Preserving Indigenous Music: Listening Session & Conversation with Justis Brokenrope and Sky Hopinka

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, join Poster House and Minneapolis-based archivist and educator Justis Brokenrope for a vinyl listening session on American Indian and First Nations rock, folk, and country music. The listening session will be followed by a conversation with visual artist and filmmaker Sky Hopinka on the origins and process of Brokenrope’s archival work, as well as the significance of Native music within Western-dominated sonic narratives.

Justis Brokenrope (Sičháŋǧu Lakȟóta) is an educator, DJ, and founder of Wathéča Records, a North American Indigenous music archival project established in 2022. Brokenrope seeks to ensure the preservation and accessibility of overlooked American Indian and First Nations artists in the histories of rock, folk, and country music. He is the host of Wathéča Radio on NTS, and currently resides in Bdé Óta Othúŋwe, Mní Sóta (Minneapolis, Minnesota).

Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians) works in video, photography, and text, examining language, memory, homeland, and Indigenous identity. In the fall of 2022, he received a MacArthur Fellowship for his work as a visual artist and filmmaker. Hopinka is currently an Assistant Professor of Film at Harvard University.

Accessibility Note: Masks are available free of charge at the museum. Assistive listening devices and stools are available. ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or a CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) is also available upon request. Please contact access@posterhouse.org or (914) 295-2387 to request interpretation services and to address any other accessibility needs. For other event-related questions, please contact events@posterhouse.org.