Indigenous Film & Arts Festival Panel - The Role of Indigenous Art and Artists in the Creation and Representation of Memory and Place: Whose Memories and Who Decides?
From Sarah Carlson
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Brent Learned
Brent Learned is an award winning and collected Native American artist who was born and reared in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, He is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. Brent graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts.
He is an artist who draws, paints and sculpts the Native American Indian in a rustic Impressionistic style. He has always appreciated the heritage and culture of the American Plains Indian. He tries to create artwork to capture the essence, accuracy and historic authenticity of the American Plains Indian way of life. Although Brent has many different styles, he is typically known for his use of bold, vibrant colors in his depictions of the American Plains Indian.
Brent has a passion for being active in the community. He was one of the curators of the Wintercamp show at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. The Wintercamp show was geared toward giving new artists in the community an opportunity to show their work. Most importantly, this was the first all Native American show to feature contemporary Oklahoma Native American art. Brent has also had the honor of working with Dale Chihuly's team on the Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick Tower (Chihuly's tallest installation to date) that resides in the Oklahoma City Art Museum,
Dr. Sarah J. Magnatta
Sarah received her PhD in Art History from The Ohio State University and specializes in global contemporary art and museum studies. Sarah previously worked at the Denver Art Museum and has independently curated several exhibitions, including Tenzing Rigdol’s first solo U.S. exhibition, My World Is in Your Blind Spot in 2019. Sarah’s research largely concerns issues of place and identity within the Tibetan exile community, and her work with Tenzing Rigdol and other contemporary artists is informing her current book, tentatively titled Contemporary Art of the Tibetan Diaspora, 2006-2021. She teaches courses on contemporary art through global perspectives and is especially interested in challenging art historical and museum hegemonies to further decolonize the field. Sarah is currently on the Museum Committee of the College Art Association.
Halena Kapuni-Reynolds
Halena Kapuni-Reynolds was born on Hawaiʻi Island and raised in the Hawaiian homestead community of Keaukaha and the upper rain forest of ‘Ōla‘a. He received a B.A. in Anthropology and Hawaiian Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo in 2013 and an M.A. in anthropology with a focus in Museum and Heritage Studies from the University of Denver in 2015. He is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of American Studies and the Museum Studies Graduate Certificate Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. For his dissertation, he plans to write a critical place-based history of Keaukaha.
Danielle SeeWalker
Danielle SeeWalker is Húŋkpapȟa Lakȟóta and enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota, where she was born & raised. She is an artist, writer, activist, and boymom of two, based in Denver, Colorado. Her visual artwork often incorporates the use of mixed media and experimentation while incorporating traditional Native American materials, scenes, and messaging. Her artwork pays homage to her identity as a Lakȟóta wíŋyaŋ (woman) and her passion to redirect the narrative to an accurate and insightful representation of contemporary Native America while still acknowledging historical events.
Alongside her passion for creating visual art, Danielle is a freelance writer and recently published her first book, titled “Still Here: A Past to Present Insight of Native American People & Culture.” She is also very dedicated to staying connected and involved in her Native community and currently serves as Co-Chair for the Denver American Indian Commission. Danielle has also been working on a personal, passion project since 2013 with her long-time friend called The Red Road Project. The focus of the work is to document, through words and photographs, what it means to be Native American in the 21st century by capturing inspiring and positive stories of people and communities within Indian Country.
Teresa ValenciaTeresa Valencia is the Virtual Field Trips Coordinator at Ohio History Connection where she works with community members to create innovative and engaging educational materials for youth. Before working at Ohio History Connection, she was the Director of Curation and Education for ʻIolani Palace in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. There she managed the royal collections, developed new educational materials and exhibits as well as expanded the Palace’s educational outreach in the community. Teresa also worked in California where she held various education, research and outreach positions at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, California State Indian Museum and Exploratorium. Teresa received her Museum Studies MA as well as an MBA from John F Kennedy University. Her thesis work focused on the need for cultural competency in the museum field. Starting in early 2021, she opened a small business to help museums create interpretive products, evaluation materials and community engagement plans. She also helps people care for their family heirlooms using museum standards. She believes strongly in the power of community engagement and enjoys working with museums to become more welcoming and inclusive spaces.
Jeanne Rubin
Jeanne Rubin serves as General Counsel and Film Festival Director for the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management. She has directed the Indigenous Film & Arts Festival since its inception in 2004. Rubin has been working in Indian affairs since 1978 in numerous capacities, from federal government service to private practice.
Mervyn L. Tano is an attorney and since 1997, the president of the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management, a law and policy research institution. Mr. Tano has worked with Indian tribes and organizations for over 40 years with stints as the director of planning and budget at the Administration for Native Americans and as general counsel and director of environmental programs at the Council of Energy Resource Tribes. He is adjunct faculty at the Haskell Indian Nations University. He was a member of several national advisory boards including EPA’s Federal Facilities Environmental Restoration Dialogue Committee, the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, DOE Office of Science and Technology’s Community Leaders Network, and several committees of the National Academy of Public Administration and the National Research Council. Mr. Tano has written and taught extensively on indigenous peoples’ law and policy issues related to climate, risk, cultural resources, heritage management, environmental justice, food and agriculture, and science and technology policy.
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