Brenda Kingery, retired IAIA Trustee, is a contemporary artist and champion of women's empowerment around the world. She was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and is a member of the Chickasaw Nation --recording her life through her paintings. Kingery is the founding member of the Threads of Blessing International and travels to Honduras, Mexico, and Uganda to teach textile and design in workshops that encourage women in developing countries to use their Indigenous artistic skills. In 2007, Kingery was appointed by the President of the United States to the Board of Trustees of the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development (IAIA). Her efforts to empower women around the world led to her being named the Dynamic Woman of the Year for the Chickasaw Nation in 2017. IAIA Director of Marketing and Communications, Eric Davis, recently spoke with Kingery, via Zoom. Davis: Hi. Brenda. thanks for doing this. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself? Kingery: I'm from Oklahoma, I'm Chickasaw...and a professional artist...for over 60 years. I (also) taught for the University of Maryland for a while...I'm a mom, and a grandmother, and...now I'm a caregiver. Davis: Do you come from a family of artists? What drew you to following that road? Kingery: When I was in kindergarten my kindergarten teacher called my mother and said "You have a baby artist." And...my mother said "What do I do about it?" The teacher said "Just buy her supplies and leave her alone and let her play until she's 16 or so...so that she forms her own style her own way." So that's exactly what my mother did and that's how I came to be an artist and then I didn't know anything else so I'm very lopsided that's all I know... Davis: Did you go to school to study art? Kingery: Yes, I have a master's degree in art...(due to) a scholarship, by the way, which is what I tell everybody why I am so fond of scholarships...I had a scholarship and was a young mom at the time with little children...so for me to get a scholarship was a big deal or I would never have had the opportunity to study art...I studied for a Master's (degree) in Japan and Okinowa and I went to graduate school there for a while and studied with the Japanese and was there off and on for almost seven years and then I came back to...OU to...(to work towards) an...MFA. But my sweet husband came back from Vietnam...so I had to get an MA and follow him to his next station... Davis: Do you remember the first piece of art you ever sold? Kingery: Yes, my first real one was a portrait of General Grant...U.S. Grant, who was the first Surgeon General of the Air Force, and I was commissioned to do a piece for Travis Air Force Base, and it was named after him...the hospital was...and I made a big sum of a thousand dollars and bought a house in Okinawa up in the mountain with that money. Davis: So when you were first approached to be an IAIA Trustee where were you living at the time? Kingery: I was living here in San Antonio but the lady who approached me... (about the IAIA Trusteeship) had a gallery in El Paso and she was the director of the National Endowment for the Arts...so she called me and she said, "Would you do this?" And I said yes, not realizing what that yes would mean. She said, the White House will call you. And they did. Those were the years, by the way, where we had to (receive) a (Senate) confirmation that was a year-long wait... Davis: We've had the same president (Dr. Robert Martin, Cherokee) during your time on the board, but other trustees and other changes have come along. Can you talk about some of the more impactful things that you've seen over your time as a trustee...some of the things that you felt really helped to define the school and turn it into what it is today? Kingery: Well I'm excited to have been here long enough with the school to actually see a change...a lot of buildings (have been built)...the MFA program for me is heaven... I'm so glad for all the Masters in the (creative) writing program (which) is stunning...and I don't see anything but growth going on. and I think Loren (Kieve, Cherokee, Chairman of the IAIA Board of Trustees) talks about that...and how a struggle it was for us to go ahead and pursue growth when everything looked so dark...our school has always done that. I've sat in that room (the IAIA Executive Conference Room) many times thinking..."Where are we going next?" And it's always forward...I'm so impressed by that because I think the students are really blessed to be there, I mean scholarships, and the professors, and everything there...it's a wonderful place for a student to be. Davis: I can't argue with that. Obviously, there'll be some changes...there'll be some new trustees come on board to fill in for the folks that are that are retiring. Anything you'd want to say as a piece of advice to any of the incoming trustees? Kingery: Yes. I've been thinking about this a lot, and I didn't want to send any messages (like)..."we need to fix this, or change that..." What I wanted to say was it is up to the students...they're the ones that are getting the courses they're the ones that are receiving the benefits of (the IAIA) scholarships...they're the ones that we need to say to "Now you go forth and do great things, because you owe a lot to this school. This school has done a lot for you...they have given you every opportunity to grow and to become something phenomenal. Not only for your tribe, but for the for the nation, for all of our nations." So I'm helping the students...I want them to succeed and then move forward as great alumni... That's what I want. Davis: Is there something that you want to say as your statement on being a trustee at IAIA? Kingery: Well, I cannot thank you enough for the opportunity that I've had for these years. Every year was a blessing and I'm very, very grateful for the things I learned during those years. I would love to have stayed on until I was 100. But I truly do believe that time of retirement is a stepping aside to let new fresh ideas come in, and so I champion our new trustees...I'm so pleased to, and I will miss (everyone) actually...I'll have to come (visit) more often, to watch the changes...don't forget us (the retired trustees)...we won't forget you.