Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) 2019 Graduation Ceremony
Published May 21, 2019
65 Degrees and Certificates Conferred on May 18, 2019
SANTA FE, N.M. — The Institute of American Indian Arts held their 2019 commencement ceremony at 11:00 am on Saturday, May 18, 2019.
IAIA President Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee) conferred 65 degrees on the graduating students, including student speaker Lorenza Elena Chavez Marcais (Xicanx/Mescalero Apache/European descent) for the undergraduates; and Blue Tarpalechee (Mvskoke [Creek]) for the MFA students. Commencement speaker Roxanne Swentzell (Santa Clara Pueblo), who, while still in high school, attended the Institute of American Indian Arts, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree, in addition to delivering the commencement address.
Swentzell spoke of her family — daughter Rose Bean Simpson, who followed in the family practice of making art — she received an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and also earned an MFA in Creative Writing from IAIA — and her son Dr. Porter Swentzell, the Chair of the Indigenous Liberal Studies Department at IAIA and a newly-appointed regent for Northern New Mexico College.
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