Montiel, Anya
Curator
Anya Montiel is a curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). Previously she was Curator of American and Native American Women’s Art and Craft at the Renwick Gallery and NMAI. She was assistant professor of art history at the University of Arizona, teaching courses in Native American art, global arts and crafts, Indigenous feminisms, and museum studies.
At the NMAI, she has curated Making a Statement (2025), highlighting Indigenous fashion, and Ancestors Know Who We Are (2022), an exhibition featuring the work of Black-Indigenous women artists. She co-curated the exhibitions, The Future of Clay (2024) at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia; Pulse: Weavings and Paintings by Marlowe Katoney at the University of Arizona Museum of Art (2023); and All That Remains: Material Remembrances in Love and Loss (2013) at Yale University.
She has written for American Indian magazine, Art in America, First American Art Magazine, Journal of Modern Craft, and the Oxford Handbook of American Indian History as well as exhibition essays for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Heard Museum, the Hood Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She is Vice President of the Native American Art Studies Association and serves on the First American Art Magazine Editorial Advisory Board.
Positions
- Curator, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian 2021 -
- Curator of American and Native American Women's Art and Craft, SAAM/NMAI/AWHI 2020 - 2021
- Assistant Professor, University of Arizona 2018 - 2019
- Cultural Arts Program Specialist, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian 2007 - 2009
- Lead Cultural Intepreter, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian 2006 - 2007
- Curatorial Research Assistant for Contemporary Art, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian 2002 - 2004
Research Areas
Geographic Focus
- North America Continent
Background And Education
Education And Training
- Ph.D. in American Studies, Yale University , American Studies 2018
- M.A. in American Studies, Yale University , American Studies 2015
- M.A. in Museum Studies, John F. Kennedy University , Museum Studies 2001
- A.B. in Native American Studies, Anthropology, University of California, Davis , Native American Studies, Anthropology 1997
Awards And Honors
- Lois Moran Award for Craft Writing, conferred by American Craft Council, 2022
- Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, conferred by Ford Foundation, 2017
Publications
Selected Publications
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Blog Posting
- Margolis, Emily A. and Montiel, Anya. 2022. "Mary Golda Ross: Aerospace Engineer, Educator, and Advocate." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Feb 11, 2022. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/mary-g-ross-aerospace-engineer. 2022
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Book
- Evans, Laura, Belarde-Lewis, Miranda, and Montiel, Anya. 2023. Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023 [Exhibition catalog] Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press. 2023
- Savig, Mary, Atkinson, Nora, and Montiel, Anya. 2022. This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World [Exhibition catalog] Washington, DC: Smithsonian American Art Museum in association with D Giles Limited, London. 2022
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Chapter
- Montiel, Anya. 2024. "Daugher, Mother, Pueblo Woman, Indigenous Woman: Rose B. Simpson in Four Artworks." In Rose B. Simpson: Strata. Rivera Fellah, Nadiah, editor. 51–65. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art. 2024
Activities
Responsible Collections Areas
- Indigenous North America (1900s-present day), Arts & Crafts
Affiliation
Head Of
- Native American Art Studies Association Vice President 2024 -
- First American Art Magazine Advisory Council 2020 -
Contact
Location
- National Museum of the American Indian Department
Mailing Address
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4220 Silver Hill Road
Cultural Resources Center
Suitland, MD 20746
United States
