NY | "Clearly Indigenous": Family Art Day

Bring the whole family to enjoy games, hands-on activities, storytelling, and music that celebrate and investigate Indigenous glass art in the Clearly Indigenous exhibition.

SCHEDULE

Level 2, Rotunda

• 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM | Performances by Swil Kanim
• • Storyteller Swil Kanim (Lummi) will perform, sharing stories from the Pacific Northwest Coast. Throughout the day, catch Swil Kanim playing the violin.  
  • • Swil Kanim is a U.S. Army veteran, storyteller, actor, and classically trained violinist from Washington State. He blends original compositions with powerful stories drawn from his life and heritage, inspiring audiences nationwide. He is the recipient of the Woodring College Professional Excellence Award, the Bellingham Mayor’s Arts Award, and has been recognized as a Certified Virtuoso Violinist by the Whatcom Chapter of the Washington Music Educators Association. Through performances at schools, community events, and stages across the country, Swil Kanim invites people of all backgrounds to honor their vision and follow their passion.
• 12:15 PM, 2:15 PM | Look, Learn, Create: Clearly Indigenous for Families
• • Join museum educator Carrie Gonzalez for a family-friendly interactive tour of the exhibition Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass. Visitors will look closely at three to four artworks and learn about them through guided discussion and shared observation. After finding inspiration from the artworks, families are invited to the imagiNATIONS Activity Center classroom to create their own inspired Glyph Charm artwork to take home. Recommended for youth ages 4-12 and their families. All ages welcome. *Visitors under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. First-come, first-served; capacity and supplies are limited. **This program can accommodate approximately 15-20 youth and their adult caregiver. 
• Ongoing | Hands On Activities: Mock Stained Glass and more
• • Visitors are invited to find inspiration through the featured artworks in Clearly Indigenous to create their own designs in mock stained glass, etching and stencils, as well as button-making and bag designs.

Level 1, Diker Pavilion

• Ongoing | Glass Working Demonstrations by Esteban Salazar
• • Local Brooklyn-based glass blower Esteban Salazar will demonstrate glass working techniques such as torch work on glass rods as well as the “sugar blowing” method, employing melted candy as a stand-in for molten glass throughout the day.
  • • Born in Bogotá, Colombia, and now based in Brooklyn NY, Salazar brings a unique international perspective and technical versatility to every project. He is well-versed in multiple glass techniques—glassblowing, kiln casting, mold making, and coldworking. His work spans custom architectural installations, lighting fixtures, and collaborative sculptures for architects, interior designers, and fellow artists. After serving as a professor of Fundamentals of Craft at New York University's Steinhardt School from 2018-2024, Esteban has focused his practice on glass fabrication, helping visionary clients bring their most ambitious ideas to life. Recent recognitions include the WheatonArts Creative Fellowship (2023), Artist-in-Residency at Starworks, NC (2025), and gaffer at Pilchuck Glass School.

Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass was originated by the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe, New Mexico, where it was curated by Dr. Letitia Chambers and Cathy Short (Potawatomi). The traveling exhibit was curated by Dr. Chambers and is toured by International Arts & Artists. Generous support for the exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian provided in part by Janet and David Offensend. This program is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

This program is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.