Celebrate in May with the Institute of American Indian Arts
The mission of the Institute of American Indian Arts is “to empower creativity and leadership in Indigenous arts and cultures through higher education, lifelong learning, and community engagement.” This mission is more than a statement. It is the driving force behind all that we do and the guiding principle for our dedicated faculty and staff.
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Fueling Change: A Greenlandic Perspective
Fueling Change: A Greenlandic Perspective—Online Conversation about Inuk Silis Høegh’s New Film Project
Wednesday, May 1, 1 pm
Virtual Event
This online artist talk and virtual studio visit with Inuk Silis Høegh (Kalaaleq) and IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) chief curator Manuela Well-Off-Man discusses Høegh’s methods and practices as a filmmaker and his upcoming film project about a massive oil storage depot in Greenland.
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Large Puppet Lantern Procession
Large Puppet Lantern Procession
Thursday, May 2, 8:15–9 pm
Hogan, IAIA Campus, 83 Avan Nu Po Road
Performing Arts students will maneuver large puppets on poles and rolling platforms in a procession through the East side of the IAIA campus, starting at the IAIA Hogan and moving to the Performing Arts and Fitness Center.
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Toward Our Past and Future Wor(l)ds
Toward Our Past and Future Wor(l)ds—Readings by Graduating Creative Writing Majors
Saturday, May 4, 2–4 pm
Allan Houser Art Park, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, 108 Cathedral Place
Join us for a reading event featuring graduating IAIA Creative Writing majors Gabriel Schneider (Cherokee Nation), Nelson Sofer, Sareya Taylor (White Mountain Apache Tribe and Navajo), and Laverne Whitebear (Fort Peck Assiniboine Sioux and Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation). The students will read selections from their strongest works in creative nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, and fiction.
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IAIA Artist-in-Residence
IAIA A-i-R: Brown and Oscar—Open Studios
Tuesday, May 7, 3–5 pm
Balzer Contemporary Edge Gallery, IAIA Campus, 83 Avan Nu Po Road
Drop in for IAIA Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) studio visits, where you will discover more about the artists’ processes, techniques, tools, ideas, and cultural influences. Jerry Brown (Diné) ’95 and Golga Oscar (Yup’ik) ’20 will be in the A-i-R Studio in the Academic Building.
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Student Filmmaker Showcase
IAIA Twelfth Annual Student Filmmaker Showcase
Wednesday, May 8, 6:30–8:30 pm
Violet Crown Cinema, 1606 Alcaldesa Street
Hosted by the Cinematic Arts & Technology program, the showcase features a selection of the best films produced during the 2023–2024 academic year, including senior projects. A Q&A with the filmmakers and a presentation of the Audience Award will follow the screening.
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MFACW Hooding Ceremony
IAIA MFA in Creative Writing Hooding Ceremony
Thursday, May 9, 5:30–6:30 pm
Performing Arts and Fitness Center, IAIA Campus, 83 Avan Nu Po Road
IAIA, the IAIA MFA in Creative Writing (MFACW) Graduating Class of 2024, their Mentors, and the Director request the honor of your presence at the annual MFACW Hooding Ceremony featuring Keynote Speaker Phil J. Deloria (Yankton Dakota).
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Indigenous Presence, Indigenous Futures
2023–2024 IAIA BFA Exhibition: Indigenous Presence, Indigenous Futures Reception
Friday, May 10, 5–7 pm
Allan Houser Art Park, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, 108 Cathedral Place
The 2023–2024 IAIA BFA Exhibition: Indigenous Presence, Indigenous Futures, highlights the remarkable creativity of IAIA’s BFA seniors in Studio Arts, Cinematic Arts, and Creative Writing. Head to the Allan Houser Art Park for refreshments and jam to live music by the new wave/synth-pop band Lindy Vision from 5:45–6:15 pm.
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We’ve Been Gathering Places
2024 IAIA MFA in Studio Arts Thesis Exhibition: We’ve Been Gathering Places
Friday, May 10, 5–7 pm
form & concept, 435 S Guadalupe Street
Join us for the opening of the 2024 Institute of American Indian Arts MFA in Studio Arts Thesis Exhibition, We’ve Been Gathering Places, featuring the work of graduating MFASA students.
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2024 Commencement
2024 IAIA Commencement Ceremony
Saturday, May 11, 10 am–12 pm
Performing Arts and Fitness Center, IAIA Campus, 83 Avan Nu Po Road
Please join the Institute of American Indian Arts in honoring our graduates. This year’s program will feature keynote speaker and 2024 IAIA Honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree recipient, Dyani White Hawk (Sičangu Lakota) ’08. Lunch will be served following the ceremony.
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2024 “Honoring Our Graduates” IAIA Spring Powwow
2024 “Honoring Our Graduates” IAIA Spring Powwow
Saturday, May 11, 1–5 pm
Dance Circle, IAIA Campus, 83 Avan Nu Po Road
This free event is open to the public on the IAIA campus. Grand Entry begins at 1 pm, and food, drink, and art sales will be provided by the IAIA community.
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ArtWalk Santa Fe
ArtWalk Santa Fe
Saturday, May 18, 11 am–4 pm
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, 108 Cathedral Place
Art enthusiasts and locals alike are in for a treat as the upcoming ArtWalk Santa Fe will take place at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), featuring 25 talented local and Indigenous artists and creators, along with live music by DJ Garronteed.
Institute of American Indian Arts
The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is the only college in the world dedicated to the study of contemporary Native American and Alaska Native 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 and Studio Arts; and certificates in Broadcast Journalism, Business and Entrepreneurship, Museum Studies, and Native American Art History. The college serves approximately 500 full-time equivalent (FTE) Native and non-Native American students from around the globe, representing nearly a hundred federally recognized tribes. Named one of the top art institutions by UNESCO and the International Association of Art, IAIA is among the leading art institutes in our nation and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Institute of American Indian Arts
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) is the country’s only museum for exhibiting, collecting, and interpreting the most progressive work of contemporary Native artists. MoCNA is dedicated solely to advancing the scholarship, discourse, and interpretation of contemporary Native art for regional, national, and international audiences—as such, it stewards over 10,000 Contemporary Indigenous artworks (created 1962 to present). MoCNA is at the forefront of contemporary Native art presentation and strives to be flexible, foresighted, and risk-taking in its exhibitions and programs. MoCNA is located in the heart of downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico.