IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts

IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts is open to the public. We will be open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm MDT on Mondays & Wednesday through Saturday.
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On Sunday, we are open from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm MDT. We are closed on Tuesdays. IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) is dedicated to increasing public understanding and appreciation of contemporary Native art, history and culture through presentation, collection and acquisition, preservation, and interpretation. MoCNA is recognized as the preeminent organizer of exhibitions devoted exclusively to the display of dynamic and diverse arts practices representative of Native North America.

Please join us for family fun during our free Family Day at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) on Satur...
06/01/2026

Please join us for family fun during our free Family Day at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) on Saturday, June 13, from 11 am–3 pm. The day will feature exciting activities, engaging art, and learning experiences for the whole family.

Celebrate the launch of “Building Worlds: Ken Fury and Gary Medina Cook” and experience the new exhibition alongside family-friendly activities, food, and live musical performances in the MoCNA Allan Houser Art Park. Enjoy a conversation and exhibition tour with artists Ken Fury (Genízaro) and Gary Medina Cook (Genízaro and Taos Pueblo), a special performance by Diné hip-hop artist and spoken word performer Def-I, a breakdance showcase by Dancing Turtle Studio, and high-desert party vibes with Felix y Los Gatos Band. Additional activities include a Sticker Slap Workshop with graffiti artist Hoka Skenandore (Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin) ’06, A-i-R ’21, Meet the Maker with jeweler and author Leah Prada of Yoté Jewelry, and a screening of “The Genízaro Experience.” Free food and drinks provided.

Generous support provided by the Art Bridges Foundation’s “Access for All” initiative.

For more information and the event schedule, please visit our website at https://iaia.edu/event/2026-family-day-celebrate-your-family-at-mocna/

Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts.

Family Day—Celebrate Your Family at MoCNA

This week, the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) announced a dynamic 2026 exhibition season featuring cont...
05/29/2026

This week, the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) announced a dynamic 2026 exhibition season featuring contemporary Indigenous artists whose work engages land, memory, performance, identity, sovereignty, and cultural continuity. Through major solo, group, and collaborative exhibitions, MoCNA continues its mission to elevate contemporary Indigenous art through exhibitions, collections, programs, partnerships, and new research.

The 2026 exhibition season includes “States of Erosion: Reshaping and Reclaiming,” a focused exploration of contemporary Indigenous art from Canada and the United States; “Building Worlds: Ken Fury and Gary Medina Cook,” which foregrounds contemporary Genízaro art and histories long obscured in the cultural narratives of the American Southwest; “Dakota Mace: 2026–Shímásání Bila’ (My Grandmother’s Hand),” an exhibition rooted in Diné memory, land, and intergenerational knowledge; and “Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-Determination since 1969,” a collaborative exhibition project between MoCNA and SITE SANTA FE that highlights performance as a foundational force in contemporary Native art.

To learn more about MoCNA’s upcoming Summer and Fall 2026 exhibitions, visit our website at https://iaia.edu/mocna/mocna-exhibitions/

Image: Ken Fury (Nuevomexicano and Indigenous Genízaro descent), “Ancestral Consciousness,” acrylic on canvas; courtesy of the artist.

In honor of graduation, this month’s featured collection highlight is “Completion Hat: MFACA Graduation, IAIA” by Leanne...
05/13/2026

In honor of graduation, this month’s featured collection highlight is “Completion Hat: MFACA Graduation, IAIA” by Leanne Campbell (Coeur d’Alene Tribe [Schitsu’umsh]) ’13, ’24, A-i-R ’17. Campbell created the basket hat to wear for her graduation from the IAIA Master of Fine Arts in Cultural Administration (MFACA) program as part of its inaugural cohort. In Campbell’s words, the hat “represents my home region and honors the lineage of ceremonial objects that mark change, responsibility, and achievement. Highly decorated and worn once for the ceremony, the hat stands as a record of transition and continuation.”

Campbell has studied Columbia Plateau basket hats through community knowledge, archival photographs, and museum collections, with a particular interest in special-occasion headpieces. Materials such as dentalium shells, beads, and Chinese coins carry layered meanings tied to transformation and cultural exchange. Introduced through historic trade networks, Chinese coins became integrated into Plateau ceremonial arts for both aesthetic and symbolic significance.

Discover more works by Leanne Campbell and other artists in the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) collection by visiting our online collections at research.iaia.edu.

Image: Leanne Campbell, “Completion Hat: MFACA Graduation, IAIA,” 2024, h**p twine, rayon raffia, acrylic yarn, glass beads, Chinese coin, 9.5 × 6.5 in. IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts Collection; Artist-in-Residence Purchase, 2026. © Leanne Campbell.

Patsy Phillips (Cherokee Nation), Director of the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), has been elected to t...
05/04/2026

Patsy Phillips (Cherokee Nation), Director of the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), has been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Phillips joins the Academy’s 2026 class of 252 leaders in academia, the arts, industry, journalism, philanthropy, policy, research, and science. Phillips was elected to Class V, Leadership, Policy, and Communications, in the Scientific, Cultural, and Nonprofit Leadership section. The Academy lists her with her affiliation as the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. Phillips has been invited to participate in the Academy’s 2026 Induction Weekend, October 9–11, 2026, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the formal ceremony scheduled for Saturday, October 10.

IAIA President Dr. Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo) said, “Patsy Phillips’ election to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences is a profound recognition of her vision, leadership, and dedication to Indigenous artists and cultures. Her work has expanded the place of contemporary Native art worldwide and strengthened MoCNA’s role as a vital platform for artists, students, scholars, and communities. IAIA is proud to celebrate this well-deserved honor.”

Read more on our website at https://iaia.edu/mocna-director-patsy-phillips-elected-to-american-academy-of-arts-sciences/

Photograph by Walter Lamar.

The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) extends sincere thanks to the American Craft Council for its thought...
05/04/2026

The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) extends sincere thanks to the American Craft Council for its thoughtful feature on “Paper Trails: Unfolding Indigenous Narratives,” published April 30.

We are grateful to writer Jacqueline Huynh Young for engaging deeply with the exhibition and for highlighting the powerful ways Indigenous artists are reimagining paper as both a material of record and control, and as a medium of resistance, memory, and sovereignty.

“Paper Trails: Unfolding Indigenous Narratives” is on view now through July 12, 2026.

Read the full article at https://craftcouncil.org/articles/at-the-museum-of-contemporary-native-arts-in-santa-fe-indigenous-artists-rewrite-the-record/

Photograph by Sallie Wesaw Sloan (Eastern Shoshone), IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts.

Join us on Saturday, May 9, 2026, from 2–4 pm, at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Allan Houser Art ...
04/30/2026

Join us on Saturday, May 9, 2026, from 2–4 pm, at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) Allan Houser Art Park for a special reading celebrating emerging voices in writing. The reading will feature Institute of American Indian Arts’ (IAIA) graduating senior David McNicholas, joined by undergraduate writers, Mary Ann Sheyahshe (Caddo and Cheyenne-Arapaho) and Si Määttä (Cowlitz, Watala, and Finnish Sami). The writers will read selections from their work spanning creative nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, and fiction. The event is free and open to the public and will also be available via Zoom.

For more information, including writer biographies, please visit our website at https://iaia.edu/event/readings-from-the-iaia-creative-writing-undergraduate-program-2026/

Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts.

Call for Pueblo Painters—Social Engagement Artist ResidencyThe IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) is now ac...
04/21/2026

Call for Pueblo Painters—Social Engagement Artist Residency

The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) is now accepting applications for the Social Engagement Artist Residency (SEAR) supported by the Jeanne Maurer Shutes and Jill Mellick Award.

This 10-day Social Engagement Artist Residency at MoCNA supports one Indigenous Pueblo painter to create a community-engaged project and the opportunity to engage with IAIA students, staff, faculty, and MoCNA audiences.

Includes an honorarium, lodging, and project support

Please see the link for the application and other details. For questions, please contact Museum Educator Wayne N. Gaussoin (Picuris Pueblo and Diné) at [email protected].

Learn more and apply on our website at https://iaia.edu/2026-social-engagement-artist-residency-call-for-applications/

Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts.

Now Hiring—Museum Director, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts ...
04/20/2026

Now Hiring—Museum Director, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA)

The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico—the world’s leading museum of contemporary Indigenous arts—seeks an exceptional Museum Director to guide the museum into its next chapter of excellence.

Reporting to the President, the Museum Director provides executive leadership across all areas of museum operations, including exhibitions, collections, programming, education, fundraising, strategic planning, and facilities. This role sustains the museum’s financial sustainability and ensures MoCNA continues to serve as an authoritative voice in the field for local, national, and international audiences, while centering Indigenous values and community relationships.

The Director leads and supports staff across departments, advances progressive exhibitions and public programs, stewards a collection of more than 10,000 works of contemporary Native art, and builds strong partnerships with Tribal Nations, cultural institutions, and supporters. This position also oversees budget and grant management, donor engagement, and long-term strategic planning.

This is a full-time, in-person position based at MoCNA in downtown Santa Fe.

Learn more and apply at www.iaia.edu/about/employment/

Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts.

Patsy Phillips (Cherokee Nation), Director of the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), announced her retirem...
04/20/2026

Patsy Phillips (Cherokee Nation), Director of the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), announced her retirement this June after 30 years elevating contemporary Indigenous arts through ATLATL, the National Museum of the American Indian, and 18 years at the helm of MoCNA, an iconic Santa Fe museum and global standard-bearer for Indigenous art. Under her leadership, MoCNA earned national recognition, secured major foundation funding, established its first $2 million endowment, hosted over 140 national and international exhibitions, and contributed to Indigenous scholarship through nine publications. The museum also earned accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, was ranked among the top U.S. art museums by USA Today readers, and was recognized by MacKenzie Scott and the Ford Foundation for its cultural impact.

Phillips expressed gratitude for her time at IAIA and MoCNA, noting her only regret is having less time to collaborate with IAIA’s new President, Dr. Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo). She will remain active in the museum field, serving on the boards of the AAM and ICOM-US, supporting both IAIA and MoCNA, and teaching in IAIA’s Museum Studies department. “Every step I take forward is on a path paved by strong Indian women before me,” she said, honoring the legacy of Indigenous leaders who inspired her throughout her career.

Read more on our website at https://iaia.edu/mocna-director-patsy-phillips-announces-retirement/

Portrait of Patsy Phillips (Cherokee Nation), courtesy of Patsy Phillips.

Join us on Friday, February 27, from 2:00–3:00 pm, at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) for a public p...
02/07/2026

Join us on Friday, February 27, from 2:00–3:00 pm, at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) for a public presentation of an interactive touch-screen program curated and designed by Frank Dosela (San Carlos Apache) and Ezra Dosela (San Carlos Apache), who are current cinematic arts students at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). Through the support of the IAIA Research Center for Contemporary Native Arts’ (RCCNA) internship program and MoCNA’s Education Department, the digital curation project highlights artists from “The Stories We Carry,” the museum’s current exhibition that explores how objects and jewelry hold meaning, tell stories, or enable people to carry their histories and identities. Light snacks will be provided, and the event is free and open to the public.

For more information, please contact Museum Educator and Program Coordinator, Nuttaphol Sinthavatorn, at [email protected] or (505) 428-5928.

Image: Screen image of an interactive touch-screen program curated and designed by Frank Dosela and Ezra Dosela.

Address

108 Cathedral Place
Santa Fe, NM
87501

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

(505) 988-6211

Website

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