Diné College

LOCATION:  Tsaile, AZ
AWARD:  2021 SHIFT – Transformative Change and Indigenous Arts
WEBSITE:  dinecollege.edu
PARTNER ARTIST: 
Will Wilson BIO
Will Wilson (Navajo) was awarded a 2011 NACF Artist Fellowship in Visual Arts.
ABOUT

Diné College was established in 1968 as the first tribally-controlled community college in the United States. In creating an institution of higher education, the Navajo Nation sought to encourage Navajo youth to become contributing members of the Navajo Nation and the world society. Today, Diné College serves a predominantly Navajo student population across the 27,000 square miles of the Navajo Nation that spans across the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The College offers General Education courses that provide students with a high-quality experience while earning various Certificate as well as Associate and Bachelor degree programs in the areas important to the economic, political, environmental, and social development of the Navajo Nation.

PROJECT

Diné College is partnering with 2021 SHIFT Awardee Will Wilson (Citizen of the Navajo Nation) to integrate Wilson’s project into their curricula and broader programmatic efforts. The project, Reframing Indigenous Remediation: Uranium on Dinétah, will address the legacy of uranium extraction and processing on the Navajo Nation. The project will develop a photographic survey of Abandoned Uranium Mines and the frontline communities most impacted by them, and feature a lecture series hosted by the lead collaborating partner, Diné College, that brings together the interdisciplinary expertise of Indigenous artists, academics, scientists, policymakers, elders, and activists.