K-12 Education Resources | Jeffrey Gibson: the space in which to place me

the space in which to place me

Jeffrey Gibson is the first Indigenous artist to represent the United States with a solo exhibition in the 129-year history of the Venice Biennale. He aims to use this unique opportunity to connect with youth and to make a difference in how Native art and cultures are taught. With these goals in mind, the Learning Departments at the Portland Art Museum (PAM) and SITE Santa Fe selected a cohort of ten educators, five from New Mexico and five from Oregon, all with expertise and experience in teaching Native arts and cultures.

The K–12 Educator Cohort seeks to make Gibson’s exhibition—the space in which to place me—accessible to students and educators everywhere. Contemporary Native art offers one of our most powerful tools for countering stereotypes and asserting the ongoing presence and vitality of Native peoples and cultures. We propose to transform how Native art is understood across the United States and used as an interdisciplinary teaching tool in the classroom.

Cohort members collaborated closely with artist Jeffrey Gibson, curators Kathleen Ash-Milby and Abigail Winograd, and an educational partner, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. The essays and lessons that they have developed will be published here and on Native Knowledge 360°, creating a lasting impact for this historic exhibition.

Calendar of Events

Mar 5–7, 2026
National Art Education Association 2026 — National Convention, Chicago, IL
Programming includes four panel presentations by the Venice Educator Cohort Team and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Indian, a Jeffrey Gibson Keynote Address and artist workshop.
Registration Information
Mar 14–15, 2026
Launch of the Venice Educator Cohort and NK360 Curriculum — Portland Art Museum, Oregon
Educator Professional Development Workshop with a presentation by Jeffrey Gibson
Registration Information (coming soon)

K–12 Activities (publication expected November 2025)

Below you will find a growing list of Activities to explore within your classrooms.

Classroom Resources

Please find a sampling of video and social assets below that can be used to spark conversation and further engagement.

Video Assets

Exhibition Overview
Activators and Tribal Leaders: April 18–20, 2024
Jingle Dance Program, Full: Apr 18, 2024
Jingle Dance Program, Edited: Apr 18, 2024

The complete Exhibition Checklist is viewable online and available as a useful tool to download.

Download checklist — *Jeffrey Gibson: the space in which to place me*

NK360° Artist Spotlight Series

In Spring 2026, we will offer direct access to the NK360° Artist Spotlight Series. A few sample highlights are offered below:

K-12 Educator Cohort Members

Julia Blue Arm is an educator, artist, and community organizer, originally from South Dakota and now based in Eugene, Oregon. She is Mnicoujou Lakota of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. She teaches drawing, painting, and ceramics at North Eugene High School. Her own art practice is primarily in ceramic and fiber art, but she also enjoys painting, glass fusing, and jewelry making. She earned a BFA in Art Education at Colorado State University.
Paula Portinga Booth is a curator and teacher living and working in Oregon’s beautiful mid-Willamette Valley. With a BA in art history from Willamette University and an MFA in studio practices from Vermont College, Paula teaches art education courses and oversees the exhibitions program at Western Oregon University. Paula’s professional interests are student-centered and include visual arts pedagogy, curriculum and exhibitions integration, telling the stories of traditionally underrepresented artists, and creating professional pathways for students.
Mvhayv (Muh-hi-yuh), whose given name is Talon Micco Claybrook, is ‘ste-cate, Eco-vlke (Deer Clan) Mvskoke-Seminole and was born and raised in Oklahoma. Mvhayv earned a BA in art and Native American Studies at the University of Oklahoma and an MFA in art and Ethnic Studies at the University of Oregon. As an educator, they have worked to make art, science, and Indigeneity accessible to students, as well as to create welcoming spaces for Native peoples. Their journey has led to the Santa Fe Public School District where they have found a community working for Native American Student Services. Their goal in life is simple: be a good thing in other people’s lives.
Topaz Jones McCoy is a multidisciplinary artist working in painting, sculpture, printmaking, basketry, beadwork, and textiles. Jones McCoy was born in Portland, Oregon and currently lives in La Mesilla, New Mexico. She is Western Shoshone from the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley, and Kalapuya and Molalla from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and Lummi Nation from Washington. Jones McCoy earned a BFA and a certificate in Museum Studies from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). Jones McCoy has received awards and residencies in both sculpture and painting. She has been part of the Native American Student Services and the Identity Project family since 2022, and is currently the art teacher at Kearny Elementary in Santa Fe.
Leanna McClure (Oglala Lakota and Mescalero Apache) is an accomplished leader in nonprofit programming and curricula design. Leanna is a doctoral candidate of Educational Leadership and Organizational Transformation through Northeastern University. She holds an undergraduate degree in Ethnic Studies and two Master degrees from Willamette University, in addition to a Diagnostician Certification through the University of New Mexico. She is Founder and CEO of Kiksuyapi Consulting. Since 2008, McClure has worked with Indigenous youth. She is passionate about culturally-grounded, equitable access to learning for all. Leanna lives in Pecos, New Mexico.
Renea Menchaca (Pascua Yaqui/White Mountain Apache) identifies as “Generational Two Spirit.” They are the first in their family to complete higher education with a degree in Sociology and Indigenous Nations Studies. As an advocate and member of the Two Spirit community, Renea actively promotes Two Spirit culture and heritage through their artwork, and serves on the Oregon Two Spirit Society’s board of directors. With over 16 years of experience teaching traditional and contemporary indigenous art, Renea’s approach highlights and uplifts the diversity of gender fluidity and queer identities among Indigenous communities. They currently work as the Cultural Arts Advocate and Instructor at NAYA’s Family Center’s Many Nations Academy.
Margarita Paz-Pedro has deep ties across New Mexico, currently located in Albuquerque. Her multi-ethnic background (Mexican-American, Laguna Pueblo & Santa Clara Pueblo) is core to her artmaking. She is a multi-disciplinary artist, educator, organizer, and muralist. She received her BFA with an emphasis in Ceramics in 2003 from the University of Colorado-Boulder, an MA in Art Education in 2008 at the University of New Mexico and an MFA in Studio Arts-Integrated Practice from the Institute of American Indian Arts in 2023. In 2015, she helped start a non-profit called ALMA (Apprenticeships for Leaders in the Mosaic Arts) and is the Operations Director/ALMA Artist. She was also a high school art teacher for 14 years and is now teaching ceramics at the post-secondary level.
Carol Schrader is a National Board Certified Art Teacher and an ART21 Educator, and has taught for the last five years at El Camino Real Academy in Santa Fe, a bilingual K-8 public school. She previously taught for 15 years at Santa Fe Community College, and has also managed a social justice circus and worked in the US Senate. She holds an AFA in Studio Arts and an MA in Multicultural Education, UNM, and a BA in Government, Harvard University, and is completing an MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is a member of the Abstract Picnic Arts Collective in Santa Fe. Her mediums include painting, sculpture, and fiber arts, often in mixed media installations.
Ben Taylor has been a social studies teacher at Many Nations Academy at the Native American Youth and Family Center in Portland, Oregon since 2015. In addition to history, economics, and government classes, he has taught electives in cooking and music production. In his classes, Ben focuses on incorporating art, primary sources, and project-based learning. He graduated from Colorado College with a degree in History and African Studies and the University of San Francisco with a Master’s in Teaching.
Ian Twiss is a member of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate of Rosebud South Dakota on his father’s side and is Welsh and Norwegian on his mother’s side. Ian is a Vice Principal at McDaniel High School in Portland, Oregon. He was previously a social studies teacher at McDaniel and started the first Indigenous Studies course in Portland Public Schools. Ian is also a board member for HOLLA School, a charter school in Portland whose mission is to shift the narrative for Black, Brown, and Indigenous students.

Activities and Engagement

Project Support

The Venice Biennale Educator Cohort project was supported by two educational partners: the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. An extensive, collaborative team of art, education, and museum professionals, with the support of philanthropic partners, made the Venice Biennale Educator Cohort possible.