IAIA Indigenous Arts Space Academy (IASA) Launch Site

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is thrilled to announce our newest and most exciting venture—the IAIA Indigenous Arts Space Academy (IASA). We proudly declare that the sky is no longer the limit in this first-of-its-kind program!

The IASA is a high-residency, low-gravity Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program that offers artists, writers, filmmakers, astrologers, and performers the opportunity to ponder the state of our global community from an extraterrestrial perspective through the gift of time and (outer) space. At our Mars-based IASA studio, artists can find the pin-drop silence they need for focused work and creative exploration, because in space no one can hear you hammer, type, paint, dance, sing, or scream.

Construction of our on-campus, LEED-certified (Leaders in Exiting Earth’s Domain) launchpad begins soon, and we anticipate our first Mars mission to be all-systems-go on April 1, 2025. The launchpad and a state-of-the-art Artstronaut Training Center will be located in the southeast corner of the IAIA campus just off Avan Nu Po Road.

Interested artists should submit a portfolio of five to ten examples of their work, a CV, a statement explaining how their time at IASA will benefit their practice, and a doctor’s note certifying their fitness for space travel. The selection process will occur in two phases. A jury of curators, art historians, engineers, and astronauts will review the applications and choose three semi-finalists to undergo artstronaut training. From those three, one finalist will be chosen for IASA’s literally out-of-this-world creative experience.

For more information, please consult a calendar. Happy April Fool’s Day! While we will not actually be building a launchpad, artstronaut training center, or sending anyone into space, we invite you to stop by the Lloyd Kiva New Visitor Center to enjoy an interplanetary treat—Milky Way bars (while supplies last). We hope you have a wonderful weekend, and that this silly message encourages you to dream big, invest in your limitless potential, and imagine possibilities that stretch beyond the stratosphere!