Kayenta Embraces The Festival of the Americas
Celebrating the native cultures of the Americas through music, dance, fine art, and crafts.
The Kayenta Arts Foundation (KAF) is honored to present this amazing Festival on May 19, 20, and 21, 2023. The Festival is a FREE, family-friendly, multicultural outdoor event produced by the Kayenta Arts Foundation featuring various cultural arts and customs.
Attendees will enjoy live music and traditional performances, such as Native American dancing, drumming, and flute. Native artisan booths will be full of paintings, pottery, fine art, and more! Much of this year’s Festival will focus on Native American art and culture and takes place in the outdoor setting of the Kayenta Art Village and Center for the Arts at Kayenta. The area is the ancestral home of the Paiute Indians and showcases the stunning natural beauty of Kayenta. The earliest habitation of Native Americans in Utah dates back 10,000 to 12,000 years. Visitors will have an opportunity to expand their understanding of Native American cultures and customs.
Festival hours are Friday and Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM, and Sunday, 10 AM – 3 PM. Two special ticketed events will be held in the Center for the Arts at Kayenta building: an Opening Ceremony (Friday night) and D’DAT Trio Jazz Band (Saturday night).
The Opening Ceremony will be Friday, May 19th, at 7:30 PM. This ticketed evening celebration will include history and background information about local tribes, the Pow Wow and its restoration, the announcement of the Tribal Festival Queen and Princess, tribal youth dances, and flute and hand drums performances. Tickets are $10 and available online.
D’DAT Trio Saturday Evening Concert: May 20th features a special ticketed concert by D’DAT Trio Jazz band at 7:30 PM. D’DAT Trio has been described as “Poetic, Complex, Forward Thinking, and Outside the Box.” D’DAT Trio has carved its own path with high-desert-forged influences and world-class musicianship. Tickets are available online; $30 for adults and $10 for students.
Rob Goodman, President of the Kayenta Arts Foundation Board of Directors, explained, “The Festival of the Americas promotes collaboration between diverse cultural groups in the region. We plan on more than forty artisans to present their work and engage with visitors about the connection of their own work to their cultural heritage. In addition, the Festival will create a celebratory community hub to understand and appreciate the history and cultural fabric of our shared American story and the land we live on.”
Goodman further stated, “Kayenta Arts Foundation is committed to offering visitors and residents of all ages an outdoor arts festival program that provides an educational and uplifting experience for people of all ages. This event will draw together distinct tribal communities for the greater good of preserving and sharing these native cultures with local residents and visitors to the region.”
Promoting secondary education for Native American students will create life-long success for their families and communities. The Festival of the Americas celebrates the depth and richness of Native American cultures while raising money to support Native American scholarships in Utah. In 2022 the Kayenta Arts Foundation raised $10,000 in scholarships through the Festival of the Americas. These scholarships were awarded to the Shivwits Band Paiute Tribe of Utah. KAF hopes to increase the amount raised from the upcoming Festival.
www.kayentaarts.com/festival-of-the-americas/
Come, be a part of the art at the Center for the Arts at Kayenta.
