This longtime journalist is the Heard Museum's 1st chief programming and engagement officer

The Heard Museum recently created a new position: chief programming and engagement officer. And the person they hired to fill that job is no stranger to the museum — or to telling stories.

Patty Talahongva is an Arizona native and a longtime journalist; she’s also directed and produced documentaries, among other roles.

She joined The Show to talk more what exactly her new position entails, since she’s the first person to have it.

Full conversation

PATTY TALAHONGVA: Well, I feel very much a part of the Heard Museum because I’ve worked with them on various projects through the years, and so I’m not a stranger to the Heard. Plus, a lot of my family are artists and they have art in the collections, they sell it in the shop, and so I see art on campus and I love being in that environment and seeing family and their artwork, and so it feels very much like home.

So, in my capacity, I oversee all of the public programs at the Heard Museum. So, everything from First Friday events to our Family Fun Summer Saturdays in the summertime, our Holidays at the Heard during the winter break. I also oversee the Heard Indian Fair and Market, and then right before that in in February, we hold the Hoop Dance, the Annual World Championship Hoop Dance Contest, and so I also oversee that. So, it’s a lot of public programming.

MARK BRODIE: What do you see as your main goal with the programming, the kinds of events you’re putting on, and what do you hope to achieve with these?

PATTY TALAHONGVA: Well, we work with the curatorial department. So, all of our programs tie back to our exhibits. Tie back to the latest, greatest exhibit or a theme that’s come up, so we work with the curatorial department in that regard. So, our effort is to take the the museum guest through the exhibit and then give them another level of experience with our programming so that they have a deeper understanding of the art, maybe think about it in a different way, and again, for all levels, all ages.

So it’s very much in a focus to educate people, to entertain people, and to have them have an appreciation of American Indian art.

MARK BRODIE: I want to go back to what you said about maybe having people think about things a little differently, see the art a little differently, think about maybe Indigenous art a little differently. Because I know that that’s something that the Heard Museum tries to do and get people to really maybe rethink even their conception of what Native American art is. How big of a part of the thought process is that for you?

PATTY TALAHONGVA: Well, it is because we are, again, we work with curation, and we’re looking at that Native artist and then how do they define art as well? So, talking to them.

We had a recent exhibit with Bob Haozous, and that man is so prolific with his art, and not just one medium. And so what is Native art? And how and I loved his thesis on, you know, who is an Indian, who, you know, how do I identify and how do people identify for me? So, looking at that from a creative perspective and and sharing that with the public.

MARK BRODIE: I’m curious about your background, because you’ve done a lot of different things, but at heart, you’re a journalist, right? You tell stories, which I suppose to an extent is what museums do as well.

But it seems like kind of an unusual career path to go from being a journalist to working at a museum. Like, it’s just not something you hear about every day.

PATTY TALAHONGVA: Well, but you know, it it’s telling that story, right? So, as a journalist, and that’s one of the things that I really, I really try to focus on is educating the public about Indian Country. And that’s a, that’s a legal definition, Indian Country.

So, who are we? Getting above and beyond the stereotypes, taking a deeper dive into our very complex cultural — I don’t know — just our cultures and educating people to have them understand that we are very distinct groups of people. You want to go deeper and you want to understand a little bit more about the people and our languages and our religions, everything.

So it’s telling that story, it’s educating people, it’s helping to break down some barriers so people aren’t afraid to learn more or come and see and be a part of. So, yeah, it, it sounds kind of crazy, but also in my journalism career, I worked with several museums in helping put together exhibits on Native American people.

MARK BRODIE: I want to go back to what you said about how you come from a family of artists and you know, you have family members who sell art in the in the gift shop and there’s art around the around the museum.

What is that like for you walking around and — I don’t know if you’re artistic or not at all — but what is it like walking around and seeing people that you care about and that are related to you in a space like that?

PATTY TALAHONGVA: Oh, it’s wonderful. It’s absolutely wonderful. So, I grew up making pottery, and that means helping get the clay in its original form, soaking it for days, helping my mother break that down, strain it. I mean, everything. You make the clay before you actually start to make the pottery. So, going through that whole process.

I can’t say I’m an artist because I have not kept that up. It’s a lot of work.

MARK BRODIE: I would think so, yeah.

PATTY TALAHONGVA: Oh my gosh. But I come from, you know, so many artists, so many people in my family continue to create art, and functional art because we use a lot of things that they create. And they sell some as well, of course.

But it’s, it’s great, it’s wonderful to be in an environment where you can turn the corner and I see my uncle Michael Kabotie’s security door, and I smile every time I see that. I bring people over, "This is what my uncle made!" I’m so happy and so proud.

And to go around and and see other Hopi artists and what, you know, the beautiful work that they’re doing and to tell people my personal connection to some of these, you know, wonderful, outstanding artists. And so it’s very welcoming.

MARK BRODIE: So, in addition to your work at the Heard Museum, as I mentioned, you’ve done a lot of other things. One of them is documentaries, and you have one that was done about climate change for Alaska Natives, which is now up for a big award.

PATTY TALAHONGVA: Yes. So, a year ago, it aired on a, it was a film for Frontline, and the title is called "Alaska’s Vanishing Native Villages." And I spent about three years working on that, researching and then actually going out to the Alaska Native villages. So we looked at at how climate change has been impacting the Alaska Native villages and their subsistence way of life.

So it was very interesting. It’s a horrible situation that they’re facing because they know that they will have to move their villages and within 20-30 years, their villages will be underwater. There are, gosh, dozens of Alaska Native villages that are in dire straits right now and are being told, "You need to relocate." But the process of relocation is so difficult.

MARK BRODIE: These are pretty remote places.

PATTY TALAHONGVA: They’re remote places, and you got to think about probably five months out of the year, you can’t get barges in, big ships to move people and structures and all that, and then also bring supplies in to a new village location so that they can start building a new village.

So, yeah, so, we just got notified that our film, "Alaska’s Vanishing Native Villages," is up for a National Emmy.

MARK BRODIE: All right. Well, have to leave it there. That is Patty Talahongva, the Heard Museum’s chief programming and engagement officer. Patty, nice to talk to you. Thank you so much.

PATTY TALAHONGVA: Thank you so much, Mark.

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