Please join the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Artist-in-Residence (A-i-R) artists Neeko Garcia (Navajo) and Melanie Yazzie (Navajo) 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. 

Neeko Garcia (Navajo) is a contemporary silversmith who creates intricate, hand-fabricated floral designs that reflect her identity and heritage. She transforms silver and gemstones into delicate representations of hummingbirds, butterflies, flowers, moons, stars, and more. Neeko has exhibited her work at the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market, Santa Fe Indian Market, The Autry Museum American Indian Arts Festival, Native Treasures Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Art Market, and the Native Art Market at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. In recent years, Neeko has received various first- and second-place awards for her earring designs at Santa Fe Indian Market. Her work is inspired by the world around her, and she uses her designs to express herself in ways that words cannot.

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.

For more information about the IAIA A-i-R program, please contact Maia Filippi, A-i-R Program Manager, at maia.filippi@iaia.edu or call (505) 424-2369.

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.