Join the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) for the 2024 Fall IAIA Student Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, September 25, at Noon in the Performing Arts and Fitness Center (PAFC) Gymnasium.

At last year’s Awards Luncheon, IAIA President Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee Nation) cited over $1M in awards for the prior year’s program. “Scholarships assist us in fulfilling our mission to empower creativity and leadership in Indigenous arts and cultures,” he said during his opening remarks. “Scholarships increase the likelihood of student success. They increase opportunities…it could be internships or a career pathway to employment with corporations, businesses, galleries, and museums. Scholarships decrease debt. That’s our goal—for all of you to graduate debt-free.”

Michael Bozzuto (Taos Pueblo) ’23, a scholarship student in 2023 said, “Cinematic Arts and Technology is not a cheap art form, and having the proper tools is important. Being Indigenous and not coming from a very wealthy family makes it hard to finance these things by yourself. This scholarship is going toward a new computer so I can edit my future projects and not have to worry about technical difficulties. Thank you.”

Xeneca LeClair (Otoe-Missouria) ’23, a scholarship student in 2023, explained, “This scholarship helps me continue living my dreams and creating my art. What I want to do is spread love and joy through my art, so I’m very grateful to these donors for helping me do this.”

The IAIA Community is invited to attend the in-person event and it will be livestreamed on the IAIA website and on the official IAIA Facebook page.