5 Plain Questions

Migizi Pensoneau is a citizen of the Ponca and Red Lake Nations. He was born and raised in Minnesota and attended school at Wesleyan University and received his MFA in Screenwriting at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe NM.

Migizi is screenwriter, actor, writer, and producer for film and television, with work for Barkskins, Rutherford Falls, and Reservation Dogs and a founding member of the legendary comedy troop the 1491s.

In this conversation we explore his influences and his story from the discovery comedy and B-movies with his brother to the work he is doing today.

Support the Writers Guild of America:

https://www.wgacontract2023.org/strike-hub

Taietsarón:sere ‘Tai’ Leclaire is a Native American actor, comedian, writer.

His short film HEADDRESS that he wrote, directed, and starred in premiered at the 2023 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL.

He was a Story Editor and actor on the NBC comedy series RUTHERFORD FALLS by Mike Schur, Ed Helms, and Sierra Teller-Ornelas.

Tai has been selected as a member of the 2022 Sundance Native Lab and was recently awarded The Indigenous list in Partnership with The Black List.

He is a former house performer at Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre. He’s also performed at festivals around the country.

Links:

https://www.wgacontract2023.org/strike-hub

https://www.headdressfilm.com/

Website:

https://www.taileclaire.com/

Raised on the Apsáalooke (Crow) reservation in Montana, Wendy Red Star’s work is informed both by her cultural heritage and her engagement with many forms of creative expression, including photography, sculpture, video, fiber arts, and performance. An avid researcher of archives and historical narratives, Red Star seeks to incorporate and recast her research, offering new and unexpected perspectives in work that is at once inquisitive, witty and unsettling. Red Star holds a BFA from Montana State University, Bozeman, and an MFA in sculpture from University of California, Los Angeles. She lives and works in Portland, OR.

Hunter C. Old Elk (Crow & Yakama) is the Assistant Curator for the Plains Indian Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wy. Through curation, exhibition development, and teaching, she elevates Indigenous voices in museums and academia. A graduate student at Johns Hopkins University in Cultural Heritage Management, Old Elk holds a BA in history from Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland.

Richard West, Jr. is a founding director and Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. Richard West is a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and a Peace Chief of the Southern Cheyenne. He is also a 2021 inductee in the National Native American Hall of Fame.

Prior to his time as the Director of the NMAI and the Autry Museum of the American West, he was an attorney in both New Mexico and Washington D.C. As of 2011 he has served on the board of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, & Museums.

His devotion to community and his incredible vision for leadership has been an inspiration to generations of Native American leaders…and the host of this podcast.

Tom Jones is an artist, curator, writer, and educator, where he is the professor of photography at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Fine Arts in Photography and a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois.

Jones’ artwork is a commentary on identity, experience and perception of American Indian communities.  For the past 25 years he has worked an ongoing photographic essay on his tribe, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin.  His current work Strong Unrelenting Spirits are portraits of tribal members, which incorporates beadwork directly onto the photographs.

Jones co-authored the book “People of the Big Voice, Photographs of Ho-Chunk Families by Charles Van Schaick, 1879-1943.”  He is the co-curator for the exhibition and contributing author to the book, “For a Love of His People: The Photography of Horace Poolaw” for the National Museum of the American Indian. His current book project is dedicated to Ho-Chunk baskets and their makers.

His artwork is in forty public collections, most notably:  The National Museum of the American Indian, Polaroid Corporation, Sprint Corporation, The Nerman Museum, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Museum of Contemporary of Native Arts, The Museum of Contemporary Photography, and Microsoft.

We are on a summer break until June 7th with Tome Jones II and back full time on July 5th with all new episodes to ride us through Season 4. And stay tuned, as HUGE episodes are coming.

Actor, director, & producer Román Zaragoza currently stars in CBS’ award nominated comedy series “Ghosts.” Zaragoza instantly became a fan favorite as Sasappis, a blunt troublemaker who tries to fill eternity by having a little fun & creating some drama. The series debuted on CBS in October 2021 to critical acclaim, with media calling it “charming” (Paste Magazine), stating that a “CBS comedy about the diverse spirits haunting an upstate manor is scary good” (The Wall Street Journal) & declaring that “it’s a superb cast full of fresh faces dropping quotable one-liners left & right” (TVLine). The Television Critics Association Awards also h&ed the comedy two nominations: Outst&ing New Program, & Outst&ing Achievement in Comedy in 2022. “Ghosts” premiered season two on September 29, 2022.

In film Zaragoza serves as a producer on the short “This Is Their Land,” which premiered at the Dances with Films Festival in New York City on December 2, 2022. The film takes place during the Modoc War of 1872-73, follows the brave Modoc Civic Leader Captain Jack as he negotiates for peace in his homeland against the U.S. army, & the sacrifices he makes for the sake of his people. “This Is Their Land” is currently on the festival circuit. As a director Zaragoza most recently co-directed a music video entitled “Change Your Name” for artist Raye Zaragoza, one of his two sisters, which was inspired by their mother’s life & the intersectionality of changing names during the immigration process.

Born in New York City, Zaragoza was raised in a melting pot of culture. He identifies as mixed race, being of Akimel O’otham & Mexican descent on his father’s side & Japanese & Taiwanese descent on his mother’s side. His father, acclaimed actor Gregory Zaragoza & mother, college business professor Shirley supported Zaragoza’s love for the arts from a very young age, with one of his earliest childhood memories spending time backstage watching his father star in the 1999 Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun, alongside the legendary Bernadette Peters. Zaragoza & his family moved to Hell's Kitchen when he was nine, where he would take the subway to school & pass by all of the major Broadway shows, which would become a huge influence on his future career. By the time Zaragoza turned eleven, his parents moved the family to the west coast, settling in southern California where he continued taking acting, dance, singing, & improv lessons. When Zaragoza was fifteen, he began working with Native Voices at the Autry, the only Equity Native American Theatre company. It was there that he met his mentor, R&y Reinholz, who made an influential impact on Zaragoza’s life as well his show “Off the Rails” at Native Voices which was later selected to go to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Zaragoza attended Cal State University Northridge where he graduated with a degree in Film Production. He is a proud member of CSUN’s American Indian Student Association & continues his involvement post-graduation. While in college, he took time to go work with the prestigious Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF - 2017, 2018, 2019) where he was able to further hone his craft. Zaragoza notes that his time working with the company aided in discovering more about his identity, specifically his racial identity, bringing characters to life that were a vessel for Native, Asian, & mixed identities. Upon graduation & finishing his time with OSF, Zaragoza landed his biggest role to date, starring on CBS’ “Ghosts.”

Zaragoza writes essays & poetry focusing on mixed representation in film, television, & theatre. On the charity front Zaragoza has supported a h&ful of organizations over the years including Seeding Sovereignty, Black Lives Matter, Return to the Heart Foundation, & IllumiNative, an initiative created & led by Natives to challenge the negative narrative that surrounds Native communities & ensure accurate & authentic portrayals of Native communities are present in pop culture & media.

Orlando Dugi is a Dine fashion designer based out of Santa Fe New Mexico. Self taught and incredibly driven

ORLANDO DUGI is a made-to-order fashion brand located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and lead by designer, Orlando Dugi himself. Dugi’s designs are elegant, timeless, and intricate, often involving many hours of hand-embroidery and embellishing.

Dugi’s been exhibited at the Denver Art Museum, Wheelwright Museum, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture amongst others. He has received numerous awards and recognition at places like the SWAIA, and Cherokee Art Show, Heard Museum Guild Art Show.

This podcast is hosted in part by First American Art Magazine, the leading journal of Native arts, which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary covering ancestral, historical, and living arts by Indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Website:

https://orlandodugi.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/orlandodugi/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/orlandodugi?lang=en

Gerald Cournoyer: Sending A Voice through September 30th, 2023

https://plainsart.org/exhibitions/gerald-cournoyer/

Northern Plains Summer Art Institute 2023 applications due May 1st 2023

https://plainsart.org/northern-plains-summer-art-institute-2023/

Indigenous Art Fair Saturday, May 13th, 2023