Denise Wallace (Chugach Aleut), Craftsperson Belt, 1992, ivory, gemstones, silver. IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts Collection: AT-58. Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz.

Since its founding in 1962, the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) has fostered an environment where emerging Indigenous artists have the freedom and means to tell their own stories. Jewelry-making plays a significant role in storytelling; it is a deeply human practice that affords people the tools to carry their stories and identities and serves as a powerful reminder to ourselves and others of who we are.

As part of the IAIA Making History 60/50 anniversary celebration, the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) presents The Stories We Carry and invites you to join us for its opening reception on Sunday, October 16, from 3:00 pm–5:00 pm. Guest curated by IAIA Assistant Professor Brian Fleetwood (Mvskoke Creek), The Stories We Carry features contemporary jewelry, created by more than 100 Indigenous artists across several decades, selected from MoCNA’s permanent collection. Many of the exhibited works were made by students, faculty, alums, or artists-in-residence at IAIA. The exhibition explores the extraordinary diversity of contemporary Indigenous jewelry at IAIA.

Additionally, MoCNA will hold a cake-cutting ceremony during the opening reception to commemorate the anniversary of the day that the US Congress chartered IAIA as a college dedicated to studying, preserving, and disseminating Indigenous art forms. In addition to celebrating the profound work and artists featured in this exhibition, this reception and cake-cutting ceremony will be a prelude to the day-long IAIA Making History Symposium at our college campus on Monday, October 17, from 8:30 am–5:00 pm.

For more information, please contact MoCNA Membership and Program Assistant Nuttaphol Ma at nuttaphol.ma@iaia.edu or (505) 428-5925.

List of Artists