Let's Talk! Kinship & Process

Join Boston Public Art Triennial artist Nicholas Galanin and curator Tess Lukey ‘16 in conversation with Lisa Tung, MAAM Executive and Artistic Director. Offered in connection with MAAM’s current exhibition,&nbsp;Nicholas Galanin: Aáni yéi xat duwasáakw (I am called Land),&nbsp;this conversation invites us to consider Indigenous perspectives on kinship and artistic process; audience Q&amp;A to follow. After the talk, head to MAAM to explore current exhibitions on view.&nbsp; &nbsp; In-Person &amp; Virtual&nbsp; This event will be offered in-person as well as virtually via the Zoom webinar format. Select your attendance type when registering via Eventbrite.&nbsp; Meet the Speakers&nbsp; Examining the complexities of contemporary Indigenous identity, culture, and representation,&nbsp;Nicholas Galanin&nbsp;works from his experience as a Lingít and Unangax̂ artist. Embedding incisive observation and reflection into his oftentimes provocative work, he aims to redress the widespread misappropriation of Indigenous visual culture, the impact of colonialism, as well as collective amnesia. Galanin reclaims narrative and creative agency, while demonstrating contemporary Indigenous art as a continually evolving practice. Speaking through multiple visual, sonic, and tactile languages, his concepts determine his processes, which include sculpture, installation, photography, video, performance, and textile-based work. This contemporary practice builds upon an Indigenous artistic continuum while celebrating the culture and its people; Galanin contributes urgent criticality and vision through resonant and multifaceted works. Nicholas Galanin (b. 1979, Sheet’ka (Sitka), Alaska) lives and works with his partner Merritt Johnson and their children in Sheet’ka (Sitka), Alaska. He earned a BFA at London Guildhall University (2003), an MFA at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand (2007). Solo institutional exhibitions include Baltimore Museum of Art (2024-25); SITE Santa Fe (2023); and New York Public Art Fund (2023). Galanin will participate in Public Art Abu Dhabi (2024-25) and the Boston Triennial (2025), he is currently participating in the Toronto Biennial (2024). Public collections include Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Whitney Museum of AmericaN Art, New York, NY; and Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA. Tess Lukey&nbsp;is an enrolled citizen of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah and serves as the Associate Curator of Native American Art at the Trustees of Reservations, where she is based at both Fruitlands Museum and deCordova Sculpture Park &amp; Museum. Her curatorial practice centers on the intersection of historic and contemporary Native American art, with a specialization in pre-20th-century materials. Lukey’s expertise also spans NAGPRA, Mayan art history, and folk art. She holds an MA in Art History with a minor in Museum Studies from the University of New Mexico and a dual BFA in Ceramics and Art History from MassArt. &nbsp; Lukey has contributed to exhibitions at institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston—including Collecting Stories: The Invention of Folk Art and A Little Bit of the Southwest—and curated recent shows at Fruitlands titled Across Boundaries Across Barriers, Place of Intersection: Survivance in the American West, and A Surreal Place: Sky Hopinka and Cannupa Hanksa Luger, which prioritize Indigenous-led interpretation. Her work is shaping new strategies for museums seeking to engage Native collections through community-driven frameworks. &nbsp; In addition to her museum work, Lukey is an independent curator for the Boston Public Art Triennial (May 2025), a city-wide exhibition of over 15 public art commissions accompanied by hundreds of community-based programs. &nbsp; She is also a traditional artist, continuing the ceramic and basketry techniques of her Wampanoag heritage, reflecting her commitment to cultural continuity through both institutional and creative practice. &nbsp; Event Location This event will occur in Tower Auditorium at Massachusetts College of Art and Design - 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.&nbsp; &nbsp; Ticketing Notice This event is free with advance registration. MAAM may accommodate unregistered walk-up guests on the evening of this event only as capacity allows; walk-up tickets on the evening of the event are not guaranteed. Evening events often sell out; plan ahead and register in advance.&nbsp; &nbsp; Documentation Notice&nbsp;&nbsp; Photos and/or videos will be taken at this event. By attending this event, you acknowledge and agree that your likeness may be included in photos and videos of the event and that those photos and videos may be used by MassArt in connection with MassArt and MassArt Art Museum communications. If you do not agree with this usage, please notify a staff member upon arrival to receive a no-photo sticker.&nbsp; &nbsp; Access MassArt Art Museum is committed to creating a welcoming, accessible, and inclusive environment during in-person and virtual programs and events. To request an access or disability-related accommodation, please contact MassArt Art Museum at maam@massart.edu at least two weeks before the date of the event.&nbsp; &nbsp; FREE Advance Registration Required

MassArt's Tower Auditorium

MassArt Art Museum 

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S19: interest based

Kid-friendly events in Boston

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.

Boston Bars and Restaurants: Events and Openings

Food & drink experiences in Boston

Food & drink experiences 

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Let's Talk! Kinship & Process

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