Image: Thunderbirds—IAIA Benefit & Auction Band featuring Joy Harjo (Mvskoke Nation) ’68.

Supporters of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) gathered at La Fonda on the Plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on the evening of Wednesday, August 14, for the Scholarships Shape Futures—2024 IAIA Benefit & Auction.

The sold-out event, attended by almost 350 people, grossed more than $1.1 million in donations, art purchases, ticket sales, and pledges—all of which benefit student scholarships and IAIA’s mission to “to empower creativity and leadership in Indigenous arts and cultures through higher education, lifelong learning, and community engagement.”

In welcoming those in attendance, IAIA President Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee Nation) emphasized the critical need for scholarships. “Without your support, many IAIA students would be unable to pursue their dreams of higher education. Raising scholarship funds is vital for our students. Eighty-five percent of our students are eligible for federal financial aid, but these grants only pay for half of their annual costs for attending IAIA. We depend on scholarships to cover the remaining costs because we want our students to graduate debt-free, and it’s motivating for them to know somebody cares enough to invest in their futures. Wado (Thank You).”

Tifannie Irizarry (Ihanktonwan Dakota and Fort Peck Tribes) ’22 is one of many IAIA students who have benefited from scholarships funded by the IAIA Benefit & Auction. “When I first came [to IAIA], I barely had anything, and I was just holding onto the dream and the hope that it would all work out,” Irizarry said. “The scholarships definitely made my dreams come true—if I could speak to the donors right now, I would say that without your help, I know that so many Indigenous people wouldn’t have been able to go to college or even think that it was possible.”

Irizarry graduated from IAIA with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts and was valedictorian of her class. Giving the valedictory speech at the 2022 Commencement Ceremony, Irizarry said through tears, “I didn’t think I was capable or smart enough to get a higher education, but IAIA taught me to value myself, to know that I could accomplish what I could put my mind to—to chase my dreams.”

The IAIA Benefit & Auction was hosted by Master of Ceremonies Shane Hendren (Navajo) ’23, an award-winning metalsmith and a graduate of IAIA’s Master of Fine Arts in Studio Arts and co-hosted by popular KOAT-TV news anchor Royale Dá (San Ildefonso Pueblo).

Several celebrities also attended the event, among them Dark Winds actors Zahn McClarnon (Hunkpapa Lakota) and Deanna Allison (Navajo and Colorado River Indian Tribes)—who play Joe and Emma Leaphorn on the AMC series—and Tantoo Cardinal (Cree and Métis), who portrayed Lizzy Q in the Oscar-nominated 2023 film Killers of the Flower Moon.

A highlight of the night’s live auction was Elevated, a jewelry collaboration by artists George Rivera (Pojoaque Pueblo) ’84, Kenneth Johnson (Muscogee Creek and Seminole) A-i-R ’18, and Cody Sanderson (Navajo Nation). The cuff bracelet, crafted of silver, diamonds, 22K gold, Bisbee turquoise, and Mediterranean coral, grossed $80,000 to support IAIA student scholarships.

Image: Jeffrey Gibson (Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and Cherokee Descent), YOU’RE ALL I NEED TO GET BY, 2024, photograph by Jeffrey Gibson Studio.

“YOU’RE ALL I NEED TO GET BY,” a mixed-media sculpture by Jeffrey Gibson (Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and Cherokee descent), commanded a final bid of $45,000. Gibson is the first Indigenous artist to have a solo exhibition at the Venice Biennial’s US Pavilion in Italy. Gibson also spoke at IAIA’s 2023 Commencement Ceremony, where he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humanities.

“I’m donating this piece to the auction at IAIA to support scholarships for students because it’s something that I can do,” Gibson said in a video before the auction. “It’s something that I feel strongly about because I really do believe in the future of Indigenous and Native arts.”

“The students who are attending IAIA—they really are those people who have made the choice to move forward as artists in the world, and we should give them all the support to make that as easy as possible for them.”

Other Indigenous artists represented in the live auction were Cliff Fragua (Jemez Pueblo) A-i-R ’22, Brent Greenwood (Chickasaw and Ponca) ’94, Robert King (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), Estella Loretto (Jemez Pueblo) ’72, Pat Pruitt (Pueblo of Laguna and Chiricahua Apache) A-i-R ’22, Russell Sanchez (San Ildefonso Pueblo), and Kathleen Wall (Jemez Pueblo) ’14.

Periwinkle Persian, a piece by world-renowned glass artist and former IAIA faculty member Dale Chihuly, was also auctioned.

Another highlight of the evening was a special song written for the IAIA Benefit & Auction by longtime IAIA supporter Marshall Hunt (Seminole Nation of Oklahoma). It was performed by the Thunderbirds—IAIA Benefit & Auction Band, led by Adrian Wall (Jemez Pueblo) ’14, 2024 winner of the prestigious IAIA Alumni Award during the SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market. Other band members included Gerome Fragua (Jemez Pueblo), Darren Vigil Gray (Jicarilla and Kiowa Apache) ’77, and Romeo Alonzo. Joining the band for the night were up-and-coming Indigenous vocalist Ailani (Santa Clara Pueblo) and Joy Harjo (Mvskoke Nation) ’68, the first Native American to be appointed US Poet Laureate, on saxophone.

“Since the IAIA Benefit & Auction occurs on the Wednesday evening of Indian Market week when many of our alums, donors, and collectors visit Santa Fe, it is a high-profile, festive, and fun event for an important cause—raising critical scholarship funds for IAIA’s students,” Martin said. “Not only is it a gathering to support IAIA’s students and advance contemporary Indigenous arts, but it also serves as a reunion for the IAIA community and our supporters.”

Please save the date for the 2025 IAIA Benefit & Auction, which will be held on Wednesday, August 13, the Wednesday before the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) Santa Fe Indian Market.

To learn more about how you can make a difference in the lives of IAIA students, contact the IAIA Foundation at (505) 424-5730 or foundation@iaia.edu. Donations to support IAIA student scholarships can also be made at www.iaia.edu/shapefutures.

The IAIA Foundation was founded in 2010 to expand IAIA’s capacity to raise critically needed funds to strengthen student success, enrich academic programs, support museum exhibitions, and keep IAIA at the forefront of educational offerings. The IAIA Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, EIN #32-0377684.

Photographic Selections from the Event