Museum of Indian Arts | Culture Blog August 2025

The Museum of New Mexico Foundation is proud to announce the launch of three strategic fundraising initiatives in support of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) in FY25. Each fund reflects MIAC’s commitment to ethical stewardship, community-centered practices, and the continued vitality of Native art and culture.

Native Art Acquisition Fund: In August, during the 2025 SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market, MIAC curators will use the new Native Art Acquisition Fund to purchase works by contemporary Native artists for the museum’s collection. This initiative addresses one of MIAC’s most urgent collection needs and supports artists directly. Donors to the fund will be invited to a behind-the-scenes tour this fall to view the newly acquired works and learn more from MIAC’s curators.

MIAC Collections Care Fund: With one of the most significant Native art collections in the country, MIAC’s conservation needs are extensive. The new Collections Care Fund will support efforts to stabilize fragile textiles and pottery, enhance storage environments, and improve documentation and digitization.

Tribal Engagement Fund: The newly established Tribal Engagement Fund will support travel, lodging, meals, and honoraria for Tribal representatives advising MIAC on collections care, repatriation, exhibition development, and educational programming. These in-person consultations are critical to the museum’s compliance with NAGPRA, and more importantly, to ensuring that MIAC’s work is shaped by the knowledge, values, and priorities of the communities it serves. A single visit can cost $30,000 or more. This fund underscores our shared responsibility to elevate Native voices in all aspects of museum work.

Each of these campaigns reflects MIAC’s core values: collaboration, preservation, and the celebration of living Native cultures. We are excited to partner with our trustees to advance these efforts.

In July, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture welcomed visitors of all ages with hands-on programming through the Arts Alive! series, including air-dry clay sculpting, cyanotype printmaking, and a sold-out special session led by artist Deborah Jojola (Isleta Pueblo). The Native Dance Series featured the Ka la Kapu Polynesian Dance School, bringing vibrant cultural performance to Milner Plaza. Artist Myron Denetclaw (Diné) offered a painting demonstration, and Marlon Magdalena led a  curator tour of Makowa: The Worlds Above Us, MIAC’s signature summer exhibition exploring Indigenous astronomy. The month concluded with a Native Narratives speaker event featuring artist Teri Greeves (Kiowa), sharing perspectives on tradition and storytelling.

August programming will include the 4th Annual Lightning Boy Foundation Youth Hoop Dance Competition (August 2 – 3, 2025), a free, family-friendly event celebrating athleticism and cultural pride. The popular Breakfast with the Curators series returns with in-depth discussions of Engaging the Future: The Goodman Fellowship Artists, Printing the Pueblo World, and Makowa. Additional highlights include a Native Narratives presentation by Gil Vigil (Tesuque Pueblo), a community clay workshop titled Coffee & Clay, and another curator-led Makowa tour on August 30. Each program and exhibition strengthens the museum’s mission to engage the public with the depth and diversity of Native experiences past and present.