Cheyenne Wyzzard-Jones situates themselves in the world as a Black Indigenous Queer Curator, Writer, and Educator. They develop and share stories that are deeply grounded in and informed by Black Indigenous Queer Histories and Technologies. Technologies that disrupt white dominant concepts of time, gender, borders, and extreme systems of punishment that have altered a natural order. Cheyenne was the Founder and Director of Arts Programming for the influential organization, In Solidarity, from 2015-2023. In Solidarity was a fiscal sponsored organization that centered the lived experiences, joys, and key issues of Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous, and brown peoples through healing arts, educational access, and connecting existing communities within collective struggles. Cheyenne now focuses on the following work:
As an Education Consultant, Cheyenne implements and facilitates strategic development plans, internal conflict mediations, and provides backward design curriculum development for educators and institutions. The methods and practices that Cheyenne uses toward diversity and equity in public, private, and independent education institutions are still rooted in the method of narrative building.
As an Independent Curator, Cheyenne leads the work of Contemporary Art curation & exhibition company, Spiritual is Political. Their curation exists as a storytelling method; putting puzzle pieces together through different interdisciplinary mediums to tell a collective story. Cheyenne showcases the work of Black, Indigenous, and Queer contemporary artists whose values in art making and art practice are aligned with the mission of Spiritual is Political.
As a Writer, Cheyenne has published fictional stories, opinion pieces, and editorial literature throughout the world. Her newest project is a theater musical titled, The Messenger, which has received support from The 5th Avenue Theatre and is currently in residency with The Theatre Offensive.
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Cheyenne holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Development & Social Change from Clark University and Master of Arts in Comparative and International Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Cheyenne has worked alongside Wavehill, 5th Avenue Theatre, ACLU, Black Feminist Futures, Democracy Now!, and The New School, to name a few. Their work has been featured in the likes of TEDx, The Void Academy, CRWN Magazine, Cambridge 22 City-View, and The Queens Museum.