iD+Pi News
PlaceKnowing with Dr. Jojola Returns for Season 3
Limited Podcast Series Explores Contemporary Pueblo Architecture
Albuquerque, NM — October 7, 2026 — The University of New Mexico’s Indigenous Design and Planning Institute (iD+Pi) in the School of Architecture + Planning announces the return of its original podcast series, PlaceKnowing with Dr. Ted Jojola, with a five-part third season premiering October 14, 2026.
Season 3 centers on Restorying Our HeartPlaces: Contemporary Pueblo Architecture, an exhibition which opened in March 2025 at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Curated by distinguished scholars Dr. Theodore (Ted) Jojola (Isleta Pueblo) and Dr. Lynn Paxson, the exhibition examines the evolution, revival, and transformation of Pueblo architecture following the passage of the 1975 Indian Self-Determination Act.
Following the success of this exhibition, iD+Pi has been invited to participate in the Venice Biennale in Italy. Participating in this prestigious event offers the opportunity to reach and engage a global audience in Pueblo culture and traditions, showcasing architecture as a form of resilience. The six-month exhibition is expected to welcome more than 370,000 visitors during its run from May 8 through November 21, 2027.
“The Venice Biennale is a once-in-a-lifetime event that will stage the accomplishments of our own Pueblo designers,” said Jojola. “It is a saga of ingenuity and assertion of our cultural identity that continues to influence and affect modern life. Pueblo architecture continues to connect us to the land and it is a manifestation of our Indigenous sovereignty.”
Through five in-depth conversations, Dr. Jojola engages architects, designers, and Pueblo leaders whose work demonstrates how ancestral architectural principles continue to shape 20th- and 21st-century design. The series highlights projects including the Sky City Ha’aku Museum and Cultural Center at Acoma Pueblo, contemporary Pueblo-led design practices, and comprehensive planning approaches grounded in cultural continuity and sovereignty.
Hosted by iD+Pi founder and director Dr. Ted Jojola, a world-renowned expert in Indigenous design and planning methodology, Distinguished Professor and Regents’ Professor in the Community & Regional Planning Program at The University of New Mexico, the podcast extends the exhibition beyond gallery walls, creating an accessible audio archive of contemporary Pueblo architectural thought.
Season 3 features conversations with:
- Earthen builder and author Athena Steen (Santa Clara Pueblo)
- Co-curator Dr. Lynn Paxson
- Pueblo architect Theo Edaakie (Isleta Pueblo)
- Designer Janet Carpio (Laguna/Isleta Pueblo)
- Former Governor of the Pueblo of Acoma, Founding director of the Pueblo of Acoma’s Ha’aku Museum Brian Vallo (Acoma Pueblo)
Far from being a relic of the past, contemporary Indigenous architects are actively reclaiming ancestral knowledge to build structures that treat architecture not as a static consumer object, but as a living, breathing participant in the ecosystem.
Produced in collaboration with The Aunties Dandelion media organization, PlaceKnowing continues its mission to support social changemakers, planners, designers, and community leaders in engaging Indigenous planning methods to remediate neglected land and make way for healthy communities.
“Pueblo architecture exists within a living continuum,” says Dr. Ted Jojola. “These conversations honour ancestral foundations that continue to guide contemporary practice. Self-determination shapes our political systems, our spatial environments, and our architectural expression.”
PlaceKnowing with Dr. Ted Jojola will release biweekly beginning October 14, with subsequent episodes dropping October 28, November 11, November 25, and December 9, 2026 and is available on all major podcast platforms.
iD+Pi Podcast PlaceKnowing with Dr. Ted Jojola Selected for the 2026 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
Albuquerque, New Mexico — June 2026 — The Indigenous Design + Planning Institute (iD+Pi) at the University of New Mexico is honoured to announce that PlaceKnowing with Dr. Ted Jojola and Diné Scientist Brandon Francis has been officially selected for the 2026 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
Produced by The Aunties Dandelion in collaboration with iD+Pi, the podcast episode is part of Season 2 of PlaceKnowing, an Indigenous-led audio series exploring land, community, environmental restoration, and culturally grounded planning practices. Season 2 was developed in partnership with the Intermountain West Transformation Network.
The selected episode examines the lasting impacts of the 2015 Gold King Mine spill disaster, where more than three million gallons of acidic mine waste entered the Animas River watershed, impacting lands and waters connected to the Navajo Nation and the broader San Juan River basin. Through conversations with Indigenous and non-Indigenous scientists, farmers, and community leaders, the series foregrounds Indigenous approaches to cultural resilience, ecological restoration, and long-term stewardship.
The episode features Diné scientist and farmer Brandon Francis of the New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center in Farmington, whose family has stewarded corn in the Black Mesa region for generations.
“Every decision that you make as a researcher and as a scientist,” says Brandon Francis in the episode, “you have to analyze it in terms of how is this going to benefit people.”
Hosted by Dr. Ted Jojola, the series reflects decades of work advancing Indigenous planning and community-centered design methodologies.
“It’s important to understand that Indigenous people are very much attuned to place and home,” says Dr. Jojola. “The Gold King Mine spill disrupted the food and health of so many communities and in this series, we’re focusing on how Indigenous and non-Indigenous people are combining their skills to heal these lands and waters.”
The podcast selection reflects iD+Pi’s ongoing commitment to advancing Indigenous design and planning practices that are community-rooted, interdisciplinary, and responsive to the social, cultural, and environmental realities facing Indigenous peoples today.
The episode will be presented as part of the festival’s iNdigital Space + Arcade located at the TIFF Lightbox gallery space. The iNdigital Space, which features all audio works and digital interactive projects.
About Intermountain West Transformation Network
The Intermountain West Transformation Network (TN) is dedicated to fostering resilience in communities and ecosystems across the Western United States. Supported by the National Science Foundation’s Sustainable Regional Systems Program, the network brings together universities, Tribal partners, public agencies, and community organizations to advance regional sustainability through collaborative research and implementation.
About The Aunties Dandelion
The Aunties Dandelion is an Indigenous-led media organization focused on revitalizing communities through stories of the natural world, original languages, Indigenous art and lifeways, and connections with each other.
About imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
imagineNATIVE is the world’s largest presenter of Indigenous screen content and is internationally recognized for excellence and innovation in Indigenous media arts programming.
