be mic'd, but yeah,
[00:08:21.060]thank you for inviting me to be here today.
[00:08:24.430]I came from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma,
[00:08:26.930]and I am a enrolled Kiowa tribal member
[00:08:31.140]from the Zoltone community.
[00:08:34.327]I'm also the daughter of Ahtone Harjo who is a ledger artist
[00:08:39.706]and brought me here many years ago with her own art
[00:08:43.430]and her own exhibition in this space.
[00:08:45.100]So it's good to be back.
[00:08:46.760]I brought my girls with me.
[00:08:48.620]So we have three generations here today of artists.
[00:08:53.470]And I'm proud to be here to present with you
[00:08:57.480]and share with you a little bit of our background
[00:09:00.040]and connection to this space
[00:09:01.940]and then also have input today and with our conversations.
[00:09:07.070]But thank you, appreciate it.
[00:09:09.190]Thank you, so I'll start us off with a question,
[00:09:12.570]and we will have time for audience questions
[00:09:14.740]at the end as well.
[00:09:16.770]But my first question to you, jurors,
[00:09:18.560]is we see a wide spectrum of media used
[00:09:21.830]in the works selected for this exhibition.
[00:09:24.480]Were there any specific works that stood out to you
[00:09:27.210]for their use of new media
[00:09:28.720]or anything that surprised or stood out to you
[00:09:31.180]when you were reviewing these works?
[00:09:34.170]And I invite at you all to feel free to jump in
[00:09:37.100]and contribute to that question
[00:09:40.070]if you have some thoughts.
[00:09:45.335]Okay. (Dakota laughs)
[00:09:46.168]Anybody wanna start us off?
[00:09:47.220]We're all gentle.
[00:09:48.610]We don't wanna step on each other's toes.
[00:09:50.728]Wanna go in alphabetical order?
[00:09:54.260]You went first, so why aren't you going again? (laughs)
[00:09:59.100]Well, I mean, yeah, for what stood out to me
[00:10:02.170]was the inclusion of the digital art
[00:10:04.250]and the technical forms,
[00:10:07.850]because coming from a tribe
[00:10:12.537]that has such strengths in traditional arts
[00:10:16.520]and historic practices and our original methods
[00:10:22.220]and organic materials, so it's a difference for me
[00:10:26.040]shifting from American museums to a tribal museum
[00:10:29.130]and then understanding what I need to encourage
[00:10:33.510]within my community, and seeing that is something
[00:10:37.720]that opened my eyes.
[00:10:39.660]Especially as a museum person, you know,
[00:10:41.430]we think, how are we going to document this?
[00:10:45.430]How are we gonna catalog it,
[00:10:46.730]and how are we gonna preserve it,
[00:10:48.980]especially when it comes to digital art.
[00:10:52.840]And one of my children, aspiring anime artist,
[00:10:58.080]and so I understand the difficulty
[00:11:01.970]in which our young people have
[00:11:05.655]in being culturally confident
[00:11:08.550]but also understanding the new methods of art
[00:11:11.930]and how to participate, not only as a arts economy,
[00:11:15.630]but also to include their knowledge of being tribal people,
[00:11:21.570]and so I really appreciate that of including the work.
[00:11:26.530]And Dakota and I had previously judged
[00:11:28.800]on another show that we talked about that.
[00:11:31.720]It was the first time we had seen it,
[00:11:33.570]and we were really proud to be able
[00:11:36.090]to encourage that method of art right now, so.
[00:11:41.910]I feel excited to say,
[00:11:45.540]one thing we talk a lot about at the Denver Art Museum
[00:11:48.740]is that Indigenous peoples are innovators
[00:11:51.740]at every moment in time.
[00:11:53.410]We're often like, you know,
[00:11:54.243]what do they call those, the early adapters?
[00:11:56.880]But we have throughout history
[00:11:58.960]taken materials and made them our own.
[00:12:03.170]We have a piece right now up in the Denver Art Museum
[00:12:06.210]that is like a, it's a phonograph.
[00:12:08.840]It covers the outside of a phonograph,
[00:12:10.950]and it's completely quilled.
[00:12:12.600]And just like seeing how, you know,
[00:12:16.600]there is just nothing that our people don't wanna touch
[00:12:20.080]and make it reflect our own cultures.
[00:12:24.980]So I'm not maybe even necessarily surprised
[00:12:28.600]to see the wide variety of media,
[00:12:31.360]because I think we're, I think we're pushers.
[00:12:34.510]I think we were experimenters.
[00:12:36.000]There's no way you could've survived on the plain.
[00:12:40.050]You know, I'm thinking more particularly
[00:12:41.770]of Lakota, but Kiowa, too.
[00:12:43.270]I mean, we were surviving in some pretty rough climates,
[00:12:46.680]and unless you were innovators and early adapters
[00:12:49.960]and trying, experimenting and trying new things,
[00:12:52.540]you know, you can't survive in those kind of climates,
[00:12:54.700]and it's just beautiful to see that translating to art.
[00:12:59.590]And yet, what I really love, it doesn't seem to,
[00:13:03.240]you know, this is something else
[00:13:04.310]we talk about at the DAM, too, but you know,
[00:13:06.900]it's not that things get abandoned
[00:13:09.350]in favor of these new things.
[00:13:11.180]It's like, I feel like these artists
[00:13:14.350]are all like rooted and reaching
[00:13:17.700]and producing these fresh artworks,
[00:13:20.530]and I really just love that aspect
[00:13:22.210]of their creativity and experimentation, and.
[00:13:28.460]My sentiments are the same,
[00:13:29.293]and I can't really articulate myself
[00:13:32.340]further than what these two have just said so eloquently.
[00:13:35.280]But yes, I was pleased to see the inclusion
[00:13:39.180]of digital arts into this space here.
[00:13:42.100]Myself, I'm a digital artist,
[00:13:44.080]and so when I see things like this,
[00:13:46.970]it sort of perks my attention
[00:13:48.270]to see what other people are doing.
[00:13:52.195]You know, so I grew up on the reservation as well,
[00:13:54.960]and you work with what you have,
[00:13:58.550]and I think it's reflective in the space here,
[00:14:02.680]in a lot of different spaces,
[00:14:05.220]but it's really great to see that the digital media
[00:14:10.410]is starting to be incorporated
[00:14:12.800]into exhibitions like this as well.
[00:14:15.990]And so I'm just encouraged to see
[00:14:17.530]where this is going in the future.
[00:14:20.300]Thanks, jurors, for those comments.
[00:14:22.060]And I would say, too, that we're thrilled
[00:14:24.130]that there's such a diversity of media here
[00:14:26.100]in the show that we can have on display
[00:14:28.490]to show our viewers of what people are working on.
[00:14:31.760]So thank you for those comments.
[00:14:33.430]Could I just add
[00:14:34.263]one more thing? Please do, please do.
[00:14:37.060]I've been in the car for hours, so I'm just all yappy,
[00:14:39.580]too, that's the other (laughs) problem.
[00:14:42.840]But, you know, I love that
[00:14:49.952]there isn't a need for us all
[00:14:51.110]to create the same kind of artwork, either, you know?
[00:14:53.910]I like that some of those stereotypes
[00:14:56.580]of what expectations for Native art is
[00:15:01.390]or should be or could be is really blown out of the water
[00:15:03.920]by the artists exhibiting here, and I love that.
[00:15:07.100]Yeah, I agree, thank you.
[00:15:10.120]So all of the works in this exhibition
[00:15:12.240]were made in 2020 or later.
[00:15:14.650]Obviously these past two years and even today
[00:15:18.100]have been challenging for many reasons
[00:15:19.860]with the coronavirus pandemic, of course,
[00:15:22.110]significantly impacting the whole world
[00:15:25.280]but many Native communities, of course, as well.
[00:15:28.020]Do the works in this exhibition you feel
[00:15:29.980]reflect the time which they were created,
[00:15:32.320]and if they do, in what ways do they do that?
[00:15:37.990]I'll jump in, first off, yes.
[00:15:41.480]You know, I think there are two themes
[00:15:45.630]that really stood out in this exhibition for me,
[00:15:48.010]and of course it's affected all of us or our families.
[00:15:51.210]One is, of course, COVID-19,
[00:15:54.070]and there are some very specific pieces in here
[00:15:56.440]that represents different aspects of that story.
[00:15:59.810]And it's so appreciated to see and to read
[00:16:03.260]the narratives that are created,
[00:16:04.970]whether it's the loss of storytellers that,
[00:16:09.400]you know, there are culture bearers that we've lost
[00:16:10.950]over the last several years to this.
[00:16:14.810]But then it also speaks to the resiliency of our communities
[00:16:17.720]and our families through the loss
[00:16:19.530]and through what we've gone through.
[00:16:21.520]We're gonna come back from this.
[00:16:23.380]Like everything that's happened to us
[00:16:25.390]over the last 500 years, we come back and we're stronger,
[00:16:29.450]and it's so appreciated to be able to see that
[00:16:31.100]reflected in the work here.
[00:16:34.090]The other topic also that I've seen
[00:16:36.810]is a lot of the works have addressed the MMIW,
[00:16:42.810]what's, you know, and it's affected all of our families.
[00:16:45.530]You know, in my family, we've lost family members
[00:16:48.220]and we're looking for family members,
[00:16:51.150]but I'm not the only one.
[00:16:51.983]There's all of us have experienced this at some level.
[00:16:54.980]And so it's, I so appreciate seeing that these works here
[00:16:59.910]are speaking to that and addressing that
[00:17:01.950]and making sure that that struggle is not being pushed aside
[00:17:06.960]or put on the back burner to look at later.
[00:17:09.790]And we're starting to see this being addressed
[00:17:13.250]in the general culture now in the United States,
[00:17:15.780]and that's by efforts of artists and activists
[00:17:17.910]that keep talking about this and keep pushing for answers.
[00:17:22.170]So, and accountability, so that's,
[00:17:24.380]I guess that's what I would have to say.
[00:17:29.410]I kind of feel like the beauty of creating
[00:17:36.240]in such a heavy time or the need to continue creating
[00:17:41.090]during such a difficult period,
[00:17:42.900]I mean, that just isn't lost on me.
[00:17:45.340]And I know like even in traditions,
[00:17:48.380]like our people are making some of the biggest,
[00:17:50.860]most spectacular works because they were,
[00:17:53.510]you know, stuck on the reservation,
[00:17:55.290]and that really changed their forms of art-making.
[00:17:59.290]So just, you know, kind of speaking back
[00:18:01.430]to what Joe talked about, this resilience
[00:18:04.180]and seeing it come through in the artwork
[00:18:07.360]and seeing this need to and this desire to keep creating
[00:18:12.710]even in a dark moment is really inspiring to me.
[00:18:19.670]And I guess I would also ask, too, in connection to that,
[00:18:22.770]are there other themes that you see addressed
[00:18:24.920]in this exhibition that you feel really fit
[00:18:27.470]into the context of other Native art being made today?
[00:18:33.480]Yeah, I mean, just growing up
[00:18:38.980]as a child of artists and having the influence
[00:18:42.600]of color in my life and then as a beadwork artist
[00:18:46.010]and as a dancer, you know, powwow,
[00:18:49.690]we have lots of bright colors
[00:18:52.270]to not only to attract for the competitive side of it
[00:18:57.890]but also the good feelings in which we have
[00:19:00.560]in making our art.
[00:19:01.650]And so for me as a powwow person,
[00:19:07.770]I really appreciate seeing color in the art.
[00:19:11.080]My folks always tease me about my beadwork
[00:19:12.970]having no color unturned, (laughs)
[00:19:16.270]28 colors in one design, you know.
[00:19:18.952](Dakota laughing)
[00:19:19.943]But I can appreciate that in the art.
[00:19:21.510]That was one thing that I had written to Ashley about,
[00:19:25.050]and what I was really drawn to in the jurying of this
[00:19:30.060]is because a lotta times in museums, in American museums,
[00:19:34.300]we get drawn down with drab colors or, you know,
[00:19:37.400]but you can see the pride in what it is for our people
[00:19:41.330]that we do celebrate with color
[00:19:43.910]and how it explores our feelings and that,
[00:19:48.867]you know, it means something to us
[00:19:50.070]because it's not just a variation of color.
[00:19:52.550]It's just not color theory,
[00:19:56.450]but it's something that actually,
[00:19:59.540]I guess it communicates what we're feeling in times.
[00:20:02.160]So I can say that at least what I saw on the pieces, so.
[00:20:06.600]Yeah, that's definitely something
[00:20:07.780]I think our staff noticed
[00:20:08.910]when we were putting the show together
[00:20:10.260]is just how colorful it felt and livened up the space.
[00:20:14.530]Do either of you see any other themes
[00:20:17.360]in these works that you'd like to point out?
[00:20:24.888]With so many Indigenous artists,
[00:20:29.000]we, of course, we are contemporary individuals.
[00:20:32.010]We live here and we exist today,
[00:20:33.920]but we are tied into our culture
[00:20:37.100]and to our family's history.
[00:20:40.010]And so there's these two worlds that we walk in,
[00:20:43.370]and we have no choice to walk into those worlds,
[00:20:45.300]and I think that's representative
[00:20:48.921]of the works that you see here.
[00:20:50.190]We touch on traditional imagery,
[00:20:53.210]and some of it is ceremonial.
[00:20:55.620]Some of it is to practices back home.
[00:21:00.140]But some of it's also used in satire.
[00:21:02.080]We're using traditional images to talk about things
[00:21:03.930]that are happening today.
[00:21:04.763]And there's a few pieces here that I quite enjoyed
[00:21:07.590]because they're talking about things
[00:21:09.160]that are happening today
[00:21:10.300]through the use of traditional imagery.
[00:21:13.500]And so it's, yeah, for me,
[00:21:19.030]it's something that I appreciate
[00:21:21.730]going through this list when we were selecting.
[00:21:25.410]Thank you. Yep.
[00:21:26.960]The one thing that I noticed when we were judging this
[00:21:30.480]was just this, the sense of purpose
[00:21:33.620]all the artists brought to their artwork.
[00:21:36.000]I felt that, you know, all of them were,
[00:21:40.810]either felt very driven to teach something
[00:21:45.120]or help their community
[00:21:47.130]or enlighten individuals about a situation,
[00:21:52.590]and that felt very important to me.
[00:21:56.670]And I was really, I don't know,
[00:22:01.690]maybe proud that this whole group of artists
[00:22:06.350]was so determined to make a difference in the world,
[00:22:09.500]that was one thing that in their, in the world,
[00:22:12.870]in their worlds and for the people around them.
[00:22:15.590]That really struck me
[00:22:16.940]as I was reading all the artist statements.
[00:22:20.170]Thank you, yeah, and I think maybe bringing us out
[00:22:24.510]to a wider view and looking at Native art as a whole,
[00:22:30.280]what do you see on the horizon for contemporary Native art?
[00:22:33.770]And maybe you can speak to some of your own practices, too,
[00:22:37.500]to kind of put the show in context.
[00:22:43.860]I see in my practice that,
[00:22:48.290]and I think it's been building for a while,
[00:22:50.580]but I would say that Native art is like,
[00:22:54.940]it's having a very special moment right now.
[00:22:58.580]Native artists are doing some of the most exciting
[00:23:01.630]and groundbreaking artwork out there.
[00:23:04.260]It's getting a much broader recognition
[00:23:07.100]than it has in the past,
[00:23:09.030]not to say that there aren't miles and miles to go
[00:23:12.880]to improve that, you know?
[00:23:14.860]There are some times, and I'll say like, "Oh my god,"
[00:23:17.160]you know, "My favorite artist is Fritz Scholder."
[00:23:19.010]And they'll be like, "Who's that?"
[00:23:21.160]You know, so, I mean, there's still a lot of work,
[00:23:23.150]but I mean, we've got Raven Chacon,
[00:23:26.490]we've got Dyani White Hawk, we've got Rebecca Belmore
[00:23:30.090]are all showing at the Whitney right now.
[00:23:31.783]I mean, this is a very important moment in time
[00:23:34.760]for Native artists, where their work
[00:23:36.210]is sought after and appreciated.
[00:23:39.120]And, you know, and I think it's at a time
[00:23:44.070]where they are getting to do that in a way
[00:23:46.340]that they want to make artwork.
[00:23:48.880]You know, they don't have to become
[00:23:51.110]a Western-trained artist.
[00:23:52.610]They just are staying true to their vision
[00:23:54.660]and doing their thing rooted in their communities
[00:23:58.100]and what's important to them,
[00:24:00.743]and yeah, and they're gonna just, you know,
[00:24:03.370]the sky's the limit for them right now, I feel.
[00:24:09.400]Tahnee or Joe, do you have any thoughts on that?
[00:24:13.360]So I have two, two thoughts, and I say two,
[00:24:16.370]'cause I wanna, I'm gonna lose myself in this.
[00:24:18.206]Okay I'll remind you. (laughs)
[00:24:19.282](laughs) First off, if you haven't seen
[00:24:24.350]Dyani White Hawk's new piece at the Whitney,
[00:24:26.110]google it, it's brilliant.
[00:24:28.560]Not to plug another institution,
[00:24:29.970]but it's an absolutely beautiful installation
[00:24:34.730]that has happened there.
[00:24:37.600]I guess the first thing I wanted to mention
[00:24:41.810]is that I think it's important for our community
[00:24:46.340]to really value collaboration.
[00:24:49.540]We're stronger in numbers, and I think as artists,
[00:24:54.900]and I speak for myself, when I work in my space,
[00:24:58.330]I'm alone, I'm isolated, I'm in my own head creating pieces,
[00:25:02.240]and when those are done,
[00:25:04.440]that's when I present it to somebody else.
[00:25:06.390]And a lot of, especially going through college
[00:25:10.380]and some years back, you know,
[00:25:11.980]a lot of the studio artists work in the same way.
[00:25:14.350]They isolate, they do their works,
[00:25:17.410]and then they reach out to others.
[00:25:19.470]And there's, you know, that's the tradition.
[00:25:23.500]But I think looking forward,
[00:25:25.410]and I've heard some conversations
[00:25:28.610]through some of my work here
[00:25:29.670]is that there are collaborations happening,
[00:25:31.630]and there's magic happening in those collaborations.
[00:25:34.010]And so I would offer the, I guess, the thought
[00:25:37.530]to artists that are listening to this,
[00:25:39.390]or to individuals listening to this,
[00:25:41.410]don't be afraid of collaboration.
[00:25:43.290]You know, find trust in each other.
[00:25:44.980]And for those who are working together in good faith,
[00:25:49.200]there's real opportunity there.
[00:25:52.480]And I don't know what paths those will lead down,
[00:25:56.120]which is a good thing, because it's exciting
[00:25:58.270]to have things develop that you don't see
[00:26:01.666]coming around the bend.
[00:26:02.950]So that would be my first thought.
[00:26:05.410]The second thought is, or the second point
[00:26:07.870]I wanted to make was in,
[00:26:12.040]when I was in college back in the '90s
[00:26:16.200]and maybe even a little before that,
[00:26:18.070]when I was starting my art education,
[00:26:22.540]the stories and the biographies that I had heard
[00:26:27.550]at least, well, across the board, but Indigenous artists,
[00:26:31.090]Native American artists were the men.
[00:26:34.620]It was, I won't name names, but it was,
[00:26:37.010]you know, great Native men artists, you know?
[00:26:40.680]And then when I started in, post college, again,
[00:26:45.590]there was a lot of shows that were men, only men.
[00:26:49.450]And I feel like in the last 10, 15 years,
[00:26:52.890]we're starting to really open our eyes
[00:26:55.020]to see all the artists that are there.
[00:26:57.210]And I really see the few, and I sound like I'm pandering,
[00:27:00.350]but I'm really, really being sincere here,
[00:27:03.350]Indigenous women artists are the future.
[00:27:05.770]And you look at it now,
[00:27:07.210]the top artists are Indigenous women artists.
[00:27:10.100]And that's not to discount, you know,
[00:27:13.610]a lot of those who are out there,
[00:27:16.110]but that's what I see on the horizon is a shift change
[00:27:20.400]on the representation in spaces like this
[00:27:24.194]and gallery spaces across our region and the nation.
[00:27:29.630]So that's something that I'm seeing that's coming.
[00:27:34.570]Thank you.
[00:27:35.891]Tahnee, do you have any thoughts on that?
[00:27:39.200]Yeah, I guess on the collaboration part, too, you know,
[00:27:44.860]part of what we're seeing right now in New York
[00:27:48.220]and in Europe and in places like Santa Fe and Los Angeles,
[00:27:54.500]the arts economy for our artists and representation
[00:27:58.020]and how it's happening is we as the next generation,
[00:28:04.519]the power of representation is allowing us
[00:28:06.730]to finally be at that table.
[00:28:08.680]And so I'm like the two of you,
[00:28:13.684]not to say so much heavy on the Whitney,
[00:28:19.210]but the good thing about the Whitney Biennial right now
[00:28:22.950]that's taking place is the collaboration,
[00:28:26.900]the friendships of those colleagues that are in-house there
[00:28:30.430]who communicate to us and say, you know,
[00:28:34.717]"What do you recommend?"
[00:28:36.310]And allowing us to have input also,
[00:28:39.900]especially in major exhibitions like the biennials.
[00:28:45.263]And I'm quite proud of Adrienne Edwards
[00:28:47.370]and her selections at the Whitney Biennial
[00:28:49.900]and also the director who is trying to make the change
[00:28:55.890]for our own representation.
[00:28:57.410]And so that means a lot right now, especially for,
[00:29:02.120]you know, if we're talking to students today
[00:29:03.990]or those that are gonna watch this later on,
[00:29:06.520]of understanding that, you know,
[00:29:07.750]it might not seem like we're moving in big strides,
[00:29:11.300]but I really think we are, and I wanna encourage you
[00:29:13.520]just to stay with it, stick with this.
[00:29:17.304]And then also on the forefront for Native artists,
[00:29:21.960]my mom being, getting older now,
[00:29:26.650]and the reason why she uses the name Ahtone Harjo
[00:29:30.600]is because it's her last name and my dad's last name.
[00:29:33.650]And in the time period, the late '60s, '70s, '80s,
[00:29:37.790]it wasn't easy for her to use her first name.
[00:29:39.990]And so that's how she adapted her name to Ahtone Harjo
[00:29:42.800]instead of Marcelle being her first name.
[00:29:46.200]And so that time has greatly changed,
[00:29:50.460]but she's still Ahtone Harjo, so (laughs)
[00:29:53.120]gotta stay with that name.
[00:29:55.260]But, you know, and not a lotta people recall those days
[00:30:02.710]of when the art shows were happening,
[00:30:04.850]and it was the men that were leading,
[00:30:07.750]and luckily they would call
[00:30:09.850]and they would have a art show anywhere.
[00:30:13.380]A lotta times it would be Kelly Haney,
[00:30:15.220]or it would be Doc Tate Nevaquaya,
[00:30:20.270]and then on the broader scale T.C. Cannon,
[00:30:24.550]who's also a relative of ours,
[00:30:26.280]and then Allan Houser and individuals like that,
[00:30:29.760]they would call around and say, you know, "Let's do a show."
[00:30:33.120]And it didn't matter where they did it.
[00:30:34.350]It would be at a bank, or it would be at the Lions Club,
[00:30:37.950]but, you know, they put in the legwork
[00:30:40.250]of what it is to have art shows.
[00:30:42.340]And we're finally getting there to see, you know,
[00:30:46.200]those small steps that they took.
[00:30:47.580]And, you know, I'm so happy to be a part of this today.
[00:30:51.090]It's almost second nature for me to participate
[00:30:56.120]in shows like this and art shows,
[00:30:58.720]because I grew up being around the shows
[00:31:02.750]and these individuals being family relatives,
[00:31:05.440]but then also knowing the art.
[00:31:07.260]And now that I'm getting into my middle age,
[00:31:11.090]knowing where that art is located,
[00:31:12.910]like where they're being sold,
[00:31:14.550]and I know what Denver has, I know what you have,
[00:31:17.880]you know, and I still owe you guys a piece of artwork
[00:31:20.892](laughs) from mom's collection, but of yeah.
[00:31:23.470]You know, and it's good to have that memory of the art
[00:31:27.870]and then being able to come back
[00:31:29.700]and say that, you know, I experienced that time period.
[00:31:33.720]And so it is in good collaboration that we do connect,
[00:31:38.630]and Indian country's small, and people don't realize
[00:31:41.610]that we all know each other.
[00:31:43.180]We know where we started, we know who's new. (laughs)
[00:31:46.650]But then, you know, we call on those relations
[00:31:49.660]to help us in the end, and I really think
[00:31:51.619]that that's how these shows come together,
[00:31:55.017]and we appreciate that.
[00:31:57.010]Yeah, and I think, so a lot of you have mentioned
[00:31:59.010]the Whitney and what's going on right now.
[00:32:01.150]And so for my last question here,
[00:32:03.800]with this show at our museum,
[00:32:05.620]we sought to facilitate a space
[00:32:07.230]where the artist has a voice
[00:32:09.580]and that we step back a little bit.
[00:32:12.580]So what role do you see for museums
[00:32:14.520]and other like institutions in exhibiting Native art
[00:32:17.750]and putting these kinds of projects together?
[00:32:21.742]That's a big question.
[00:32:22.667]Yes, a big question for the last one.
[00:32:24.600]Dakota? No.
[00:32:25.557](group laughing)
[00:32:27.010]Just 'cause I'm so yappy after being in the car all day?
[00:32:32.710]Well, I think
[00:32:37.480]community engagement is important.
[00:32:40.720]Also artistic engagement is, you know,
[00:32:43.560]the engagement of the artists,
[00:32:46.330]but also the communities that you serve.
[00:32:48.840]Like, if you're having an Indigenous artwork exhibition
[00:32:53.397]and the Native community isn't showing up for it,
[00:32:56.760]then that means they're,
[00:32:58.910]something isn't right with that relationship,
[00:33:01.100]either they may not even know about you
[00:33:04.190]or there's a history past or there's, you know?
[00:33:07.810]So I feel like it's important,
[00:33:13.060]kind of like when these guys are talking
[00:33:15.020]about collaboration, and I know,
[00:33:17.680]you know, a lotta times our people,
[00:33:19.140]they just wanna do stuff together.
[00:33:20.850]So making, I feel like it's important
[00:33:23.180]to make spaces accessible,
[00:33:25.550]to, you know, even reach out like,
[00:33:27.817]"Okay, what would make you excited
[00:33:30.360]to go to an art exhibition at our institution?
[00:33:33.010]What would make you excited to see?"
[00:33:35.450]I'm sure part of it is gonna say,
[00:33:36.927]"Yeah, we wanna see Native artists,"
[00:33:38.600]but there might be things
[00:33:40.170]that will make the space itself more accessible.
[00:33:43.740]I think that's important.
[00:33:49.300]Any other thoughts?
[00:33:51.190]Yeah, to that point, you know,
[00:33:53.720]how do institutions engage and relate
[00:33:57.350]to the surrounding community?
[00:34:00.220]That's something I've been struggling with
[00:34:01.950]for several years now, because we do have
[00:34:04.070]a low Indigenous Native American community turnout
[00:34:08.300]to our events, and, you know,
[00:34:12.313]I think we have to address and ask some very hard
[00:34:18.100]but intentional questions, very honest, you know,
[00:34:20.921]have some very honest conversations.
[00:34:23.810]So, you know, that's definitely
[00:34:26.940]one of the big issues for our institution.
[00:34:32.220]I think the other, the thing that comes to mind
[00:34:37.040]working at an art museum is, how do I say this,
[00:34:44.849]just trying to think of how to articulate myself,
[00:34:50.540]the time of non-Indigenous voices telling our story
[00:34:55.690]has got to come to an end.
[00:34:58.510]We need to be telling our stories through our voices.
[00:35:02.110]And, you know, in the work that I do,
[00:35:05.430]I'm very intentional on stepping back.
[00:35:08.880]Even though I'm helping curate exhibitions and artist talks,
[00:35:14.580]I try to have the artist in front telling their story
[00:35:19.770]through their voices, through their perspectives.
[00:35:23.270]They don't need a translator.
[00:35:25.704]They don't need someone to explain their story for them.
[00:35:28.530]And for the general public, if they need to understand
[00:35:35.890]what the Indigenous artist is saying,
[00:35:37.700]they need to educate themselves.
[00:35:39.150]They need to make the effort.
[00:35:40.840]They need to come to us to be able
[00:35:42.490]to understand our stories, so that's one thing.
[00:35:48.990]I also recognize that, you know,
[00:35:52.330]I too, I'm moving into middle age.
[00:35:56.440]I, as a- I already went through it.
[00:35:59.392]I'm just on the other side of it now.
[00:36:01.558](Joe and Dakota laughing)
[00:36:03.290]I need to recognize that even though
[00:36:06.710]I hold a certain title, I'm in a certain position,
[00:36:09.730]that does not make me an expert.
[00:36:11.640]That does not make me the voice
[00:36:14.650]or the authority on where I come from.
[00:36:19.580]And so that means that I need to engage
[00:36:22.480]with my community, with my Elders,
[00:36:25.420]people who have been involved, who know items,
[00:36:31.370]that's a different point, who know these things
[00:36:34.540]far more than I would ever be able
[00:36:35.960]to understand or comprehend.
[00:36:38.150]And for museums that have collections,
[00:36:41.540]the objects that are there, those objects,
[00:36:46.460]they need to be, the community needs to understand
[00:36:50.690]what objects are there, and the expertise of the community
[00:36:56.220]needs to be involved in that.
[00:36:57.890]If those objects need to go back to the communities,
[00:36:59.620]that absolutely needs to happen.
[00:37:01.380]And, you know, there are systems in place
[00:37:04.665]that can make that happen,
[00:37:05.498]but museums need to be extremely progressive
[00:37:11.220]in making that happen.
[00:37:12.090]They need to be making the first steps
[00:37:13.500]to engage community members.
[00:37:15.210]Community members do not need
[00:37:16.210]to be seeking these museums out to see what we have.
[00:37:20.622]And I think that's extremely important.
[00:37:22.320]But again, to those objects,
[00:37:24.350]the descriptions of those objects
[00:37:26.600]need to come from Indigenous voices,
[00:37:30.280]not educators, not curators, not administrators.
[00:37:34.020]And you know, one thing that we're going through right now
[00:37:36.030]through our objects is we are rewriting,
[00:37:39.070]'cause some of the language from even 30 years ago
[00:37:45.235]it's sad to read some of these things.
[00:37:47.010]But you know, that means that we have to engage
[00:37:49.700]and educate the museums on what is,
[00:37:54.070]I guess, at a minimum appropriate.
[00:37:56.350]So yeah, I guess I'll leave that there.
[00:38:01.340]Okay, well, I always have a lot to say,
[00:38:03.940]so I better (laughs), better hold back a little bit, no.
[00:38:09.080]And I'm, you know, even in museums in general,
[00:38:11.890]being so Kiowa in that certain space,
[00:38:15.700]like I crack jokes all the time.
[00:38:17.810]I'm like, I have a hard time staying serious, so. (laughs)
[00:38:23.570]That's always my first hurdle
[00:38:24.970]is getting over that seriousness of museums.
[00:38:27.820]But walking in that space is,
[00:38:32.560]for me, over the years has really changed.
[00:38:34.810]And I always tell people that in some of my articles,
[00:38:38.240]when I write and teach and that social media
[00:38:41.667]has really changed how we're accepted
[00:38:46.420]and how we are influencing that change.
[00:38:51.730]And coming from a tribal museum to where I was previously
[00:38:57.890]in just public and private institution museums
[00:39:04.500]is really different because I understand
[00:39:07.700]the curatorial practice.
[00:39:09.100]I understand museum business,
[00:39:13.010]from finance to surveying and so forth,
[00:39:17.120]the databases, and you're right,
[00:39:20.302]you know, the terminology is heartbreaking.
[00:39:22.590]And so when my tribe sought me to be their director,
[00:39:27.960]it was almost the expectation.
[00:39:31.950]It was a burden placed onto me
[00:39:35.410]because I'm a former tribal leader's grandchild
[00:39:42.645]who opened our museum and who made the funding available.
[00:39:48.680]And then my family members were former board members.
[00:39:52.230]And we realized early on that the (static hissing).
[00:39:56.930]Is that me, my double chin? (laughs)
[00:40:01.042](laughs) I don't think so.
[00:40:02.460]My chin was talking, but anyway,
[00:40:06.780]they realized that the museum structure
[00:40:09.380]was not working for us as a sovereign nation
[00:40:12.470]and that these expectations of board trustees
[00:40:15.900]and board of directors were not guiding us in a good way.
[00:40:19.660]And so our traditional leaders came forward,
[00:40:22.820]and we said, how are we gonna do,
[00:40:24.800]how are we gonna preserve not only our language,
[00:40:26.820]our culture, and what needs to happen for us as a people
[00:40:31.120]of 12,000 enrolled members who have a blood quantum,
[00:40:35.110]and I know blood quantum gets us into the weeds sometimes
[00:40:38.410]of conversations, but we're still one of those tribes
[00:40:41.790]that maintains a high blood quantum.
[00:40:43.440]And so we shifted our view on what a museum practice
[00:40:49.330]needs to be as a nonprofit.
[00:40:51.620]And I can tell you this, it's working,
[00:40:53.310]not just 'cause I'm the director now,
[00:40:55.290]but because we have our traditional leaders
[00:40:58.010]guiding on what needs to happen for our museum.
[00:41:01.270]It's all coming together in a good way.
[00:41:03.240]And I've come from a patrilineal tribe,
[00:41:05.770]and so some of those differences are still comparable
[00:41:11.790]to non-Native museums because we are always facing
[00:41:15.650]the male Anglo perspective, the PhD perspective.
[00:41:18.930]And so (chuckles) not that my leaders are like that,
[00:41:21.920]but again, it's a place of where they say,
[00:41:26.977]"You understand the language, you're going back and forth.
[00:41:29.610]You can be our conduit to that outside world
[00:41:33.610]of what needs to happen for NAGPRA
[00:41:36.150]and Indian Arts and Crafts Act."
[00:41:37.960]And you know, we are having the issue
[00:41:39.520]of pseudo-Indianism right now, and then also having access.
[00:41:44.740]So we shouldn't have to have permission
[00:41:47.040]to go visit our items.
[00:41:48.930]And so we've been working on that to say,
[00:41:51.590]you know, "We are to work with you,"
[00:41:54.100]and we're not in that way to say,
[00:41:56.987]"Give it all back and dump the drawers and give it back.
[00:41:59.700]But we expect you to work with us
[00:42:02.370]and not go around us in that way."
[00:42:04.040]And so that's what I see the big difference right now.
[00:42:08.100]And I'm very privileged to be able to serve my tribe,
[00:42:11.730]and a lotta times it gets overwhelming,
[00:42:14.320]but then I think at the end of the day,
[00:42:17.390]at least I work for people that love me
[00:42:20.880]and care for me culturally.
[00:42:23.770]And that's what it is to, you know,
[00:42:25.500]it's not a conflict of interest.
[00:42:27.000]It's your uncles, it's your grandpas, it's your grandmas
[00:42:30.520]who are telling you what we need to do
[00:42:32.410]and what looks good, what doesn't look good, you know,
[00:42:35.490]'cause they're not gonna hold back those opinions.
[00:42:38.837]But that's how I feel right now
[00:42:41.830]of where we are with museums.
[00:42:43.770]And I still wanna be affiliated institutionally,
[00:42:47.500]but I just know right now, at least through COVID,
[00:42:50.530]that I'm in a good place
[00:42:53.000]and where I need to be and be protected.
[00:42:55.780]And I can see my people through that,
[00:43:00.470]through the grant processes for COVID and their access
[00:43:03.630]to be able to participate in shows like this,
[00:43:08.317]and again, be that conduit to the different values
[00:43:11.900]of what are needed for us to participate
[00:43:14.320]in Native art, so, yeah.
[00:43:17.504]Thank you, thank you for your differing perspectives
[00:43:21.370]and your contributions to this conversation today.
[00:43:24.920]I, for one, really appreciated hearing what you have to say,
[00:43:28.080]and I'd like to give our audience a chance
[00:43:30.700]to ask some questions before we wrap up.
[00:43:33.300]So does anyone have a question for our jurors
[00:43:36.800]here in our audience, anyone?
[00:43:41.110]And don't be shy because actually only Tahnee bites.
[00:43:43.670]The rest of us are.
[00:43:45.028](group laughing)
[00:43:47.539](indistinct) background.
[00:43:49.056](group laughing)
[00:43:51.800]I always like (indistinct).
[00:43:52.660]And I don't know if we have a,
[00:43:53.840]do we have another microphone?
[00:43:54.760]Otherwise I'm happy to just do this.
[00:43:57.700]I can talk loud.
[00:43:58.533]Talk loud? All right, let's do it that way.
[00:44:00.670]What advice would you have for Native youth
[00:44:04.330]doing artwork at home
[00:44:08.240]if they wanna start like a art show?
[00:44:13.120]I guess, what advice would you have for that?
[00:44:17.510]Well, where are they at? Just outta curiosity.
[00:44:23.001]Sisseton.
[00:44:24.080]Oh, okay. Well.
[00:44:26.000]Well, then you should call Joe.
[00:44:29.612]Joe will have his email to you in a minute.
[00:44:31.600]Yes, yes. Joe knows.
[00:44:32.433]But you know, there are a lot of resources
[00:44:36.420]in different ways, depending on what their interests are.
[00:44:40.170]You know, there's, is it the Native Rights, Native American-
[00:44:46.875]Rights Fund?
[00:44:48.962]First Peoples Fund. Where they offer fellowship,
[00:44:50.290]First Peoples Fund. First Peoples Fund.
[00:44:51.916]Yeah, that's it. They offer a couple
[00:44:52.749]of different resources for young artists.
[00:44:56.140]One is, you know, they can have
[00:44:58.460]like this mentorship program,
[00:45:01.970]like workshops and stuff with other Native artists
[00:45:04.810]who are already busy in the field
[00:45:07.710]and can kinda help guide them through that process.
[00:45:11.240]There is, I know like the Minnesota Historical Society,
[00:45:14.870]they offer, this is not specifically arts related,
[00:45:19.420]but they offer like a fellowship where you go
[00:45:22.240]and you go through a lot of museums.
[00:45:23.990]So that kind of is in the know.
[00:45:28.440]Are they like in a high school situation?
[00:45:31.660]Middle school and high school.
[00:45:33.263]Middle school and high school.
[00:45:34.380]They had one art show already,
[00:45:37.180]which was really well embraced.
[00:45:38.710]Yeah. Wow!
[00:45:39.854]And actually wound up sort of being hijacked
[00:45:43.490]by a non-Native.
[00:45:46.050]Yeah, so we're trying to keep it ours.
[00:45:50.310]Okay. Well, and I can't really
[00:45:51.710]speak for everybody here, but, you know,
[00:45:55.220]especially with young artists,
[00:45:56.800]or young artists or museum professionals or students,
[00:46:00.190]you know, I'm always open for a conversation.
[00:46:02.320]I think that most of our folks, we really kind,
[00:46:08.371]I don't wanna generalize, but I feel like a lot of us
[00:46:10.330]feel like it's our duty to kind of help,
[00:46:14.360]be there for those who are coming up after us.
[00:46:17.150]And so I would say, if you're not, you know,
[00:46:20.660]not that you have to talk to one of us,
[00:46:22.380]but I would guess like other artists in the community
[00:46:25.090]would be open to that too, or, yeah.
[00:46:29.120]So I think it's about, you know,
[00:46:32.590]networking and having conversations
[00:46:36.110]and even Instagram or Facebook conversations
[00:46:40.370]if you can't travel.
[00:46:42.940]I think, yeah, that two points are really great there.
[00:46:45.590]One, social media, access to each other,
[00:46:48.400]networking is so much easier now through social media.
[00:46:51.920]I do a podcast out of the museum that I work at,
[00:46:54.960]and I'm getting to the point now where, you know,
[00:46:57.320]my primary way of contacting artists who are,
[00:47:00.517]who I'm not directly connected to is through social media.
[00:47:02.980]It's the easiest way to get a response,
[00:47:04.330]'cause people just don't check their emails anymore,
[00:47:06.420]but they'll check, you know,
[00:47:07.510]they'll check the little lollipop
[00:47:10.709]on their social media page, you know,
[00:47:13.352]if there's a message there.
[00:47:15.100]But yeah, my experience in our art community
[00:47:21.530]is so many artists and so many curators
[00:47:24.410]are so open to offering advice or, you know,
[00:47:29.620]taking on that mentorship role more than not.
[00:47:33.230]And I found, too, the ones that are not open
[00:47:36.110]or who maybe take advantage of other artists
[00:47:38.910]kind of find their way out the door over time,
[00:47:41.470]and the ones who are more collaborative and supportive
[00:47:45.360]are generally available to be able to connect.
[00:47:49.140]But yeah, and there are, I know there are two programs,
[00:47:53.870]at least in the Western Dakotas right now that have,
[00:47:57.950]that offer summer art institutes.
[00:48:00.020]Oh, yeah, the Oscar Howe.
[00:48:01.290]Yep, the Oscar Howe Summer Art Institute out of USD.
[00:48:03.460]Very good for high schools or, yeah,
[00:48:06.190]I don't know what ages, but I know-
[00:48:07.689]High school. It's up to high school.
[00:48:08.790]It might be even younger, but.
[00:48:10.470]Yep, yep, freshman through,
[00:48:13.691]freshman in high school through freshman in college year.
[00:48:17.170]Unfortunately, for this summer,
[00:48:18.670]their applications just closed today,
[00:48:20.210]so kinda short notice.
[00:48:22.377](Dakota laughing)
[00:48:23.740]But they've been going for over 30 years.
[00:48:25.290]I was a student with that program way back when.
[00:48:29.350]In Fargo, we have a program, it's the same program
[00:48:32.250]called the Northern Plains Summer Art Institute.
[00:48:34.060]It's the same thing,
[00:48:35.250]all taught by former Oscar Howe staff, actually.
[00:48:37.960]So there's opportunities out there.
[00:48:40.270]It's just a matter of being able to find resources
[00:48:42.930]that connect that information.
[00:48:45.110]So, but we can chat after this, too, so.
[00:48:50.609]I think we have time for one more question
[00:48:52.070]if there is one, anyone else?
[00:48:57.300]Yeah, Mary, go ahead.
[00:48:59.929]I'm curious if your institutions
[00:49:03.994]have programs to take the art into the community
[00:49:09.780]for those who aren't inclined to go to a museum.
[00:49:14.950]We do at the Denver Art Museum, we do have a program.
[00:49:19.040]It's called Art Lives Here.
[00:49:20.840]And actually I think, so it was closed down
[00:49:25.090]during the, you know, COVID virus,
[00:49:28.870]but I think it's going to launch now
[00:49:30.980]at the Denver Indian Center, but it goes to schools,
[00:49:35.070]and it can go, it goes to multiple places.
[00:49:37.730]So we do have a program like that,
[00:49:40.820]and we do also have something,
[00:49:42.540]it's a box kit where we can send art
[00:49:46.690]and the activities out to community members.
[00:49:49.600]And we have a few different things that are available, yep.
[00:49:59.160]Same with the Plains Art Museum, too.
[00:50:00.760]We have an education division
[00:50:03.200]that has art boxes that we send to schools.
[00:50:06.920]Our organization is open to collaborating
[00:50:10.280]with different organizations to curate exhibitions
[00:50:13.400]and then send those up, I guess,
[00:50:16.740]for lack of a better word.
[00:50:19.140]That hasn't happened in quite a while,
[00:50:21.430]but of course, you know,
[00:50:22.350]the last two years has been this void.
[00:50:23.970]So, but yeah, that's something that we are open to, yep.
[00:50:31.525]Oh, am I on or no, I don't know, on or off.
[00:50:35.930]To the right, it's on.
[00:50:37.007]To the right, okay.
[00:50:38.750]Yeah, no, we do a similar trunk process
[00:50:44.150]that goes into the public schools,
[00:50:45.710]which are in the traditional voting districts
[00:50:47.950]to Carnegie and Mountain View in our community.
[00:50:50.840]And then we also work with larger museums
[00:50:54.780]for traveling exhibitions because our museum
[00:50:58.030]is in the rural community about 90 miles from a major city.
[00:51:02.790]And so that's one thing that we've done to engage,
[00:51:07.230]and do a lotta online right now,
[00:51:09.970]the digital come-together with Clemente classes
[00:51:14.210]or beadwork classes, language classes.
[00:51:16.740]And then to go back for the students,
[00:51:20.120]I was gonna offer the Johnson O'Malley or the Title VII,
[00:51:23.633]the Indian education programs with the public schools
[00:51:28.300]should be getting funding to provide those supplies.
[00:51:34.080]And then if they don't do any kind of exhibition,
[00:51:39.880]then there is funding available under those grants
[00:51:42.820]in order to provide those art shows for them.
[00:51:46.330]But Red Earth is a art show that's in Oklahoma City
[00:51:52.420]that is an inter-tribal art show.
[00:51:54.110]You have to be federally recognized in order to participate.
[00:51:57.210]But if your teacher, if you have a teacher
[00:52:00.390]that's in the classroom,
[00:52:01.420]or if one of you would like to take the lead,
[00:52:03.770]you can enter the children into the competition,
[00:52:06.680]which it has prize money up until 18 years of age.
[00:52:10.630]And they're free to enter, you know,
[00:52:12.630]you can either deliver it in person or mail it.
[00:52:16.198]And that's a art show that participates.
[00:52:19.890]And then some of the other ones like Heard,
[00:52:22.240]they're maybe six months in advance,
[00:52:25.180]Heard art show in Phoenix,
[00:52:26.590]they have a youth show and then, that one's 12 and over.
[00:52:30.690]And then I would say that the Indian Education Program's
[00:52:36.550]probably the best for them to come together.
[00:52:40.320]But then also like my little guys,
[00:52:42.700]they just call around their little buddies and say,
[00:52:44.687]"We're gonna have a art show at this at this time, come by."
[00:52:49.500]And so they've gone out and organized on their own
[00:52:53.010]to ask local restaurant owners,
[00:52:55.490]like we had a sushi restaurant in our community,
[00:53:00.200]and they asked, "Can we curate our shows?"
[00:53:03.270]And they said, "Heck yeah, come on, we'll let you do it."
[00:53:06.820]So it's just the power of asking, too,
[00:53:09.260]and supporting one another,
[00:53:11.720]but I'd be willing to help you also reach out.
[00:53:17.370]Thank you.
[00:53:18.340]Thank you, I think we're gonna wrap up here,
[00:53:21.440]but I'd like to say thank you again to our jurors
[00:53:23.700]for taking the time to participate
[00:53:25.130]in this project, to come here today,
[00:53:27.570]and thank you to all of you for joining us today.
[00:53:30.800]We are recording this,
[00:53:33.040]so if you know someone who couldn't be here,
[00:53:35.500]they can always visit our website and watch it later.
[00:53:38.500]Please take the time to look at the show here
[00:53:41.190]if you're able to stay, and if not,
[00:53:43.380]we have it up through August 20th.
[00:53:45.230]So thank you again.
[00:53:47.759]Thank you. (audience applauding)
[00:53:48.592]Thank you.

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Contemporary Indigeneity Juror Talk

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