IAIA 2021 BFA Exhibition: Manifesting our Destinies

Co-curated by Joseph Maldonado (Ottawa/Chippewa) and Ethan Swearengin (Cherokee Nation), the 2020/2021 IAIA Senior Exhibition highlights artwork that reflects the diverse backgrounds of this year’s graduating BFA students. The juried show presents the bold and unique voices of emerging artists that share common concerns — such as issues of cultural and gender identity, and discrimination. Some works refer to artists’ personal experiences and their relationship to the natural world. Others experiment with materials and forms and explore tribal designs and abstractions. Created in a variety of media, the works are grounded in ideas of cultural, social, and historical impact.

[Image: Beau Tsa-toke (Kiowa), Staff of Life, 2021. Colored pencil on antique paper. Image courtesy the artist.)