SITE Santa Fe will present 'Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-Determination since 1969' from June 5 to September 7, 2026. Curated by Candice Hopkins, the exhibition is the first major show to position performance as a foundational origin point for contemporary Native art, tracing artistic experimentation from the late 1960s—a period of political activism and Indigenous self-determination. It features over 100 works by more than 40 artists and collectives across film, video, sculpture, painting, drawing, beadwork, and archival materials, with a performance view from Spiderwoman Theater's 'Lysistrata Numbah!' included.
The exhibition matters because it reframes the narrative of contemporary Native art by centering performance as its generative core, challenging conventional art-historical hierarchies that often marginalize Indigenous performance practices. By grounding the show in the pivotal year 1969—when 'Indian Theatre: An Artistic Experiment in Process' was published and the occupation of Alcatraz Island began—it connects artistic expression directly to political activism and cultural reassertion, offering a more complete and self-determined account of Native American art history.