For more information, please contact IAIA Interim Director of Marketing and Communications Jason S. Ordaz at jason.ordaz@iaia.edu.

Note: When referring to the Museum in the press, please use the full official name IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts.

The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) is excited to announce that MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett made a $3 Million unrestricted donation to the museum (this is in addition to the generous award of $5 Million from MacKenzie Scott to the Institute of American Indian Arts in 2020). Identified as one of “286 Teams Empowering Voices the World Needs to Hear,” Scott and Jewett want “to de-emphasize privileged voices and cede focus to others.” They acknowledge that “People struggling against inequities deserve center stage in stories about change they are creating. Arts and cultural institutions can strengthen communities by transforming spaces, fostering empathy, reflecting community identity, advancing economic mobility, improving academic outcomes, lowering crime rates, and improving mental health.” The Scott team evaluated smaller arts organizations creating these benefits with artists and audiences from culturally-rich regions and identity groups that donors often overlook. They recognize communities that are “agents of change.”

“MoCNA is an ‘agent of change’ and we value the acknowledgement and recognition from these important donors. This is the largest gift the museum has ever received. Museum staff works tirelessly to produce and manage outstanding exhibitions, programs, publications, and collections. These funds will support MoCNA’s goals to continue to showcase and advance the most progressive contemporary Indigenous arts and cultures through experimental and innovative expression. This gift allows the staff to think strategically to plan for our future and will continue to embolden the museum to support and empower others.”

—Patsy Phillips (Cherokee Nation)

MoCNA Director

MoCNA is open to the public at a limited capacity as per the Governor’s approval. The Museum is open Monday and Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 am–5 pm, and on Sunday from 11 am–4 pm at 75% capacity (maximum 100 individuals at any given time). The Museum remains closed on Tuesdays.

Tickets can be purchased online ahead of entry.

Protocols to Ensure a Safe Visitor Experience

If you have questions, please call (505) 428-5912 or email store@iaia.edu.

Image Credit: Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, IAIA, 2021

Anne and Loren Kieve Gallery

August 20, 2021–January 23, 2022

Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology documents international Indigenous artists’ responses to the impacts of nuclear testing, nuclear accidents, and uranium mining on Native peoples and the environment. The traveling exhibition and catalog give artists a voice to address the long-term effects of these man-made disasters on Indigenous communities in the United States and around the world. Indigenous artists from Australia, Canada, Greenland, Japan, Pacific Islands, and the United States utilize local and tribal knowledge, as well as Indigenous and contemporary art forms as visual strategies for their thought-provoking artworks.

Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology is co-curated by iBiennale Director Dr. Kóan Jeff Baysa; Nuuk Art Museum Director Nivi Christensen (Inuit); Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art Chief Curator and Vice Director Satomi Igarashi; Art Gallery of New South Wales Assistant Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Erin Vink (Ngiyampaa), Independent Curator Tania Willard (Secwepemc Nation), and MoCNA Chief Curator Manuela Well-Off-Man.

The hardcover, fully illustrated catalog will be published in Fall 2021 and features artist statements, interviews and essays by co-curators, art historians, writers, scientists, and activists who will examine art practices and artists’ concerns more in depth. Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology is supported by the Ford Foundation and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Image Credit: Hilda Moodoo (Pitjantjatjara) and Kunmanara Queama (Pitjantjatjara), Destruction I, 2002, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 46.85 x 38.66 x 1.18 in. Art Gallery of South Australia, Santos Fund for Aboriginal Art 2002, 20025P24

Anne and Loren Kieve Gallery

On view until July 18, 2021

The Moving Land: 60+ Years of Art by Linda Lomahaftewa gathers together more than sixty years of Linda Lomahaftewa’s (Hopi/Choctaw) ’65 artistic production, making it possible to see the ways her work has responded to time and place, shifting with new influences. From the deep and mysterious spaces of her early paintings, to the vibrating intensity of her drawings during her years in San Francisco, to the prints and collages of the last two decades, when the artist moves, the land moves with her, and moves us in turn.

Lomahaftewa is a printmaker, painter, and mixed media artist, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has traveled and exhibited internationally and has been listed in Who’s Who in American Arts and twice in Who’s Who in American Indian Arts. In 2001 she won the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation’s Power of Art Award. After earning her high school diploma from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), Lomahaftewa received her BFA and MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. Prior to teaching at IAIA for more than forty years, she taught at the University of California, Berkeley, and Sonoma State University.

Image Credit: Linda Lomahaftewa (Hopi/Choctaw), Plague Doctor II, 2020, Monotype on paper, 29.75 x 22.25 in., Private Collection, Image Courtesy of IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts

North Gallery

Michael Namingha: Altered Landscapes 

On view until July 4, 2021

Michael Namingha’s (Tewa/Hopi) Altered Landscape series are abstract, photography-based works that juxtapose geometric shapes in bright neon colors against black-and-white aerial landscapes from the Four Corners region. The compositions are mounted to shaped plexiglass, creating the illusion of three-dimensional works.

Altered Landscapes address the environmental impact of the gas and oil industry: drilling stations, refineries, gas plants, fracking platforms, pipelines, and chemical storage are all situated in a drilling site around Chaco Canyon, a national historic park sacred to the ancestral Puebloans. While other artists deal with these themes head-on, Namingha’s work is in contrast non-confrontational, even quiet, inviting viewers to contemplate the devastating effects of the oil and gas industries on ancestral lands.

Image Credit: Altered Landscape No. 1, 2019, Digital C-Print Face-Mounted to Shaped Acrylic, 35” x 35” x 1”, Edition of 3

South Gallery

April 23–October 10, 2021

Co-curated by Joseph Maldonado (Tlingit and Ottawa) and Ethan Swearengin (Cherokee Nation), Manifesting Our Destinies highlights artwork that reflects the diverse backgrounds of this year’s IAIA graduating BFA students. The juried show presents the unique voices of emerging artists that share an interest in themes such as resiliency, self-empowerment, and societal acceptance. The artworks reflect how these artists have redefined their cultural heritage by blending contemporary art forms, techniques and materials with traditional Native art influences.

Participating Artists

Image Credit: Beau Tsa-toke, Staff of Life, 2021, colored pencil on antique paper (1917), 11 ¼ x 17 ½ in

Kieve Family Gallery

On view until February 20, 2022

Experimental exPRESSion: Printmaking at IAIA, 1963–1980 features fifty-one recently-acquired works on paper from the Tubis Print Collection, donated by the Nina Tubis Wooderson Trust. Notable artists in the exhibition include Peggy Deam (Suquamish), Mary Gay Osceola (Seminole), and Sandy Fife (Muskogee Creek), among other IAIA Alumni. The exhibition will be on display for two-years and closes July 2021.

“Printmaking today contains so many variables, so many possibilities exist in the uses of materials. It is unlikely that any contemporary printmaker has not experimented or thought of experimenting with the same materials and processes.”—Seymour Tubis, 1966

The Tubis Print Collection represents the experimentation that took place in the IAIA Printmaking Studio from 1963–1981, which established a standard ofmodern printmaking practice for Native artists. Printmaking students learned skills that were central to the fine art curriculum developed for young Native artists. The process introduced students to the concepts of design, layout, shape, line, texture, and color. Printmaking informed other media, such as painting and sculpture, and helped shape the Contemporary Native Arts Movement at IAIA.

Image Credit: Benjamin Harjo, (Seminole/Shawnee), Microcosms of the Everglades, woodblock print, ca. 1965. Courtesy of IAIA MoCNA Permanent Collection, SE-67

Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology documents international Indigenous artists’ responses to the impacts of nuclear testing, nuclear accidents, and uranium mining on Native peoples and the environment. The traveling exhibition and catalog give artists a voice to address the long-term effects of these man-made disasters on Indigenous communities in the United States and around the world. Indigenous artists from Australia, Canada, Greenland, Japan, Pacific Islands, and the United States utilize local and tribal knowledge, as well as Indigenous and contemporary art forms as visual strategies for their thought-provoking artworks.

The exhibition size is 365–500 linear feet (3,500–4,000 square feet) and it is available for booking periods beginning March 1, 2022. (The exhibition size is negotiable.)

To inquire further about the availability of Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology or to receive a prospectus and checklist for this traveling exhibition, contact IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Chief Curator Manuela Well-Off-Man at manuela.well-off-man@iaia.edu.

Image Credit: Hilda Moodoo (Pitjantjatjara) and Kunmanara Queama (Pitjantjatjara), Destruction I, 2002, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 46.85 x 38.66 x 1.18 in. Art Gallery of South Australia, Santos Fund for Aboriginal Art 2002, 20025P24

Last Supper is a conceptual installation pointing to the effects of how the food we consume is making a negative impact within our communities. C. Maxx Stevens (Seminole/Mvscogee Nation) builds a visual narrative based on private and public memories and experiences to deal with the devastating effect of diabetes throughout native nations. The exhibition Last Supper creates a larger social awareness of the epidemic and its dilemma in all of the United States. The mixed media installation includes her family archives and testimony about the disease and its impact on traditional values and the drastic evolution of diet as well as economy. C.Maxx Stevens is an installation artist and a member of Seminole/Mvscogee Nation from Oklahoma. She has recently retired as a Professor of Art at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.

The exhibition requires approximately 600 sq. ft. of space. To inquire further about the availability of Maxx Stevens: Last Supper or to receive a prospectus and checklist for this traveling exhibition, contact IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Chief Curator Manuela Well-Off-Man at manuela.well-off-man@iaia.edu.

Image Credit: Maxx Stevens (Seminole/Mvscogee Nation), Last Supper (detail). Photo courtesy of IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts

2nd Floor North Hallway

On view until February 27, 2022

Daniel McCoy Jr.’s (Muscogee Creek/Citizen Band Potawatomi) ’17 mural outside the Kieve Family Gallery is part of the Experimental exPRESSion: Printmaking at IAIA, 1963–1980 exhibition.

McCoy who also created printmaking illustrations for the exhibition design and didactics. “The mural is influenced by powwow regalia colors, films, and comics from the late sixties and seventies. I tried to imagine what the IAIA students would have liked during this time (1963–1980). My son Noel and I first drew black and white illustrations in ink then roughly based the mural on these illustrations.”

—Daniel McCoy Jr.’s (Muscogee Creek/Citizen Band Potawatomi) ’17

Image Credit: Daniel McCoy Jr.: Experimental exPRESSion Mural (detail), photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, IAIA, 2021

Hallway Gallery and Honor Gallery

On view until July 18, 2021

Amanda Beardsley’s (Hopi/Laguna/Choctaw) mural Future Vibes depicts young Pueblo women dancing into the future—to suggest that traditional knowledge continues into the present and future. Beardsley explains, “To visualize Indigenous Futurism, we must revitalize the wisdom that emerged from our ancestors’ early experiences and the long road they traveled to attain the knowledge that the absolute law of reciprocity would be their guiding principle and that life will go on forever.”

The subject matter of her mural brings together women with strong cultural values. Beardsley states, “The world is often described as a dark place at most times, however, I choose to create my art with bright vibrant colors to juxtapose the two ongoing worlds. The Future Vibes mural will be bright, colorful, fun, happy, and bring new ideas to the future.”

Image Credit: Amanda Beardsley: Future Vibes Mural (detail), photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, IAIA, 2021.

Allan Houser Art Park

On view until June 20, 2021

As part of the Reconciliation exhibition, artist Lynnette Haozous (Chiricahua Apache/Diné//Taos Pueblo) painted a mural depicting the last day of the Entrada. Haozous explains, “The path to reconciliation is to first acknowledge the events that have brought us here today, post-Entrada—it is an honorary mural depicting the strength of the community members coming together to abolish the Entrada, especially the Indigenous women who stood on the front line. These warriors also fought against all that it represents from colonial police state violence to patriarchy—the fight for Indigenous rights and ways of life also includes the protection of land, air, water, and sacred sites for our future generations.”

The mural depicts the different points of view from community members who voiced their opinions and feelings surrounding the Entrada. “It is important to understand each other’s perspectives, while also acknowledging the true history of these lands. We must remember that reconciliation is an active process,” says Haozous.

Image Credit: Lynnette Haozous: Abolishing the Entrada Mural (detail), photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, IAIA, 2021

Closing Reception for The Moving Land: 60 + Years of Art by Linda Lomahaftewa 

Friday, July 16, 5–7 pm

Please join us for the closing reception of The Moving Land: 60 + Years of Art by Linda Lomahaftewa on Friday, July 16, 5–7 pm in the Allan Houser Art Park. Light refreshments will be provided.

The Moving Land: 60+ Years of Art by Linda Lomahaftewa gathers together more than sixty years of Linda Lomahaftewa’s (Hopi/Choctaw) ’65 artistic production, making it possible to see the ways her work has responded to time and place, shifting with new influences.

Image Credit: Linda Lomahaftewa (Hopi/Choctaw), Unknown Spirits, 1965, oil on canvas, MoCNA Collection H-12, photo by Jason S. Ordaz

Opening Reception for Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology

Friday, August 20, 5–7 pm

Visit the Museum in-person as we celebrate the opening of Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology on Friday, August 20, 5–7pm in the Allan Houser Art Park. Light refreshments will be provided.

Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology documents international Indigenous artists’ responses to the impacts of nuclear testing, nuclear accidents, and uranium mining on Native peoples and the environment.

Image Credit: Will Wilson (Diné), Mexican Hat Disposal Cell, Navajo Nation (Connecting the Dots series), 2019, drone-based digital prints (triptych), ca. 44 x 110 in. total, collection of the artist

As part of MoCNA’s COVID-19 precautions, the museum has temporarily suspended all walk-in tours on Mondays and Saturdays and special group tours until further notice. Please visit our virtual museum online or download our mobile app for a self-guided tour option when visiting the museum.

Programs are subject to change, please visit our website for the most up to date programming calendar or visit our Facebook page.

The Museum Store offers a unique shopping experience, featuring a collection of high-quality, Native-made, and Native-designed products including one of the most extensive collections of books on Native-related topics. The inspiring collection of items also includes prints, textiles, paintings, jewelry, pottery, sculpture, various home goods, and children's products. We are pleased to offer Native brands like Eighth Generation, The NTVS, Trickster Company, Bison Star Naturals, and more.

The store is now showcasing the silversmithing and lapidary work of IAIA Alumni Anthony Garcia (Ohkay Owingeh) ’78. Having previously taught at the Santa Fe Indian School, Garcia has worked across the US Southwest and traveled to several countries, refining his craft and skills. He exclusively cuts and shapes his pieces by hand, using jewelers’ tools and personal techniques. His jewelry showcase at the Museum Store features over 70 pieces of silverwork, featuring inlays of turquoise, coral, onyx, and other precious stones. Garcia’s work is available through August 31.

Over 40 titles coming soon to the Museum Store. Featuring an updated and expanded Pueblo History section, and newly added LGBT2SQ+ texts, including children, and teen books. New titles arriving after June 21.

Interested in browsing our selection of products not currently featured on our website? Email us at store@iaia.edu or call (505) 428-5912 to inquire about specific artists or merchandise. Phone and email orders are welcome!

The mission of the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) is to advance contemporary Native art through exhibitions, collections, public programs, and scholarship. MoCNA's outreach through local and national collaborations allows us to continue to present the most progressive Native arts and public programming. MoCNA's exhibitions and programs continue the narrative of contemporary Native arts and cultures.