Throughout the opening week artists and tribal leaders activated the U.S. Pavilion, Giardini della Biennale, and the City of Venice.
PRE-OPENING
- 9–10:15am
Jingle Dance Program: Procession
Piazza San Marco to U.S. Pavilion, Giardini della Biennale - 11:15–11:45am
Press Conference / Inauguration and Jingle Dance Program
U.S. Pavilion, Giardini della Biennale
featuring 26 dancers and singers from the Oklahoma Fancy Dancers and Colorado Inter-Tribal Dancers
PRE-OPENING
- 10:15–10:30am
Jingle Dance Program
featuring dancers and singers from the Oklahoma Fancy Dancers and Colorado Inter-Tribal Dancers. - 1:30–2pm
Indigenous Artist Activations
featuring Anthony Hudson / Carla Rossi (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Siletz), Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache), Layli Long Soldier (Oglala Lakota) - 4–4:15pm
Jingle Dance Program
featuring dancers and singers from the Oklahoma Fancy Dancers and Colorado Inter-Tribal Dancers.
PUBLIC OPENING
- 2:30–3pm
Jingle Dance Program
U.S. Pavilion, Giardini della Biennale
featuring 26 dancers and singers from the Oklahoma Fancy Dancers and Colorado Inter-Tribal Dancers
VENICE INDIGENOUS ARTS SCHOOL
- 10am–12:30pm
Lecture: Keywords in Indigenous Arts: Theoretical Framings
Presenters: Andrea Carlson, Raven Chacon, Tanya Lukin Linklater, Dakota Mace, Isabella Robbins, Sara Siestreem, Kanako Uzawa
Location: Teatro Ca' Foscari, Calle Larga S. Marta, 2137, 30121 Venezia VE, ItalyAs part of the Venice Indigenous Arts School, this public program focused on the theoretical underpinnings of developing keywords in Indigenous arts. Often, these terms have no equivalence in Western arts terminology and, therefore, constitute a new means of contextualizing Indigenous arts, one that is centered on Indigenous ways of knowing. More information here.
VENICE INDIGENOUS ARTS SCHOOL
- 11:30am–12:30pm
Performance: The Space in Which We Story
Artists: Avis Charley, Shannon Hooper, Ursala Hudson, Kimberly Fulton Orozco, Cole Taylor, Kathleen Wall
Location: Forecourt, U.S. Pavilion, Giardini alla BiennaleThis outdoor performance by MFA Class of 2025 artists Avis Charley, Shannon Hooper, Ursala Hudson, Kathleen Wall, Kimberly Fulton Orozco, and Cole Taylor explored the pedagogical practices that often occur around the kitchen table in Native households, activating the Jeffrey Gibson sculpture, the space in which to place me, in the U.S. Pavilion forecourt. More information here.
VENICE INDIGENOUS ARTS SCHOOL
- 10am–12:30pm
Lecture: Keywords in Indigenous Arts: Practice
Presenters: Heidi Brandow, Jordan Poorman Cocker, Yolanda Cruz, Anna Hoover, Miranda Belarde Lewis, Dylan McLaughlin, Jackson Polys, Yvonne Tiger
Location: Ca' Dolfin, Calle de la Saoneria, 3825/D, 30123 Venezia VE, ItalyThis public program continued the discussion of contemporary Indigenous arts terminology and focused on the application of this new lexicon within various arts discourses, such as art history, theory, and criticism from the perspective of artist practitioners. More information here.
if I read you
what I wrote bear
in mind I wrote it
*A Convening to consider Jeffrey Gibson: the space in which to place me
The Center for Indigenous Studies at Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, New York) organized a convening in Venice on the relationship of Indigenous North American art and cultures to global histories. Diverse speakers, including practitioners, academics, artists, and theorists, addressed the interdisciplinary, transnational nature of Jeffrey Gibson's work in the U.S. Pavilion. More information here.
*© Layli Long Soldier, Whereas (2017), courtesy of Graywolf Press
- Oct 24
Welcome and Remarks
Opening Panel (Afternoon)
Performance: Divide & Dissolve - Oct 25
Session 1 (Morning)
Session 2 (Afternoon)
Reading: Layli Long Soldier - Oct 26
Session 3 (Morning)
Performance: White People Killed Them
Closing Celebration (Evening)