Bard Graduate Center Student Mya Benally to Participate in Prestigious Storytelling Program
Mya Benally, Bard Graduate Center ’28. Photo by Ariana Hatcher, Institute of American Indian Arts
The environmental storytelling project Planet Forward has selected Mya Benally, Bard Graduate Center ’28 (Diné), as one of ten students nationwide to participate in its 2026-27 Ilíiaitchik: Indigenous Correspondents Program. Now in its fifth year, the ten-month program helps the next generation of Indigenous scholars hone their environmental communication skills in order to share environmental stories and resilient solutions of global relevance.
Founded by Emmy Award-winning journalist Frank Sesno and based at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, Planet Forward was established to equip university students with hands-on skills to lead conversations on science and the planet’s future. Planet Forward partnered with the University of Arizona to launch Ilíiaitchik and promote the participation of Indigenous students in this vital work. The name of the program (pronounced il-lia-it-chick) means “to speak good words” in the Biiluuke/Our Side/Crow language.
Benally is an art historian and museum professional from Kirtland, New Mexico, dedicated to creating more supportive spaces for Indigenous artists within the global art world. Her commitment to advancing the ethical representation of contemporary Indigenous art has been guided by struggles in her own research with encountering outdated information and institutional texts written by non-Indigenous authors.
Before moving to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in decorative arts, design history, and material culture at Bard Graduate Center, Benally was a student at Bowdoin College, where she completed her art history degree earlier this year with a minor in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies. During her undergraduate study, she developed a diverse portfolio of institutional experience around contemporary Indigenous art, with notable internships with the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the nation’s premier institution for the collection and interpretation of contemporary Native art.
Benally’s cohortmates in Ilíiaitchik come from eight schools and a wide range of Indigenous nations. Over the coming months, the correspondents will participate in monthly workshops led by primarily Indigenous communications experts, and will receive one-on-one editorial and mentorship from Ivey-Camille Manybeads Tso, an award-winning Diné filmmaker. The project will culminate when correspondents travel to the annual Planet Forward Summit in Washington, DC, in 2027, where they will engage in workshops and present their work. The correspondents will also each publish at least one story on PlanetForward.org over the course of the project.
“Our correspondents have told stories that reflect who they are and where they come from, teachings from the land and their people, highlighting critical issues that need to be heard but are often overlooked and, most importantly, remembering the past to build a better future,” said JoRee LaFrance, Ilíiaitchik co-founder and co-program coordinator.
During her studies at Bard Graduate Center, Benally will utilize the virtual workshops and mentorship offered through Ilíiaitchik to explore the vital connection between Indigenous land stewardship and cultural expression.
“I view this opportunity as a critical launchpad to expand my research, aiming to bridge traditional ecological knowledge with contemporary artistic practices,” said Benally. “Ultimately, my work seeks to elevate the profiles of Indigenous creators who use their art to advocate for environmental preservation and cultural sovereignty."
Post Date: 10-07-2026
Founded by Emmy Award-winning journalist Frank Sesno and based at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, Planet Forward was established to equip university students with hands-on skills to lead conversations on science and the planet’s future. Planet Forward partnered with the University of Arizona to launch Ilíiaitchik and promote the participation of Indigenous students in this vital work. The name of the program (pronounced il-lia-it-chick) means “to speak good words” in the Biiluuke/Our Side/Crow language.
Benally is an art historian and museum professional from Kirtland, New Mexico, dedicated to creating more supportive spaces for Indigenous artists within the global art world. Her commitment to advancing the ethical representation of contemporary Indigenous art has been guided by struggles in her own research with encountering outdated information and institutional texts written by non-Indigenous authors.
Before moving to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in decorative arts, design history, and material culture at Bard Graduate Center, Benally was a student at Bowdoin College, where she completed her art history degree earlier this year with a minor in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies. During her undergraduate study, she developed a diverse portfolio of institutional experience around contemporary Indigenous art, with notable internships with the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the nation’s premier institution for the collection and interpretation of contemporary Native art.
Benally’s cohortmates in Ilíiaitchik come from eight schools and a wide range of Indigenous nations. Over the coming months, the correspondents will participate in monthly workshops led by primarily Indigenous communications experts, and will receive one-on-one editorial and mentorship from Ivey-Camille Manybeads Tso, an award-winning Diné filmmaker. The project will culminate when correspondents travel to the annual Planet Forward Summit in Washington, DC, in 2027, where they will engage in workshops and present their work. The correspondents will also each publish at least one story on PlanetForward.org over the course of the project.
“Our correspondents have told stories that reflect who they are and where they come from, teachings from the land and their people, highlighting critical issues that need to be heard but are often overlooked and, most importantly, remembering the past to build a better future,” said JoRee LaFrance, Ilíiaitchik co-founder and co-program coordinator.
During her studies at Bard Graduate Center, Benally will utilize the virtual workshops and mentorship offered through Ilíiaitchik to explore the vital connection between Indigenous land stewardship and cultural expression.
“I view this opportunity as a critical launchpad to expand my research, aiming to bridge traditional ecological knowledge with contemporary artistic practices,” said Benally. “Ultimately, my work seeks to elevate the profiles of Indigenous creators who use their art to advocate for environmental preservation and cultural sovereignty."
Post Date: 10-07-2026