IAIA students, mentors, faculty, staff, alum, and community members at the US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in June 2024.

In Summer 2024, artist Jeffrey Gibson (member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent) made history as the first Indigenous artist to represent the US at the Venice Biennale with a show of 11 paintings, nine sculptures, eight flags, two murals and one video installation, titled, the space in which to place me.

Students immersed in the exhibition, Jeffery Gibson: the space in which to place me, in US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

At the 2023 IAIA Commencement, where Gibson received an honorary doctorate and provided the keynote speech, he said, “I continue to be amazed when I look at the things our ancestors made, and how those objects not only mark the time when they were made and tell the stories of the person or communities who made them, but they also reflect the maker’s decisions about materials, aesthetics, function, and engagement with their surrounding world.” Many of the elements of Gibson’s Biennale exhibition drew on these materials, incorporating tradition, and blending it with icons and imagery from popular culture.

Dr. Caro said, “There were also two public programs, The Space in Which We Story, a performance by the MFASA Class of 2025 at the US Pavilion, and sessions held at Ca’ Foscari University focusing on developing Keywords in Indigenous Arts, terminology from various Indigenous perspectives relevant to discussions on contemporary Indigenous arts.

“This was a unique opportunity to provide our students with a perspective on the workings of the international art world,” said Caro. “This privileged view was contextualized by the hard work of our mentors as well as our guest speakers in delivering the educational content for the week. As always, we are grateful to Dawn Double Blaze (Diné and Blackfeet) for her tireless support in administering our program and coordinating the logistics for this project. MFASA is particularly grateful to Felipe Estudillo Colón, our Provost, for his efforts in securing the funding that made our programming in Venice possible.”

Daily programming was done in collaboration with the New Institute Centre for Environmental Humanities at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and was facilitated by its Director, Dr. Francesca Tarocco, and by Dr. Emiliano Guaraldo.

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)—the University for Indigenous Excellence—is deeply grateful to Jeffrey Gibson, the Ford Foundation, the Chihuly Foundation, Marist College, our education partner SITE Santa Fe, and the Portland Art Museum for supporting our students and providing them with exposure to international travel, intergenerational art and artists, and a life-changing experience.

In March 2025, IAIA will host an on-campus exhibition showcasing student work inspired by their experiences at the Venice Biennale.

Photographic Selections

Additional photographs will be posted in March 2025, during the launch of the on-campus exhibition showcasing student work inspired by experiences at the Venice Biennale.