Happenings
See the latest news and happenings from the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA). You can also view the latest happenings at the Museum Store.
Past Happenings
Latest News
The most recent news, press releases, and updates from the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA).
Tru West Selected as the 2025 Student of the Year
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Tru West Selected as the 2025 Student of the Year When Tru West (Diné) was named “Student of the Year” for 2025, her first feeling was surprise. The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Museum Studies...
Alum Spotlight: Stephanie Stewart (Navajo and Kiowa) ’19
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Alum Spotlight: Stephanie Stewart (Navajo and Kiowa) ’19 When Stephanie Stewart (Navajo and Kiowa) ’19 first began her educational journey, she majored in biology and originally wanted to explore forensic...
Celebrate in May with the Institute of American Indian Arts
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Celebrate in May with the Institute of American Indian Arts The mission of the Institute of American Indian Arts is “to empower creativity and leadership in Indigenous arts and cultures through higher...
Inuk Silis Høegh: Arctic Vertigo Exhibition Featured in Pasatiempo
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Inuk Silis Høegh: Arctic Vertigo Exhibition Featured in Pasatiempo Inuk Silis Høegh: Arctic Vertigo, currently on view at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), was prominently featured in...
Free Fridays at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Free Fridays at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) was selected by the Art Bridges Foundation to receive a $240,000 grant, enabling MoCNA to...
Action/Abstraction Redefined opens at the Saint Louis Art Museum
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Action/Abstraction Redefined opens at the Saint Louis Art Museum The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) is proud to announce the successful opening of its national traveling exhibition,...
Celebrate in May with the Institute of American Indian Arts
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Celebrate in May with the Institute of American Indian Arts The mission of the Institute of American Indian Arts is “to empower creativity and leadership in Indigenous arts and cultures through higher...
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts Selected as No. 3 Museum by USA TODAY
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts Selected as No. 3 Museum by USA TODAY The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is pleased to share that USA TODAY 10Best named the IAIA Museum of Contemporary...
IAIA Fall 2022 Semester Reopening Plan
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings IAIA Fall 2022 Semester Reopening Plan The COVID-19 pandemic impacts many facets of life at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). IAIA’s priority is the safety, health, and well-being of our...
Action/Abstraction Redefined opens at the Cahoon Museum of American Art
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Action/Abstraction Redefined opens at the Cahoon Museum of American Art The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts’ (MoCNA) national traveling exhibition Action/Abstraction Redefined (A/AR) successfully...
Exhibition Spotlight—Jordan Ann Craig’s “My Way Home”
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Exhibition Spotlight—Jordan Ann Craig’s “My Way ” In her latest exhibition, My Way , Jordan Ann Craig (Northern Cheyenne) A-i-R ’19 takes us on a deeply personal journey through Indigenous...
Celebrating the First Annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day at IAIA
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Celebrating the First Annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day at IAIA Dear IAIA Community, It is with great pride and honor that I announce a new holiday for the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)—Indigenous...
AMITIKATXI Collective—Panel Discussion
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings AMITIKATXI Collective—Panel Discussion On Wednesday, April 3, artists from the AMITIKATXI collective in Brazil came together virtually for a panel discussion. The artists created The Forest is Our Future,...
MoCNA 2023–2024 IAIA BFA Exhibition: Indigenous Presence, Indigenous Futures
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings MoCNA 2023–2024 IAIA BFA Exhibition: Indigenous Presence, Indigenous Futures 2023–2024 IAIA BFA Exhibition: Indigenous Presence, Indigenous Futures will be on view from March 1 through June 9, 2024, in...
Henry Luce Foundation Awards Grant to MoCNA
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Henry Luce Foundation Awards Grant to MoCNA We are thrilled to announce that the Henry Luce Foundation has awarded the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) a grant for the upcoming exhibition...
Institute of American Indian Arts—August 2023 Events
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Institute of American Indian Arts—August 2023 Events August is one of the busiest months of the year for the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). Fall term begins, the IAIA Benefit & Auction...
MoCNA Director Patsy Phillips Joins the AAM Board of Directors
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings MoCNA Director Patsy Phillips Joins the AAM Board of Directors IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Director Patsy Phillips (Cherokee Nation) has been appointed for a three-year term to the...
IAIA Making History Symposium
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings IAIA Making History Symposium We’ve been preparing for this for the past 60 years! This coming Monday, October 17, from 8:30 am–5:00 pm (MDT), we will present the IAIA Making History Symposium. Whether...
Show Up and Show Out at the “Art of Indigenous Fashion” Opening Reception at MoCNA
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Show Up and Show Out at the “Art of Indigenous Fashion” Opening Reception at MoCNA “There is no one way to define Indigenous fashion, but what I can say is Indigenous fashion is the original fashion and...
Patsy Phillips Featured in Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Patsy Phillips Featured in Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Director, Patsy Phillips (Cherokee), was recently featured in an episode of Osiyo, Voices of...
2025 Spring Exhibitions “Kite and Wíhaŋble S’a Center” and “Jordan Ann Craig”—Opening Reception
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings 2025 Spring Exhibitions “Kite and Wíhaŋble S’a Center” and “Jordan Ann Craig”—Opening Reception Join us for a reception celebrating IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts’ (MoCNA) latest exhibitions,...
IAIA Supporters Encouraged to ‘Shoot for the Stars’ at Annual Auction on August 14
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings IAIA Supporters Encouraged to ‘Shoot for the Stars’ at Annual Auction on August 14 The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) held its annual VIP opening reception and auction art preview for the...
MoCNA’s Four-Year Winning Streak in USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings MoCNA’s Four-Year Winning Streak in USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards For the fourth year in a row, the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) has made the list for the USA TODAY 10Best...
Vote for MoCNA—USA TODAY’s Readers’ Choice Award for Best Museum
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings Vote for MoCNA—USA TODAY’s Readers’ Choice Award for Best Museum IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) has been nominated in our 2024 USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards. An expert...
August a Whirlwind for IAIA with 25+ Events—From Live Music to Fashion
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings August a Whirlwind for IAIA with 25+ Events—From Live Music to Fashion On Tuesday, August 15, 2023, IAIA’s market events kicked off with the Lensic 360’s Santa Fe Plaza Concert Series event, which IAIA...
New IAIA Trustees Appointed by President Biden
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings New IAIA Trustees Appointed by President Biden On July 14, 2023, the White House announced that President Biden would be appointing five individuals to the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Board...
IAIA Staff and Faculty Express Gratitude in March
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings IAIA Staff and Faculty Express Gratitude in March As part of the annual Spring Gratitude Challenge, Human Resources Director Todd Spilman encouraged IAIA faculty and staff to submit answers recognizing...
IAIA—Making History During SWAIA’s Indian Market
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings IAIA—Making History During SWAIA’s Indian Market Over the third weekend in August, thousands of Indigenous art and culture appreciators flocked to New Mexico to celebrate the Southwestern Association of...
MoCNA Nominated for Best of Santa Fe
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings MoCNA Nominated for Best of Santa Fe MoCNA has been nominated as the Best Museum in Santa Fe in the Santa Fe Reporter’s annual Best of Santa Fe reader poll. If you appreciate MoCNA’s continued commitment...
“Making History” in a Photograph
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Happenings “Making History” in a Photograph To commemorate our anniversaries, Cara Romero (Chemehuevi Indian Tribe) ’05 has created a masterpiece that showcases six decades of esteemed, innovative artists,...