Hip-hop artist Frank Waln and spoken word artist Tanaya J. Winder perform their songs and poems. They'll discuss their approaches to songwriting, storytelling, and healing through their work and the importance of creating space for indigenous voices.
Our popular Singers & Songwriters continues with hip-hop artist Frank Waln and spoken word artist Tanaya J. Winder, who'll perform their songs and poems. They'll discuss their approaches to songwriting, storytelling, and healing through their work and the importance of creating space for indigenous voices in today's world.
FRANK WALN is an award-winning Lakota hip-hop artist, producer, and audio engineer from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. A recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship, he a ttended Columbia College Chicago where he received a BA in Audio Arts and Acoustics. His awards included three Native American Music Awards, the 3Arts Grant for Chicago Artists and the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation 2018 National Artist Fellowship for Artistic Innovation. He has been featured in The Fader, Vibe, NPR, Paper Magazine, ESPN, and MTV's Rebel Music. Frank Waln travels the world sharing his story through music and presentations focusing on healing and reconnecting to our roots.
TANAYA WINDER is an author, singer/songwriter, poet, motivational speaker and educator who comes from an intertribal lineage of Southern Ute, Pyramid Lake Paiute, Diné, and Duckwater Shoshone Nations where she is an enrolled citizen. Tanaya's performances and talks emphasize the importance of "heartwork" - the life path one is meant to follow using his/her/their gifts and passions. She blends storytelling, singing, and spoken word to teach about different expressions of love (self love, intimate love, social love, community love, and universal love). Tanaya believes everyone has a gift they've been placed on this earth to share. Her specialties include: youth & women empowerment, healing trauma through art, creative writing workshops, and mental wellness advocacy.
Combining musical performance and literary discussion, our Singers & Songwriters series takes visitors to the intersection of music, poetry, literature, and beyond. Presented in conjunction with our special exhibit Bob Dylan: Electric.
