Karl Duncan

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is pleased to welcome two new trustees, Karl Duncan (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, and San Carlos Apache) and Lily Hope (Tlingit). IAIA Board of Trustees Chair Beverly Wright Morris (Aleut) said, “We are delighted to add these talented and distinguished artists and educators to our board of trustees.  They will add their unique voices to aid the board in its mission of advancing Indigenous arts and cultures.”

Karl Duncan is the Executive Director of the Poeh Cultural Center at the Pueblo of Pojoaque and a graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). A proud member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, and San Carlos Apache Tribes, his work is deeply rooted in his heritage and commitment to Indigenous culture.

He serves as Chair of the City of Santa Fe’s Arts Commission, President of the Buffalo Thunder Incorporated Board, and Vice President of the Continuous Pathways Foundation. Duncan’s achievements include establishing the Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival, a premier showcase of diverse and top-quality artworks by admired Indigenous artists. In 2022, the Poeh Cultural Center was recognized as a Model Native Museum & Cultural Center by the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM). Duncan also facilitated the return of 100 pieces of Tewa Pueblo pottery from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), demonstrating his commitment to cultural repatriation. He has spoken at Yale University on museum collections engagement and cultural sensitivity, sharing his expertise in collections stewardship.

Duncan is a dedicated mentor for the Pueblo of Pojoaque Youth Council and the Pueblo of Pojoaque Youth Hoop Dancers, where he coordinates and teaches Native American hoop dancing. He remains committed to advancing the preservation and celebration of Indigenous cultural heritage. His vision is to continue empowering future generations through mentorship and leadership in the arts and culture.

Lily Hope

Lily Hope is a member of the Tlingit Tribe. She is Raven, of the T’akdeintaan Clan, traditionally trained in Chilkat and Ravenstail woolen ceremonial dancing regalia, by her late mother, renowned artist, Clarissa Rizal.

Hope designs robes, mentors students, curates museum shows, and facilitates multi-community healing projects and celebratory events. She owns the only public-facing Northwest Coast weaving studio in Southeast Alaska, where she demonstrates, educates, collaborates, assembles teaching kits, and sells fine woven art. Hope’s work incubates in the Portland Art Museum; the Houston Museum of Natural Science; Museum of Man and Nature in Munich, Germany; The Eiteljorg Museum; The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture; The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art; The Hood Museum of Art; the Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe; Sealaska Heritage Institute; the Smithsonian American Art Museums, and many private collections.

She is Assistant Professor of Northwest Coast Regalia Arts at University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau (UAS). She holds a BLA in Communication and Theatre from UAS, and a Business and Entrepreneurship Certificate from the Institute of American Indian Arts.