James Luna (Puyukitchum/Luiseño) was an internationally renowned performance artist, photographer, and installation artist based on the La Jolla Indian Reservation in North County San Diego, USA. With over 30 years of exhibition and performance experience Luna gave voice to Native American cultural issues, pursued innovative and versatile media within his disciplines, and charted waters for other artists to follow. Between 1975-2015, Luna had had over 41 solo exhibitions, participated in 85 group exhibitions and has performed internationally at venues that include the Museum of Modern Art (NYC), Whitney Museum of American Art, New Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Canada, and Museum of Contemporary Native Art (Santa Fe, NM). In 2005, Luna was selected as the first Sponsored Artist of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian presented at the Venice Biennale’s 51st International Art Exhibition. In 2012, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.
Jeneen Frei Njootli is a Vuntut Gwitchin artist living in their homelands, outside of Old Crow, YT. Their practice spans performance, photography, sound, fashion and sculpture, among other things, and often centers culturally intimate materials. They hold an MFA from the University of British Columbia, a BFA from Emily Carr University, and have learned from many mentors and elders throughout their practice.