School for Advanced Research

5 Questions with Mary Madigan | Director of Public Programs

What makes a public program more than just an event?

As SAR's Director of Public Programs, Mary Madigan has spent years bringing together scholars, artists, and curious minds through conversations that connect history, culture, and contemporary life. We asked her to reflect on what makes SAR unique, what continues to inspire her, and why curiosity is at the heart of everything we do.

One moment that has stayed with her was a lecture by anthropologist Angela Garcia addressing addiction and family care cultures in Mexico City and New Mexico's Española area. Members of the local community, including people in recovery, social workers, and caregivers, felt comfortable sharing their own experiences during the discussion.

"It was a deeply meaningful gathering," Mary says.

She believes that's what makes SAR different. Programs don't simply present ideas. They place them in historical and cultural context, invite multiple perspectives, and create space for genuine conversation. Whether you're attending an archaeology lecture, listening to a Diné jazz performance, touring the Indian Arts Research Center collections, or joining a workshop at SAR's Humanities Festival, every experience is designed to spark curiosity and connection.

For first-time visitors, Mary's hope is simple:

"I hope that their mind is engaged, their curiosity piqued, and that they feel they've found their new community."

SWIPE to read Mary's full reflections.

EMERGING VOICES | Lehuauakea

Congratulations to former SAR Native Artist Fellow Lehuauakea on the recent presentation of KILIWEHI with the Walker Youngbird Foundation at Sundaram Tagore Gallery in New York.

During their 2021 fellowship at the Indian Arts Research Center, Lehuauakea explored the cultural practice of kapa, the traditional Hawaiian art of making cloth from wauke (paper mulberry). Their work reflects a deep commitment to Indigenous knowledge, ancestral relationships, and the ways cultural practices continue to evolve through contemporary art.

As Lehuauakea has shared, kapa making is more than an artistic process. It is "a way of being," connecting material, land, genealogy, and community through each stage of creation.

Congratulations, Lehuauakea!

Learn more about Lehuauakea's work as a former SAR Native Artist Fellow and read about their artistic practice:

https://pulse.ly/m1txx77caq
https://pulse.ly/nqse9f6hgb

RECAP | Summer Course: Indigenous Archaeology and Protecting Sacred Places in the Southwest

Earlier this summer, participants gathered at SAR for four days of learning with course leader Davina Two Bears (Diné), exploring how Indigenous archaeology is reshaping our understanding of the Southwest.

The course examined community-accountable archaeological projects, including work documenting the Leupp Isolation Center and the Stewart Indian School, while highlighting collaborative efforts by Tribal Nations to protect places such as Bears Ears National Monument, Oak Flat, and Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

Through discussion, shared learning, and an off-site field experience, participants explored how archaeology can serve Indigenous communities by centering collaboration, cultural knowledge, and stewardship alongside research.

Thank you to Davina Two Bears for leading an engaging and thought-provoking course, and to everyone who joined us for a week of learning and conversation.

AUGUST AHEAD | Summer at SAR

August is filled with opportunities to explore big ideas, experience live music, and celebrate Indigenous arts. Here's what's coming up at SAR and around town this month:

August 4
Dog Days of Summer: The Dude Abides: Coyote's Adventures Continue
6:00 pm–8:00 pm | SAR Campus
Currently At Capacity: Email [email protected] to be added to a waitlist.

Join environmental historian Dan Flores for an engaging look at one of North America's most adaptable and fascinating animals.

August 14–16
Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival

Celebrate Indigenous creativity, culture, and community during this annual festival in Santa Fe.

August 15–16
SWAIA - Santa Fe Indian Market

Experience one of the world's premier showcases of Indigenous art, featuring hundreds of Native artists from across North America, including many of SAR's former Native Artist fellows.

August 15–16
Free Indian Market

Discover exceptional artwork from Native artists in a vibrant community-centered market held during Indian Market weekend and connect with SAR's former Native Artist fellows participating this year.

August 20
Music at Dusk: Round Mountain
6:00 pm–8:15 pm | SAR Campus

Close out the month with an evening of original world folk music featuring influences and instruments from musical traditions around the globe.

Whether you're joining us on campus or exploring all that Santa Fe has to offer during the Indigenous Arts Festival and Indian Market weekend, we hope to see you this August.

Explore the full events calendar and register: https://pulse.ly/o8zcivwzae

What does it mean to care for collections in ways that honor Indigenous knowledge, values, and relationships?

For the past several years, the Indigenous Collections Care Working Group, in partnership with SAR's Indian Arts Research Center, has been working with Indigenous community members, museum professionals, and cultural stewards from across North America to develop the Indigenous Collections Care Guide.

Designed as a bridge between Indigenous perspectives and traditional museum practices, the Indigenous Collections Care (ICC) Guide will provide a framework for culturally appropriate collections stewardship while recentering the needs, knowledge, and priorities of Indigenous communities.

This collaborative project asks an important question: How can museums and collecting institutions care for cultural belongings in ways that are respectful, relational, and community-informed?

The ICC Guide is expected to launch on September 1, and we look forward to sharing more soon.

Learn more about the Indigenous Collections Care Guide and Speaker Series: https://pulse.ly/nwaw58qntv

Community Highlight | SWAIA - Santa Fe Indian Market

Every August, thousands of artists, collectors, scholars, and visitors gather in Santa Fe for one of the world's most celebrated showcases of Indigenous art.

The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) Indian Market brings together Native artists from across North America, creating opportunities to experience contemporary and traditional Indigenous art, meet artists, and support Native creativity and entrepreneurship.

Throughout history, Native artists have shaped the cultural landscape of the Southwest through innovation, storytelling, technical mastery, and community connection. Events like the Indian Market celebrate the vitality and diversity of Indigenous artistic traditions while creating space for new voices and future generations.

At SAR, we are proud to support Native artists through our Native Artist Fellowship Program and look forward to celebrating the many artists, former fellows, and community members who will be participating in this year's market.

Explore this year's event: https://pulse.ly/9yxobswvna

Why do collections matter?

At the Indian Arts Research Center, collections are more than objects preserved in storage. They are sources of inspiration, memory, cultural knowledge, and creative possibility.

In a recent collaboration with Table Magazine, former SAR Native Artist Fellows selected works from the collection that resonated with them personally and professionally. Their reflections reveal how artists continue to engage with ancestral knowledge while creating new work for future generations.

The project highlights something central to IARC's mission: collections are most meaningful when they remain connected to the communities, artists, and stories that give them life.

Read the full feature: https://pulse.ly/doaivq8jty

Photos by Tira Howard

For full details on each piece, please read the full TABLE Magazine article.

Author and Ho-Chunk Nation citizen Amy Lonetree recently presented a Summer Scholar Talk at SAR exploring the power of photographs as records of Indigenous resilience, memory, and survivance.

Drawing from her current book project, Survivance Stories and the Visual Archive: Writing a Photographic History of the Ho-Chunk Nation, 1879–1960, Lonetree examined how photographs can reveal stories that extend far beyond what appears in the frame. Through images created across generations, she explored the ways Ho-Chunk people maintained cultural knowledge, family connections, and community strength despite ongoing pressures of displacement, assimilation, and colonialism.

Lonetree invited audiences to consider visual archives not simply as historical records, but as living sources of Indigenous knowledge, memory, and presence. Her work highlights how photographs can help tell stories of continuity, resistance, and self-determination while centering Indigenous perspectives and lived experiences.

Thank you to Amy Lonetree for sharing this important work, and to everyone who joined us for a thoughtful conversation about history, storytelling, and the enduring power of visual archives.

Explore upcoming talks and events: https://pulse.ly/suhlkxnqb1

What is this object for?

These tools may look like oversized brushes, but they're actually hand carders, an essential tool used to prepare raw fibers like wool or cotton before spinning.

Hand carders help separate, clean, and align fibers, making them easier to spin into yarn. This process transforms freshly sheared wool into a material ready for weaving, knitting, and other fiber arts traditions.

The hand carders featured here are part of IARC's education collection, which helps visitors and learners explore the materials, techniques, and knowledge behind Native artistic practices.

Fiber preparation is a skilled process that begins long before a finished textile takes shape. From caring for sheep to carding, spinning, dyeing, and weaving, every step carries generations of knowledge and practice.

Want to see the process in action? Watch Diné weaver Kevin Aspaas discuss raising sheep, processing wool, and creating his own textiles from start to finish.

Watch Kevin Aspaas's artist talk here: https://pulse.ly/wndabhbser