Arctic Highways: Unbounded Indigenous People. Friday, August 16, 2024–Sun, March 2, 2025. IAIA, Santa Fe

The public opening will take place August 16 from 5–7 pm, with a special member-only preview with light hors d’oeuvres and spirits from 4–5 pm. To become a MoCNA member and attend the member-only preview, join online or by phone at (505) 428-5925.

Arctic Highways includes photography, duodji (Sámi handicraft), sculpture, fiber art, and videos, offering viewers an opportunity to learn more about international Indigenous art and issues at play in Sápmi and the Arctic. Even though these artists hail from the far North, their art touches on themes that resonate deeply with many of MoCNA’s Native American communities in the Southwest. From border issues to land loss, to threats to the environment, and language and cultural preservation, these artists use their art to shed light on shared experiences and concerns.

Curated by Indigenous artists Tomas Colbengtson (Sámi, Sweden), Gunvor Guttorm (Sámi, Norway), Dan Jåma (Sámi, Norway), and Britta Marakatt-Labba (Sámi, Sweden), Arctic Highways includes their own works alongside those of artists Matti Aikio (Sámi, Finland), Stina Folkebrant (Sweden), Sonya Kelliher-Combs (Inupiaq, Athabaskan, Alaska), Maureen Gruben (Inuvialuk, Canada), Marja Helander (Sámi, Finland), Laila Susanna Kuhmunen (Sámi, Sweden), Olof Marsja (Sámi, Sweden), Meryl McMaster (Plains Cree), and Máret Ánne Sara (Sámi, Norway).

Accompanying Arctic Highways is a mural in MoCNA’s hallway created by Swedish artist Stina Folkebrant and IAIA alum David Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo) ’17. Stina Folkebrant also collaborated with Arctic Highways artist Tomas Colbengtson on the installation Mygration, which will be on view in the exhibition. Folkebrant is known for her large-scale animal portraits and landscapes inspired by Chinese ink painting. Mural collaborator and painter David Naranjo creates designs for clothing and accessories, based on Pueblo pottery iconography that often refers to the Southwestern landscape and natural world.

for more information visit the IAIA website →

Organizer: IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA)
Phone: (888) 922-4242

Venue: IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Anne and Loren Kieve Gallery
108 Cathedral Place, Santa Fe, NM 87501 United States