The Greene Space at WNYC and WQXR Presents “FIRST PEOPLES WEEK”
Online Festival Celebrating North American Indigenous Life and History
Monday, October 5 – Saturday, October 10
Highlights include panel discussions about Native Americans and the 2020 election and New York City’s Native American culture and history;
a live stream of the Lenape Blessing ceremony of the New Tammany Hall;
and “AS WIDE AS THE SKY,” virtual art exhibition featuring works by contemporary Indigenous artists and designers, curated by artist and educator MARIA HUPFIELD
Guests includes “This Land” podcast host REBECCA NAGLE; The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s First-Ever Native American Curator PATRICIA MARROQUIN NORBY;
Poet NATALIE DIAZ; and Co-Executive Directors of the Lenape Center
JOE BAKER and HADRIEN COUMANS
All events and exhibitions will be available at www.TheGreeneSpace.org
(NEW YORK, NY — September 22, 2020) — In advance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC and WQXR presents “First Peoples Week,” a festival of digital events, conversations, and performances celebrating Native American life and history.
“First Peoples Week,” which runs Monday, October 5 through Saturday, October 10, will shine a spotlight on Native American culture and communities across New York City, and provide a platform for Indigenous thought leaders, changemakers, and creatives to lead conversations about reclaiming the past, the politics of the present, and their visions for the future.
Festival highlights include:
- A roundtable with tribal leaders and experts, moderated by This Land podcast host Rebecca Nagle (Cherokee), about priorities for Native Americans in the 2020 election and the impact of COVID-19 in their communities;
- A conversation about Indigenous storytelling with participants including Patricia Morroquin Norby, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s first ever full-time Native American curator and director, playwright, and TED Fellow Madeline Sayet (Mohegan);
- A special live stream of the blessing of the newly revamped Tammany Hall in Union Square, presented in collaboration with The Lenape Center;
- And performances by poet Natalie Diaz (Mojave) and folk musician Samantha Crain (Choctaw).
As part of First Peoples Week, The Greene Space will also host an online exhibition of works by contemporary Indigenous artists, entitled “As Wide as the Sky,” featuring dynamic photo essays, captivating oral histories, moving poetry, and writing, curated by artist and educator Maria Hupfield (Anishinaabe). Featured exhibition artists include EMME fashion designer Korina Emmerich (Pullayup); sculptor, multimedia artist, and author of the “Wendy” comic series Walter Scott (Kahnawake Mohawk); photographer Kali Spitzer (Kaska Dena/Jewish); and activist and former Artist-in-Residence at the American Museum of Natural History Charlene Teters (Spokane).
“New York City is home to more Native people than any other U.S. city, but Native histories, concerns, and cultural impacts go largely unacknowledged here,” said Jennifer Keeney Sendrow, Executive Producer, The Greene Space. “‘First Peoples Week’ is a multimedia platform for Native artists, thinkers, and activists to lead conversations and share work that reckons with the past and envisions a different future. This festival embodies the mission of The Greene Space to produce live art and journalism by and for all New Yorkers working to create a stronger, more beautiful and equitable world.”
“‘As Wide as the Sky’ showcases makers and thinkers working with Indigenous storywork to educate the heart, mind, body and spirit,” said exhibition curator Maria Hupfield. “Viewed holistically, these works — located within culturally specific contexts, lived experiences, communities, and land — point to expanded definitions free of colonial boundaries. Narratives are introduced through text, image, and sound. As future ancestors, the works of these artists speak to the strength of human survival in these unprecedented times.”
The “First Peoples Week” event schedule is as follows:
Monday, October 5
“As Wide as the Sky”: An Online Indigenous Art Exhibition
Live online at 10AM ET
Curated by Maria Hupfield, this online exhibition showcases visual art and mixed-media by contemporary Indigenous artists and designers. “As Wide as the Sky”goes live online at FirstPeoplesWeek.org at 10am, and runs through October 10, 2021.
Manhattan Is Lenape
Panel at 7PM ET
Presented in collaboration with The Lenape Center
Host Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum is joined by co-directors Brent Michael Davids and Curtis Zunigha, joining live from Wisconsin and Oklahoma at their respective Lenape nations, who bring home the understanding of diaspora and forced migrations from present-day New York City. Executive Directorof The Lenape Center Joe Baker speaks to real time work and movements happening in regard to these locations. Lead architect of the newly revamped Tammany Hall space (which pays homage to the Turtle Clan of the Lenape Tribe) Todd Poisson joins to discuss the reopening. The Lenape Center co-director Hadrien Coumans also joins.
Tuesday, October 6
The Great Law of Peace and Treaties of the Northeast
Panel at 7PM ET
Presented in collaboration with the American Indian Community House
Iakowi:he’ne’ Oakes, Executive Director of the American Indian Community House,speaks with Mohawk leader Kanasaraken Loran Thompson to uncover how a great set of laws and treaties maintained harmony from present-day Pennsylvania to Connecticut. These laws and treaties also provided an important blueprint for American democracy.
Wednesday, October 7
History in the Making: Reflections on Contemporary Issues Facing Native Americans
Panel at 7PM ET
Journalist and This Land podcast host Rebecca Nagle covers recent issues affecting the Indigenous community, from the Supreme Court victory in McGirt v. Oklahoma to the Washington football team changing their team name. Native populations have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, and Native leaders have joined the call to address anti-Black racism in policing, policy, and even within their own communities. Nagle will be joined by a panel of Native leaders working at the forefront of these and other issues.
Thursday, October 8
Telling Our Own Story
Panel at 7PM ET
Director, TED Fellow and White House Champion of Change Madeline Sayet, moderates a discussion with Patricia Marroquin Norby, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s first-ever full-time Native American curator, actor Tanis Parenteau (Showtime’s Billions), and artist Ty Defoe. The panel will discuss Indigenous storytelling and the importance of Native narratives in creating a more inclusive and honest understanding of our country and history.
Friday, October 9
Blessing the New Tammany Hall
Event at 11AM ET
Presented in collaboration with The Lenape Center
The Greene Space will livestream the blessing of the newly revamped Tammany Hall from New York City’s Union Square, led by the Lenape Center’s co-Executive Directors Joe Baker and Hadrien Coumans. This historically Lenape ground has served as an iconic Indigenous space in the New York City region for centuries.
Postcolonial Love Poem: A Reading and Conversation with Natalie Diaz
Event at 7 PM ET
Celebrated poet Natalie Diaz reads live from her recent work, Postcolonial Love Poem, hailed by the New York Times as “one of the most important poetry releases in years,” followed by a conversation with poet Saretta Morgan and an audience Q&A.
Saturday, October 10
Samantha Crain
Event at 8 PM ET
Folk musician Samantha Crain — a “promising young storyteller” (New York Times) celebrated for her “hefty, considered lyricism and sparse, soulful instrumentation” (Billboard) — will close the festival with an intimate solo performance.
The “First Peoples Week” festival and exhibition will remain online through to October 2021.
The title treatment for “First Peoples Week” was designed by Ryan RedCorn of Buffalo Nickel Creative.
Funding for The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space and its cultural programming is provided in part by leadership support from the Jerome L. Greene Foundation; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; the Howard Gilman Foundation; and the MetLife Foundation.
ABOUT THE JEROME L. GREENE PERFORMANCE SPACE
The Greene Space is the street-level broadcast studio and performance venue of WNYC and WQXR, channeling the collective genius in New York City to create forward-looking live art, theater, and journalism that sparks change. It brings audiences to the intersection of art and politics by leading courageous conversations and curating performances of intense beauty that are deeply rooted locally but relevant to audiences globally. For more information, visit thegreenespace.org.
ABOUT THE JEROME L. GREENE FOUNDATION
The Jerome L. Greene Foundation supports select programs that make a significant impact on the lives of all New Yorkers in the areas of the arts, education, medicine and social justice. Its 40-year history is grounded in the vision of its founder, Jerry Greene, to give back to the city he loved. Today the Foundation honors his commitment by continuing to fund quality institutions and programs, and by identifying new ways to increase access to the arts and education, create opportunity for ground-breaking medical research, and help ensure social justice for all.