Join us on zoom March 16th at 7pm for a discussion about Indigenous Futurisms & Virtual Reality with XR Producer and Multi-Disciplinary Artist MoniGarr, Filmmaker, Artist and Educator Rose Stiffarm & Emmy award winning creator Raven Two Feathers. The gathering will be moderated by Algonquin Knowledge Carrier Monique Manatch.
SPEAKERS
Raven Two Feathers (Cherokee, Seneca, Cayuga, Comanche) (he/they) is a Two Spirit, Emmy award winning creator based in Seattle, WA. Originally from New Mexico, they spent their childhood moving and exploring Indigenous cultures across the continent and Pacific. They returned to New Mexico to attend Santa Fe University of Art & Design, graduating magna cum laude with a BFA in Film Production. After graduation, their path led them to working on and creating more Indigenous art than ever and things began to feel right. They recently released a comic-based zine, “Qualifications of Being,” about their journey of realizing they are trans and Two Spirit. They are in post for a VR experience where the viewer rides alongside them on their drive to top surgery. They continue to grow and explore their practice through the people they meet, and the stories that guide them.
MoniGarr is an XR Producer, Multi-Disciplinary Artist and Founder of a small tech company based in the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation. English speakers and government agencies refer to MoniGarr as a St. Regis Indian and Mohawk of Akwesasne. MoniGarr self identifies as Onkwehonwe and does not fit into any of the colonial definitions for gender and identity MoniGarr integrates bleeding edge technologies of autodidact feral experiments with contemporary & traditional art forms to create experiences that encourage viewers, participants and collaborators to learn about, acknowledge & experience Onkwehonwehneha A.I. (Onkwehonwe Ancient Intelligence, Respect for All Beings including Self). MoniGarr first developed Onkwehonwehneha A.I. tech solutions in the early 1990s to teach Artificial Intelligence to drop harmful negative bias while creating meaningful respectful relationships with Mother Earth, self, machines and all beings. She created her first A.I. in the mid 1970s.
Rose Stiffarm is a Blackfoot Filmmaker, Artist, Educator, from the Siksika Nation, with family from Cowichan, Tsartlip, A’ninin, and Nakoda Nations. Ms. Stiffarm was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. Rose moved to Vancouver, BC in 2009 to formalize her film training and to work in film and television. Rose Stiffarm is alumna of Capilano University where she received her Diploma in Indigenous Independent Digital Film, Certificate in Cinematography for Film & Video, and Bachelor Degree in Motion Picture Arts. In 2018, after working on a number of independent and industry film and television projects in BC and the US, Rose moved to Montréal to further advance her education and grow her network. Rose Stiffarm is now a member of the Director’s Guild of Canada, in the category of Director, and working towards her Masters in Film Studies at Concordia University.
