Dr. Jennifer Denetdale (Diné) Receives $95,000 Grant for Navajo Nation Museum Exhibition Project
February 26, 2024
Dr. Jenifer Denetdale (Diné), in partnership with the Navajo Nation Museum, is proud to announce that she has been awarded a $95,000 grant through the Henry Luce Foundation’s Indigenous Knowledge Initiative, sponsored by the First Nations Development Institute, to support an upcoming exhibition at the Navajo Nation Museum.
The exhibition will explore U.S. Indian Commissioner John Collier’s livestock reduction programs that radically transformed Diné life, as expressed through the photography of Milton Snow. Exploring themes of community and kinship, nation and democracy, gender and patriarchy, and refusal and resistance, this exhibition will feature 60+ photographs alongside interpretative text supported by the Diné community. With the goal of providing a physical space for the Navajo Nation’s leaders and citizens to reflect upon a critical era in history, this project allows for greater accessibility and community input in museum spaces.
Following a successful $45,000 planning grant, the project team will implement the exhibition. Funding from the Luce Foundation will fully support the project team, as well as facilitate community-based research, videography and audio-visual production, collaboration with contemporary artists, and exhibition design. In addition to Denetdale, project team members include co-curator Clarenda Begay (Diné), project manager Lillia McEnaney, consultants Klara Kelley, Kenji Kawano, Ruth Kawano (Diné), and Andrew Curley (Diné), and videographer Ramona Emerson (Diné). Katie Yellowhair (Diné) is a University of New Mexico undergraduate student and will be the project’s intern, learning about museum work and Indigenous-based projects. This project was initially brought to the former Navajo Nation Museum Director Manuelito Wheeler (Diné), who embraced and supported the exhibition from its inception. Luce funding will also contribute to the production of a companion catalog. Funding for exhibition fabrication, preparation, and administrative support is generously provided by the Navajo Nation Museum.
This collaborative project builds on original research that Denetdale has been conducting for years. Recently, Denetdale shared her expertise in a temporary exhibition at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico. Co-curated by Denetdale and McEnaney, Nothing Left for Me: Federal Policy and the Photography of Milton Snow opens May 4, 2024.
Dr. Jennifer Denetdale is a professor and chair of American Studies at the University of New Mexico. She is also the chair of the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission. A historian, she is known for her Diné histories and scholarship in Indigenous feminisms.
The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to deepen knowledge and understanding in pursuit of a more democratic and just world. Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc., the Luce Foundation advances its mission by nurturing knowledge communities and institutions, fostering dialogue across divides, enriching public discourse, amplifying diverse voices, and investing in leadership development.
