Indigenous Rematriation: In conversation with Tyra Huyana Blackwater and Kim Smith
Saturday, November 18, 2023 | 3pm doors / 3:30pm event
Location: Slash (1150 25th St, Building B, San Francisco)
This is a free in-person event | Register here to reserve a spot

On the occasion of Remnants, a collaborative project by multidisciplinary Diné artist Tyra Huyana Blackwater and Indigenous grassroots organizers Nihi K’é Baa’ (For Our Relatives) currently on view in /room/, we invite you to an in-person conversation between Tyra Huyana Blackwater and Nihi K’é Baa’ founder and environmental justice activist Kim Smith at Slash. They will discuss their effort to restore a historical landfill in Ch’íhootsooí (St. Micheals, Arizona), the process of documenting its lasting presence, and how this project relates to broader themes in their work as artists and community organizers.

This event is co-presented by Stanford University’s Institute for Diversity in the Arts (IDA).

*For inquiries about accessibility or to request an accommodation, please email ana@slashart.org by November 6, 2023.

Tyra Huyana Blackwater is a multidisciplinary Diné artist from the Navajo Reservation. She received a B.A. in Art Practice from Stanford University in 2023 with Honors in Interdisciplinary Arts. Her honors thesis, nizhónígo nihaa ’ádahałyą́ – they are taking good care of us, was awarded the Robert M. Golden Medal for Excellence in the Humanities and Creative Arts. She has exhibited in the Stanford Art Gallery, Coulter Gallery, and the Mohr Gallery. She comes from the Red Bottom Cheeks and Between his Sleeves clans, and is taught by her relatives and matriarchs. Her artwork exists at the intersection of traditional and contemporary art and is deeply inspired by her relations and the beauty of her homelands. For Blackwater, artistic creation is a broader community project as opposed to an individual act, challenging limiting perspectives to expand artistic agency.

Nihi K’é Baa’ (For Our Relatives) is a diverse collective composed of Indigenous individuals, undocumented migrant relatives, womxn, femmes, LGBTQ2Spirit relatives, volunteers, community organizers, frontline workers, and land defenders/water protectors. Together, they are united in their mission to provide essential support to those who are most vulnerable in various ways. In light of the damage inflicted upon our land by the fossil fuel industry and years of extreme resource extraction, Nihi K’é Baa’ is committed to focusing on long-term solutions and support for their communities. Their collective seeks to heal the land and promote self-sustainability through the implementation of projects that prioritize the well-being of the people. Their vision encompasses the principles of seed and food justice/sovereignty, aiming to create a future where communities have control over their own food systems and access to nutritious sustenance.