In June, we wrapped up another incredible three weeks of summer Native American Arts workshops and the popular annual Festival Week. This represented the fourth year of programming curated and produced by Shaliyah Ben (Diné), the Executive Director of the Native American Arts Center at Idyllwild Arts. In the workshops, master artists led classrooms of eager adult learners as they showcased and passed on the knowledge, craftsmanship, and creativity of diverse Indigenous cultures:
While the creativity was spilling out of the classrooms, laughter echoed through the San Jacinto Mountains (Cahuilla Land) as we invited community members from near and far for the Native American Arts Festival week, which centered around “comedy and humor in Indigenous expression.” This was a welcome theme after the past few difficult years, and demonstrated how humor is an important tool to help heal within while also coping with and accepting new realities. The engaging programming inspired internal reflection and laughter while also igniting important conversations about topics that shape Indigenous communities. Scientific, intuitive, and trickster voices came together for a balanced and provocative learning experience:
We are grateful to our outstanding contributing artists, teachers, and presenters, and to everyone who joined us on campus for this truly unique experience. Please save the dates for our next upcoming Native American Arts Center programs:
- A series of online premieres each Wednesday of September, featuring the video recordings from this year’s Michael Kabotie Lecture Series, for those who missed it
- Indigenous Peoples Day on October 9th, which will offer a full day of arts and educational programming, free and open to the public
Details will be added to our event calendar and shared via our email newsletter (sign up here) and social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn).
