5 Plain Questions

Dakota Hoska, is citizen of the Oglála Lakȟóta Nation, Pine Ridge (Wounded Knee). She joined Denver Art Museum in 2019 as the Assistant Curator of Native Arts. Previously, she worked as a Curatorial Research Assistant at the Minneapolis Institute of Art for four years and during that time, Dakota completed her MA in Art History, focusing on Native American Art History at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN (2019). She also completed two years of Dakhóta language classes at the University of Minnesota (2016), and received her BFA in Drawing and Painting from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (2012). Dakota’s curatorial work allows her to pursue her passions of working closely with her Native community while being continually surrounded by and learning about beautiful artwork.

Whitney Fear is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. She was born and raised on the Pine Ridge reservation, where her family has a small cattle operation. After finishing high school in 2005, Whitney moved to the Fargo-Moorhead community where she discovered a drive to pursue nursing as a career. She worked as a nurse in Emergency Medicine, Mental Health, and Community Health. While working in Homeless Health Services at Family Healthcare Whitney made the decision to pursue advancement of her nursing education to expand the services that she could offer for patients. Whitney completed her Master’s of Science in Nursing in August 2019 and is an ANCC board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP).

Whitney currently works at Family HealthCare in Fargo, ND. Her clinical specialties are trauma related disorders, substance use disorders, perinatal psychiatry, harm reduction and LGBTQ-2S emotional health. Whitney feels that an integral part of fulfilling the responsibilities of a nurse should include advocacy for issues such as health equity and social justice. Whitney serves as a board member for Indigenous Association. She is the current Chairwoman for the Fargo Native American Commission. In her free time Whitney enjoys spending time with her children (twins, Isabella and Remy), painting, creating traditional beadwork/quillwork and being outdoors.

SHIFT Podcast webpage:

https://www.shiftnursing.com/

John Isaiah Pepion is an acclaimed artist, muralist and educator who is a citizen of the Blackfeet

Nation in northern Montana. His plains graphic art combines traditional design and contemporary illustrations to create a signature look that is instantly recognized throughout the

country. John considers his art journey as ceremony because his understanding of his past, family, and culture grows with each piece he creates. “Through my art,” he says, “I find personal healing, cultural preservation and a deeper connection to place.”

A descendant of Mountain Chief, a Blackfeet leader who preserved history through numerous

winter counts, John aspires to have a positive impact on his community though his art activities

and beyond.

When not creating art, John is an active public speaker and educator who has traveled the

country speaking at public schools, organizations and with groups of aspiring artists. He holds formal degrees in Art Marketing and Museum Studies from United Tribes Technical College and the Institute of American Indian Arts, respectively.

In 2018, John began working with Native-owned Eighth Generation and their Inspired Natives

Project with the goal of increasing his business capacity. His goal is to bring his cultural art to

market while maintaining control over the stories embedded within it.

Webpage: https://johnisaiahpepion.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.pepion

IG:https://www.instagram.com/johnisaiahpepion/

Neal Ambrose-Smith is a descendant of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation of Montana, is a contemporary Native American painter, sculptor, printmaker, and Professor at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has also developed an app Artist Ideas with 100 ideas for making art, available for Android and Apple. His work is included in the collections of many national and international museums and institutions, including the New York Public Library, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Galerie municipale d’art contemporain in Chamalières, France, and Hongik University in Seoul, Korea. He received his BA from the University of Northern Colorado and MFA from the University of New Mexico.

Website:

https://indianspacepainters.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/nealambrosesmith/

Whitney, Artist Statement and Bio

Thematically I am a narrative artist. Images are appropriated from either the Powwow interlaced with Hollywood or from the indigenous people of Turtle Island and filtered through my point of view to tell the tale of the coming of the Europeans, small pox, and the near annihilation of the people of this region. These historic and grand cultures were all but decimated in a few short years and those left standing were cheated of their traditions, religion,and freedoms. But, the ancient voices were not silenced and the drumbeats are strong again.

The celebration of the Powwow is one public declaration of the strength and tenacity of the indigenous cultures of this continent. Hollywood finds a place in the images but as an interloper and with tongue-in-cheek humor. Both the Powwow and They Came mezzotints are born from research, developed with a lot of wishful thinking, and then filtered through a contemporary point of view. I am intrigued by societies rich in imbedded belief systems and texture of ritual. I am fascinated by the way groups, historically and contemporarily, structure the day upon ceremonies, beliefs, and rituals. I appropriate interesting images or concepts from these various cultural fabrics, add a bit of contemporary color, and weave it all into my idea of story telling.

Although seemingly disparate, work created from childhood memories and from adult research spring from similar place. In both the images and my remembrances are appropriated and darkened with contemporary political meaning. The narrative is realized in the mezzotint processes and printed on Hahnemuhle copperplate paper.

Whitney is professor emeritus who lives in her studio. Her mezzotints have traveled throughout North America and Europe; and to Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, Nicaragua, and Russia. Her work was given one of four international awards at the International Mezzotint Festival in Ekaterinburg, Russia in 2019. Exhibitions in 2021 include: Indigenous: The Contemporary, Watersmeet, MI (award); Ink Only III – PaperWorkers, Birmingham, AL (award); National Juried Exhibition. Norfolk, VA (award); 62nd Midwestern Exhibition. Rourke Museum Moorhead, MN (award); Mapping Narratives: New Prints 2021/Winter Exhibition. International

Print Center, NY, NY; Gala Exhibition and Auction. Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND; Third International Biennial Exhibition. Yerevan, Arminia; Print Club of Rochester 2021 Exhibition. RIT City Art Center, Rochester, NY; Cimarron National Works on Paper, OSU; Indianapolis Art Center’s Exhibition “Women’s Work” Indianapolis, IN; 2021 Delta National Small Prints. Bradbury Art Museum, Arkansas; Webster Arts’ Under Pressure National Exhibition, Webster Grove, MO; Parkside National, Parkside, WI; America’s Paperworks 2021 NAC, MSU, Minot, ND; 57th JFAA Annual Art Exhibition. The Arts Center, Jamestown, ND (award); Prairie Village Arts Council State of the Arts Exhibition. Kansas. Hand Magazine. November Issue; Exhibizone 5th International Smart Online Group Exhibition, Canada and Heroes and Legends an online Exhibition, Ontario, Canada: Exhibitions thus far scheduled for 2022 include: Northwest Arts Center’s INT'L Paperworks 2022, Minot State University; Delta National Small Prints Exhibition, Bradbury Art Museum, Arkansas State University; 2022 PrintAustin 5x5 Exhibition, Austin, TX; Women’s Printmaking Invitational 2022, Kent State University, Four Rivers Print Biennial, Southern Illinois Printworks at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL. She has a solo exhibition schedule for 2023 in Ohio.

Website:

https://www.lwhitneystudio.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/lwhitneystudio/

Vincent Schilling, Akwesasne Mohawk, is an enrolled member of the St. Regis Mohawk tribe, is an award-winning author that is currently working on a book commissioned by Random House / Viking about Native American Boarding Schools. He is the founder and editor of Native Viewpoint at www.NativeViewpoint.com. Vincent is also an award-winning producer, journalist and public speaker, in addition to serving as the current Executive Vice President and co-owner of Schilling Media, Inc. a Native American owned media and media relations corporation.

He is a U.S Army veteran that trained as a 91-A combat medic and 92-B medical lab specialist and served at Letterman Army Medical Center. He later became a commissioned officer and served as the battalion chemical officer for the 1-143 Field Artillery battalion in Walnut Creek as a lieutenant.

He is the former Associate Editor for Indian Country Today. He contributed thousands of articles to the publication for over 16 years. As a content media producer, Vincent help to orchestrate video content for news for over 16 years. In addition to the above organizations, he has contributed video media content to Marvel, NBC, Dateline, Now This News, CBC, APTN and more.

In 2011, Vincent was given a human rights award in the city of Virginia Beach by the Virginia Beach Mayor for programs created about Native American issues in the Hampton Roads region.

He is also the former host of Native Trailblazers, an online Indigenous radio program that aired every Friday at 8 P.M. on www.blogtalkradio.com/NativeTrailblazers from 2010 to 2020 which was nominated for an Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Award for “Best Aboriginal Music Radio Station / Program.”

He was given a Bronze Editorial Excel Award for the Winds of Change "Conflict on the Mountain" article featured in the Spring 2011 issue. As a public speaker, Vincent has shared his experience and expertise with public, governmental and private entities to speak about diversity in the workplace and in schools to overcome the stereotypes of Native American people today.

'I enjoy writing profiles on successful and inspirational people. I want to uplift with my writing. Every word I write - I write with the cognizance that hopefully, someone somewhere will make a change for the better--no matter how small--to improve their own lives.'

Follow him on Twitter and all other social media at @VinceSchilling. https://beacons.page/vinceschilling

Webpage: NativeViewpoint.com

Webpage: schillingmediainc.com

Twitter: @VinceSchilling

TikTok: @VinceSchilling

Instagram: @VinceSchilling

YouTube: @VinceSchilling

In 2019, Joy Harjo was appointed the 23rd United States Poet Laureate, the first Native American to hold the position and only the second person to serve three terms in the role. Harjo’s nine books of poetry include An American Sunrise, Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings, How We Became Human: New and Selected Poems, and She Had Some Horses. She is also the author of two memoirs, Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior, which invites us to travel along the heartaches, losses, and humble realizations of her “poet-warrior” road. She has edited several anthologies of Native American writing including When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through — A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry, and Living Nations, Living Words, the companion anthology to her signature poet laureate project. Her many writing awards include the 2019 Jackson Prize from the Poetry Society of America, the Ruth Lilly Prize from the Poetry Foundation, the 2015 Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets, and the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America. She is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, Board of Directors Chair of the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, and holds a Tulsa Artist Fellowship. A renowned musician, Harjo performs with her saxophone nationally and internationally; her most recent album is I Pray For My Enemies. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Website:

https://www.joyharjo.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/joyharjoforreal/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/JoyHarjo

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/JoyHarjo

Get ready for season 3 of 5 Plain Questions podcast coming in February. With all new guests and a few surprises. You won't want to miss our exciting season with more amazing people doing amazing things for their communities. Be sure to subscribe and give us top ratings where ever you get your podcasts.

A member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, Chef Sean Sherman was born and raised in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Cooking in kitchens across the United States and Mexico for over 30 years, Chef Sean is renowned nationally and internationally in the culinary movement of Indigenous foods. His primary focus is the revitalization and evolution of Indigenous foods systems throughout North America. His extensive studies on the foundations of Indigenous food systems have led to his deep understanding of what is needed to showcase Native American cuisine in today's world.

In 2014, Chef Sean opened the business, The Sioux Chef, designed to provide catering and food education in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area. He and his business partner, Dana Thompson, also designed and opened the Tatanka Truck, which featured 100% pre-contact foods of the Dakota and Minnesota territories.

In October 2017, Sean and his team presented the first decolonized dinner at the prestigious James Beard House in Manhattan. His first book, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, received the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook for 2018 and was chosen one of the top ten cookbooks of 2017 by the LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Smithsonian magazine. That same year, Chef Sean was selected as a Bush Fellow and received the 2019 Leadership Award from the James Beard Foundation. Chef Sean currently serves on the leadership committee of the James Beard Foundation Investment Fund for Black and Indigenous Americans and was recently awarded The Ashoka Fellowship. In July 2021, Chef Sean and Dana opened Owamni by The Sioux Chef, Minnesota’s first full service Indigenous restaurant, featuring healthy Indigenous food and drinks. Since its opening, Owamni has received rave reviews from around the globe.

The Sioux Chef team continues with their mission to help educate and make Indigenous foods more accessible to as many communities as possible through their non-profit arm, North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS) and the accompanying Indigenous Food Lab professional Indigenous kitchen and training center. Working to address the economic and health crises affecting Native communities by re-establishing Native foodways, NĀTIFS imagines a new North American food system that generates wealth and improves health in Native communities through food-related enterprises.

Websites:

The Sioux Chef: https://sioux-chef.com/

NĀTIFS: https://www.natifs.org/

Food Labs: https://www.natifs.org/indigenous-food-lab

Owamni: https://owamni.com/

Facebook:

The Sioux Chef: https://www.facebook.com/thesiouxchef

NĀTIFS: https://www.facebook.com/NATIFS.org/

Owamni: https://www.facebook.com/owamni/

Instagram:

The Sioux Chef: https://www.instagram.com/siouxchef/

NĀTIFS: https://www.instagram.com/natifs_org/

Indigenous Food Labs: https://www.instagram.com/indigenousfoodlab/?hl=en

Owamni: https://www.instagram.com/owamni/?hl=en

Twitter:

The Sioux Chef: https://twitter.com/the_sioux_chef

NĀTIFS: https://twitter.com/natifs_org

Owamni: https://twitter.com/owamni?lang=en

Youtube:

Indigenous Food Labs:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZdVMZLJ-VQ1TR6puA1QzSw

Julie buffalohead. She is a citizen of the Ponca Tribe out of Oklahoma, and is a visual artist living in St. Paul Minnesota. Julie received her BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1995 and her MFA from Cornell University in 2001.

Buffalohead creates visual narratives told by animal characters that embody human traits, freewill and individuality. She connects the mythical with the ordinary and the imaginary with the real, offering a space to which viewers can bring their own experiences. She coaxes us to discover additional layers of meaning–social, historical, political, personal – using metaphor, wisdom, and wit.

Website:

https://www.juliebuffalohead.com