Please join the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) artists Melanie Yazzie (Navajo) and Douglas Miles (White Mountain Apache, San Carlos Apache, and Akimel O’odham) for dinner and an open studio event to learn more about their practice and current projects. 

Dinner is served from 5–6 pm, and the artist visits take place from 6–7 pm. Located in the A-i-R Studio in the Academic Building, this event is free and open to the public. 

Melanie Yazzie (Navajo) is an artist who works across various media, including printmaking, painting, sculpting, and ceramics. Her work focuses on the contemporary experiences of Indigenous women and their cultural significance. It addresses post-colonial struggles, matrilineal systems, and the potential for female leadership while promoting understanding and connection between diverse Indigenous histories and broader society.

Douglas Miles (White Mountain Apache, San Carlos Apache, and Akimel O’odham) is a painter, printmaker, and photographer from Arizona who founded Apache Skateboards and the Apache Skate Team. Drawing connections between skateboarding and the Apache warrior tradition, both of which involve increased concentration, stamina, and the ability to withstand pain, his work combines traditional and contemporary practices, blending fine art, pop culture, and sport.

For more information about the IAIA A-i-R program, contact the IAIA Research Center for Contemporary Native Arts (RCCNA) Director Mary Deleary, PhD (Chippewas of the Thames First Nation) at mdeleary@iaia.edu or (505) 424-2389 or Administrative Assistant Erin Cooper at erin.cooper@iaia.edu or (505) 424-5713.  

If you are an individual with a disability and in need of any auxiliary aid or service to attend events, please contact IAIA’s ADA Office at least seven calendar days before the event or as soon as possible at adaoffice@iaia.edu or (505) 424-5707.