Kansas State University

MANHATTAN — Native American artists, performers and events are being featured at Kansas State University this fall through a collaboration by the university's art department, Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art and McCain Auditorium.

"Banding together to create multiple types of arts experiences for our campus and community deepens our overall understanding of cultural heritage and encourages us to empathize with our fellow human beings," said Todd Holmberg, executive director of McCain Auditorium.

"Many highly creative Native American artists are making work today," said Linda Duke, director of the Beach Museum of Art. "Whether that work follows ancient tradition or uses contemporary media such as film and video, the voices of these artists are important."

Upcoming events and activities, free and open to the public unless otherwise noted, include:

• Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, a visiting artist in painting and drawing, will present "A Survey of Contemporary Native American Art" at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, in Willard Hall's Mark A. Chapman Gallery. The lecture, sponsored by the art department, is supported by the university's fine arts fee and the College of Arts & Sciences' Diversity Lecture Series. Born on the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Indian Reservation in Montana, Quick-to-See Smith is an internationally renowned artist and activist with more than 100 solo exhibitions to her credit. Her work speaks to issues of tribal politics, human rights, the environment, and racial and gender stereotyping through a layering of image and text.

• Opening Oct. 28 at the Beach Museum of Art will be the exhibition "Earth and Loom: A Century of Native American Art from the Collection of Dennis and Carola Deschner." The exhibition runs through Dec. 21.

• A screening of the Native American film "Skins" will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Beach Museum of Art. Directed by Chris Eyre, "Skins" is a look at contemporary Native American culture in a drama starring Eric Schweig and Graham Greene as brothers living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The film is rated R.

• The Lakota Sioux Dance Theater will present "Cokata Upo!" (Come to the Center) at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, at McCain Auditorium as part of the McCain Performance Series. This three part, evening-length work celebrates the culture of the Lakota people. The performance is set against a backdrop of video imagery and accompanied by traditional sacred and courting songs, narratives and creation stories. Tickets are available at the McCain Auditorium box office, online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain, or by calling 785-532-6428.

• "An Evolving Relationship: Native American Artists and Collectors in theAmerican Southwest" will be presented at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Beach Museum of Art. Nancy Mahaney, guest curator of "Earth and Loom: A Century of Native American Art from the Collection of Dennis and Carola Deschner," will discuss the exhibition.