Memory and Place: Alternative Photography

Nīa MacKnight (Anishinaabe/Lakhóta/Scottish) is a lens based artist/photographer/educator based in Tongva Territory (Los Angeles, California). Her approach to environmental portraiture is informed by the poetics of daily life and the materiality of ancestral memory. Turning to the paradigms of her Anishinaabe/Lakhóta/Scottish ancestry, MacKnight explores narratives of migration and self-determination within urban modes of existence. By blending conceptual and documentary genres through site specific works, she examines the home as a site for healing and transformation. Nīa attended the San Francisco Art Institute and holds a Bachelors in Psychology from California State University and a Master’s in Social and Cultural Analysis in Education from California State University, Long Beach

Your lab fee covers supplies for printing (film) and art supplies.

• Digital Camera
• Memory Card
• Memory Card Reader (recommended)
• A digital dSLR or mirrorless camera 
• Closed toed shoes for walking around in nature, hat and water bottle.

Your workshop starts at 9 a.m. each day. Lunch is served from 12 to 1 p.m. Workshops resume at 1 p.m. and wrap up at 4 p.m. Dinner is served from 5 to 7 p.m. You are welcome to join evening programming led by other adult art programs.

NOTE: Some instructors allow for after-hour work sessions. If the instructor(s) is/are willing and present in the classroom, you can work on your pieces after 4 pm.

Generous donors have made scholarships and fellowships for adult workshops available on a limited basis for these specific groups:

1) Native American Community Leaders, Artists, Members, and Teachers.
2) Southern California professors, and graduate students.

Scholarships include workshop tuition, dorm housing, and all meals provided by the campus dining service. 

Please note: Transportation to and from campus is not provided. Registration and Lab Fees are also not included in scholarship awards.

Scholarship Details:
1) Native American Community Members, Leaders, Artists, and Teachers

For adults 18 and older with current tribal affiliation or proof of descent. This scholarship intends to support the traditional transference of knowledge in Indigenous communities. The scholarship welcomes community leaders, artists, members, and educators to workshops at Idyllwild Arts to benefit both the scholarship recipient and those in their schools or tribal home communities. Applicants must explain how this opportunity will enhance their understanding of Indigenous arts and their potential benefits to their home community(s). Applicants with financial needs may receive priority. We also offer scholarships for Native American Teens for both the Summer Program and the Academy.

2) Southern California professors, and graduate students
For adults 18 and older who are current teachers in lower and higher education who will benefit from learning about Native American Arts and Culture to take back into the classroom as well as currently enrolled graduate students. The scholarship is designed to provide professional development for those in education to share with their learning communities.

Click here for more information about adult scholarships.