Trailblazers and Boundary Breakers: Honoring Native Women in Art
The IARC Announces the 2018 Speakers Series, March 28-April 18, 2018
Dedicated to the many accomplishments of 1988-1989 Katrin A. Lamon Artist Fellow and 2000 Ronald and Susan Dubin Fellow Nora Naranjo Morse, the Indian Arts Research Center (IARC) at the School for Advanced Research (SAR) is pleased to announce its 2018 Speaker Series. Trailblazers and Boundary Breakers: Honoring Women in Native Art, a series of four events, examines the indelible impact and often-untold stories of Native American women in art. Through lecture and discussion, speakers will share their knowledge and experience in these topics. This series is free and open to the public, running consecutive Wednesdays beginning March 28 – April 18 at 6 p.m. in the Eric S. Dobkin Boardroom at the School for Advanced Research, 660 Garcia Street, Santa Fe.
The series is part of the IARC’s fortieth anniversary year, which will culminate with a gala celebration event at the Poeh Cultural Center in Pojoaque on June 22, 2018, “Honoring Forty Years of Creativity in Native American Arts.” This event marks the establishment of the IARC on the SAR campus and recognizes the creativity of Native American artist fellows, their accomplishments, and the last forty years of innovative programming. The event will accommodate 200 guests and will include a keynote presentation by Nora Naranjo Morse, music, as well as a live and silent auction of select work by past artist fellows. The IARC will honor Naranjo-Morse by presenting her with a life-time achievement award for her accomplishments in the arts and her support of the IARC.
The annual IARC Speaker Series features topics about the history and evolution of Native American art and the associated issues facing contemporary indigenous people. From advocacy and policy to preservation of language and traditional knowledge systems, the signature series offers scholars, artists, SAR members, and the local community an opportunity to learn and engage with notable experts.
Wednesday, March 28, 6:00-7:00 pm, Opening Session: Native Women in the Arts: History, Family, Community, and the World, with speaker Dr. Tessie Naranjo. The history of Native women in the arts is vast and enormously complex. In this lecture, Nora Naranjo Morse has invited her sister Dr. Tessie Naranjo to touch on significant points that help define the history of Native women in the arts including: generational communication, art in the everyday, and fundamental values through the lens of her highly accomplished and artistic family, the Naranjos of Santa Clara Pueblo.
Wednesday, April 4, 6:00-7:30 pm, Recovering a Women’s Art History: Edmonia Lewis, Angel De Cora, and Tonita Peña. Many women in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries faced considerable difficulties participating in the mainstream American art world. Artists like Edmonia Lewis, Angel De Cora, and Tonita Peña took on these roles, sometimes at considerable risk to themselves, to forge new pathways for women of their time and the future. During their lives, the fires these women lit blazed brightly, but over time, to varying degrees, their stories became obscured. This panel explores their stories and their renewed legacies, moderated by America Meredith, artist and founder, First American Art Magazine. Panelists include Dr. Kirsten Pai Buick, professor of art history, University of New Mexico; Dr. Sascha Scott, associate professor of art history, Syracuse University; and Yvonne N. Tiger, independent scholar.
Wednesday, April 11, 6:00-7:30 pm, Fierce Hearts: The Fight for Recognition. Building upon foundations poured in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and in the midst of dramatic social change, the rest of the 1900s saw multiple generations of women artists fighting to carve out a place for themselves in the art world, and intentionally or not, paved the way for women artists today. This panel explores and acknowledges the careers of three women artists through the backdrop of twentieth-century feminism, the Red Power movement, and the debate between craft and art. Moderator: Dr. Deana Dartt, independent scholar and curator, leads a panel that features notable artists Lillian Pitt and Linda Lomahaftewa.
Wednesday, April 18, 6:00-7:30 pm, Of Hopes and Dreams: New Paths, New Generations. The twenty-first century brings new opportunities and a bright future for Native American women. This panel discussion cycles back to our opening lecture presented by Dr. Tessie Naranjo and takes a look at today’s emerging generation of women artists. Panelists will explore the needs, wants, and concerns for the future as well as the role art plays for Native women artists, their families, and communities. Moderator: Jaclyn Roessel, founder, Grownup Navajo, leads panelists Jordan Craig, artist; Dr. Jessica Metcalfe, owner, Beyond Buckskin; and Eliza Naranjo Morse, artist.