Supporting the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

The mission of Friends of Indian Art is twofold: to provide quality programs that provide insight into Native American art, culture and history, and to fund purchases for the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture’s permanent collection. From 2017–2019, the Steering Committee decided instead to allocate $50,000 toward the renovation and updating of the Here, Now & Always permanent exhibition, a cornerstone of the Museum. In 2021, FIA also funded the Zuni Olla Maiden section of the new Here, Now & Always exhibition.

A Letter from Friends of Indian Art Steering Committee Steering Committee Co-Chairs: Karen Freeman and Mark Bonnell

For the past two years, as we have written a note about the upcoming year for FIA (Friends of Indian Art), we have hoped for a healthier, safer environment in which we may resume in-person events. We were fortunate in September of 2021, during a respite period, to have organized one in-person event at the King Galleries, and it was wonderful to see people again. Among the lessons we may learn from Native American cultures are endurance and adaptability, in 2021, we learned to produce events via Zoom, including a silver-smithing demonstration brought to you from Gallup. We also held a virtual tour of the spectacular glass exhibit with the curator, Dr. Letitia Chambers.

Looking forward to 2022, we hope to resume in-person events starting in April. Our line-up of events ranges from films to food, to in-depth presentations on exhibitions. We greatly appreciate the support of FIA throughout the pandemic. Friends of Indian Art have made a lasting difference to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and its preservation and teaching of Native American art and culture. Thank you.

Click Here to see all the Friends of Indian Art Events for 2022.

This article is adapted from the Friends of Indian Art Event Calendar 2022.

Image Zuni Olla Maiden a painting by Juanita Edaakie of her mother, Cornelia Bowannie, former leader of the Zuni Olla Maidens. Photo by Ross Altshuler