Proposal to Rename the Indigenous and Decolonial Art Concentration

The MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts (MFAIA) program initiated the Indigenous and Decolonial Art concentration in 2017; and with the collaboration of Jamie Figueroa (Boricua/Afro-Taíno), who convened an Indigenous Circle of Advisors. Jamie resigned from the College in 2019, and no new Indigenous faculty members have since been hired.

We acknowledge the coloniality of continuing to include the word "Indigenous" in the name of the concentration, given that there are no Indigenous faculty members, and whose leadership in the design of the concentration is essential. Moreover, the COVID-19-related move to virtual residencies has curtailed our engagement with Indigenous communities local to the Fort Worden campus, the Klallam/S'Klallam sister tribes, and the Snohomish.

We believe that settlers need to dismantle the extractive use of the term, "decolonization", and to undertake the long-term, conscientious work to decolonize our practices, minds, bodies, institutions, and governance. We will not approach decolonization as a metaphor, but are bound to serve as advocates for and co-conspirators in the fight for Indigenous self-determination and Rematriation of Indigenous land.

Until Goddard College can prioritize resources for Indigenous leadership in the MFAIA program, we will rename the concentration, Decolonial Arts Praxis (DAP).