Indigenous Art Without Borders
Celebrating 100 years of Native Arts collecting at the Denver Art Museum, participants will examine the past, present, and future of Indigenous arts and representation in museums and in global contexts.
Onsite and virtual ticket bundles are available for Native Arts Triennial Symposium, the 24th Annual Mayer Center Symposium, and Untitled: Artist Takeover. Virtual tickets are also available for both symposia.
More details and schedule to come. Questions? Email Caitlin O'Beirne at COBeirne@denverartmuseum.org.
Schedule
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
9-9:30 am: Coffee Service
9:30-9:45 am: Opening Remarks - John P. Lukavic
9:45-10:30 am: Keynote - Wayne Modest
10:30-10:45 am: Break
10:45-11:45 am: Session I: Looking Back, Looking Forward
A review of the last 100 years and a projection of the next 100 years for Native Arts collecting and curatorial practices. Panelists: John P. Lukavic, Jami C. Powell, Dakota Hoska
11:45 am-1 pm: Session II: Global Indigeneity in Focus
What does global indigeneity mean and how people might unite under this term. Panelists: Jordan Poorman Crocker, Maia Nuku, Ji Young Park, and Victoria Lyall, Kássia Borges Mytara
1-2:30 pm: Lunch
2:30-3:30 pm: Session III: Spotlight on Collaboration
How can arts institutions achieve greater interaction with Indigenous communities and artists? Panelists: Jessa Rae Growing Thunder, Cannupa Hanska Luger, John P. Lukavic, and Wayne Modest
3:30-4:30 pm: Session IV: Floor to Floor: Global Indigeneity in Practice at the Denver Art Museum
Cross-departmental collaboration and changing curatorial practices to increase Indigenous representation across collections. Panelists: Rory Padeken, Raphael Fonseca, and Syokau Mutonga
Thursday, October 30, 2025
9-9:30 am: Coffee Service
9:30-10:30 am: Session V: Curating Contemporary
How museums and Native artists respond to the growing interest in Indigenous contemporary arts and Native futurism. Panelists: Rory Padeken, Jordan Poorman Crocker, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Kássia Borges Mytara
10:30-10:45 am: Break
10:45 am-12 pm: Session VI: Futures Imagined
A discussion of what we have learned and what is next. Panelists: John P. Lukavic (moderator), Wayne Modest, Maia Nuku, Jordan Poorman Cocker, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Jessa Rae Growing Thunder, Kássia Borges Mytara, and Dakota Hoska
12-12:30 pm: Q&A and Closing Remarks
Panelists
- Dr. Wayne Modest, Director of Content, National Museum of World Cultures | Netherlands (Keynote speaker)
- Dr. Kássia Borges Mytara (Karajá), Associate Curator of the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP), Curator of the Museu do Indio (Indigenous People Museum), Professor at the Federal University of Uberlandia, artist | Brazil
- Dr. Jordan Poorman Cocker (Kiowa and Tongan), Curator of Indigenous Art, Crystal Bridges | Arkansas
- Dakota Hoska (Lakota), Inaugural Curator of Native Arts, National Gallery | Washington D.C.
- Cannupa Hanska Luger (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota, and European), Artist | New Mexico
- Dr. Jami C. Powell (Osage), Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs, Curator of Indigenous Art, Hood Museum | New Hampshire
- Dr. Jessa Rae Growing Thunder (Fort Peck Assiniboine, Dakota), Artist and Art Historian | New Mexico, USA
- Dr. Raphael Fonseca, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art, Denver Art Museum | Colorado
- Syokau Mutonga, Anderman Family Fellow for Arts of Africa, Denver Art Museum | Colorado
- Dr. John Lukavic, Andrew W Mellon Curator of Native Arts, Denver Art Museum | Colorado
- Dr. Victoria Lyall, Curator, Frederick and Jan Mayer Curator, Art of the Ancient Americas, Denver Art Museum | Colorado
- Rory Padeken (Kanaka ʻŌiwi), Vicki and Kent Logan Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Denver Art Museum | Colorado
- Dr. Ji Young Park, National Museum of Korea Fellow of Korean Art, Denver Art Museum | Colorado
- Dr. Maia Nuku (English and Māori), Curator of Oceanic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art | New York
This event is supported by the Terra Foundation of American Art and made possible by the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).
