​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture​​​

​​Indigenizing Arts + Culture with Melody Lewis and Turquoise Devereaux

Saturday, June 25, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Phoenix MST

• Mode: Hybrid
• Location: Phoenix Indian School Visitors Center, 300 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85012
  
• Audiences: ​Artists, Board Members, Creatives, Culture Workers, Educators, Organizers, Anybody
  
• Tags: Community Engagement, Culture, Indigenous, Programming
  
• Cost: Free​
  

​​​​​About this Event

We live in one of the most Indigenous places in the entire United States. Arizona has the highest percentage of Indian land, the third highest population of American Indians,  and the fifth highest number of federally recognized tribes. Phoenix itself has one of the highest percentages of American Indian and Alaska Natives within a metropolitan area. Given these figures, what are we doing as artists and culture workers to welcome and center this community? How can we create art, organize programs, and hold space to help repair and heal our state's colonial history? 

In this presentation and workshop, join Melody Lewis and Turquoise Devereaux of the Indigenous Community Collaborative as they share knowledge and resources for creating culturally safe spaces for Native American communities in a way that highlights the complexity of lived experience and activates resiliency for future success. Beginning with the historical knowledge and worldview of Native American communities, attendees will develop concrete skills for alleviating their personal biases, supporting marginalized groups, and bringing greater empathy, understanding, and intentionality into their work. 

To further enrich the experience and learn more about the specific history of Native Americans in Phoenix, the Phoenix Indian School Visitors Center will offer a special tour for attendees before the event. 

Intended primarily for individual artists, culture workers, educators, organizers, and board members,  anyone who's interested in learning more about how to serve and support Native communities is welcome to attend. 

Indigenizing Arts + Culture with Melody Lewis and Turquoise Skye Devereaux is Saturday, June 25, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Phoenix MST at the Phoenix Indian School Visitors Center (300 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85012). Please note: while this event is in-person, a virtual option will be provided as well. Registrations are encouraged but not required. Feel free to drop in. This event is open to the public and free. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Community Engagement and Programs Manager Jake Friedman at 602.534.7230 or jake.friedman@phoenix.gov. 

Sources: https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2012/dec/c2010br-10.pdf; https://usafacts.org/articles/how-the-native-american-population-changed-since-the-last-census/; https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/native-american-population

​About the ​Presenters

Melody Lewis is a member of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe. She was born and raised in Mohave Valley, AZ. Upon completion from University of Arizona, Melody entered into employment as a Human Service Worker. She remained in Human Services for three years and transitioned into Workforce Development. For the past ten years she has remained in the industry implementing an array of workforce and education initiatives as a consultant. Current initiatives fall within the areas of Maricopa County Community College District, Local School Districts, Employers, and Nonprofits across Arizona, California and Nevada. She regularly volunteers for Indigenous Community Based Nonprofits and often participates to showcase education and employment trends, such as workplace skills development, supervisor competency builders, and employer-driven career pathway systems. Melody is driven by a strong desire to help create a vision to find educational and career opportunities for students, individuals seeking personal growth, communities, and employers. Her passion for this work is accomplished through the development of strong working relationships and creating collaborative solutions for future generations.

Turquoise Skye Devereaux, MSW, is part of the Salish and Blackfeet tribes of Montana. She works with organizations and institutions on resiliency, diversity, equity, inclusion, and trauma-informed approaches to support Indigenous identity revitalization in rural and urban settings. Turquoise has worked in many intersectional capacities to ensure culturally safe spaces for Native American communities in Tribal and non-Tribal educational and community settings at local, state and regional levels. Turquoise was the recipient of the Montana Indian Education Association’s American Indian Support Staff of the Year Award in 2017. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Montana and her Master of Social Work at Arizona State University with a focus in policy, administration and community organizing. Turquoise is the Lead Consultant of IndigenousCC, the founder of Indigenous Skye, LLC and is the Project Coordinator at the Office of American Indian Projects in the ASU School of Social Work.​

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