Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations

Jaida Grey Eagle Gifts for Photojournalism, Filmmaking, and Beadwork

Native Lights

On today’s show, we talk with Jaida Grey Eagle (Oglala Lakota) a photojournalist, film producer, beadwork artist, and writer. Jaida earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

We loved this conversation, hearing about how she got her start in photojournalism and landed her current job at Sahan Journal.  Jaida shares the story of becoming a co-producer of the Sister Rising documentary, a powerful film about six Native women reclaiming their sovereignty. And we get to hear some fun stories about what it’s like to freelance for the New York Times and Vogue. Plus, Jaida explains her long love of beadwork art, inspired by her great-grandmother’s quilts, and her family’s legacy as Lakota artists. 

We appreciate Jaida’s fearless willingness to try new things and her enthusiastic encouragement for up-and-coming Native media makers!

Learn more about Jaida’s many creative pursuits on her website: https://www.jaidagreyeagle.com/

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.

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