Idyllwild Arts Will Host Native American Arts Festival Week This Month

Idyllwild Arts Foundation will present its annual Native American Arts Festival Week at the Idyllwild Arts campus (52500 Temecula Rd, Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549) from Monday, June 17 to Friday, June 21, 2024. The week-long event, which has run each summer for over two decades, is designed to enhance and enrich the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program with Native American arts-based programming including an exhibition, demonstrations, Native food tastings and the Michael Kabotie Lecture Series. All festival week events are free and open to the public.

Idyllwild Arts is an institution rooted in respect, reverence, and support for Native American people and is the only residential arts high school in the country to offer a Native American Arts program. This year's Native American Arts Festival is again being led by Native American Executive Director, Shaliyah Ben (Diné), whose vision will bring to life this year's theme, which is Storytelling.

Highlights of the festival include "Blue Corn and Other Stories" Exhibition Opening & Gallery Talk from 6-8pm on June 17, an Artist Meet-n-Greet with students, including words from Tain Half (Apsáalooke), a Poetry Reading by Emily Clarke (Cahuilla) and Flute Music provided by Randy Kemp. The week also includes a screening of horror movie Blood Quantum and homage to its Indigenous Film Director Jeff Barnaby on June 20 at the Rustic Theatre from 6-9pm. To wrap up the week, Welcoming Home the Birds & Native Arts Marketplace takes place on Friday, June 21, featuring hands-on activities for all ages, Native Foods Taste Testing, live cultural dances, food trucks and more. At 6 pm that day, Idyllwild Arts welcomes Bird Singing groups from all over the Southwest in celebration of the legacy of Bird Singing, which will also honor this year's host for "Welcoming Home the Birds", Steven Estrada, the chairman of the Santa Rosa Cahuilla tribe. This event will finish at midnight, a nod to the traditional time of day when Bird Singing takes place.