June 2024 brought yet another incredible three weeks of summer Native American Arts programming to life on the Idyllwild Arts campus, including a range of workshops in a variety of arts disciplines and the popular annual Festival Week. This represented the fifth year of programming curated and produced by Shaliyah Ben (Diné), the Executive Director of the Native American Arts Center at Idyllwild Arts.
In the workshops, master artists led classrooms of eager adult learners as they showcased and passed on the knowledge, craftsmanship, and creativity of diverse Indigenous cultures:
This year’s theme, Celebrating Kinship Through the Power of Storytelling, took us on a journey full of culture, creativity, and passion. Attendees gathered on our campus from far and wide for our many enriching public events, including the exhibition opening of “Blue Corn and Other Stories” by Joe Baker, the Michael Kabotie Lecture Series highlighting the work and perspectives of many talented Indigenous storytellers, a special screening of the zombie horror film “Blood Quantum,” and an artist meet & greet with Idyllwild Arts Academy student Tain Half (Apsáalooke)), who presented a photography exhibition, and Idyllwild Arts Academy alum Emily Clarke (Cahuilla), who debuted a beautiful new poem. The Native American Arts Market and the third annual bird singing celebration, “Welcoming Home the Birds,” was the perfect way to close out the week.
We are grateful to our outstanding contributing artists, teachers, and presenters, and to everyone who joined us on campus for this truly unique experience. Please save the date for the Native American Arts Center’s next upcoming event, Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday, October 14th! Join the Idyllwild Arts Community on our beautiful Southern California mountain campus for a day of programming featuring the Delbert Anderson Jazz Quartet as well as lectures, film, food, and more! All events are free and open to the public. Learn more here.
Details for this and all other upcoming public events will be added to our event calendar and shared via our email newsletter (sign up here) and social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn).
