In her powerful series of portraits on view at the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Art, artist and activist Nayana LaFond (b. 1981) sheds light on a crisis affecting Indigenous women and girls. According to the Urban Indian Health Institute, Indigenous women and girls are overrepresented in missing and murdered cases in the United States by a ratio of 10. To date, members of Native communities are less likely to be counted in federal missing persons databases or to receive attention in the media. LaFond, a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, is one of many voices speaking out. Her paintings in Portraits in RED: Murdered & Missing Indigenous Peoples Painting Project (on view March 15 – September 7, 2025) bring attention to the international movement for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (M.M.I.W.) while honoring Indigenous survivors, family members, and advocates.
Join LaFond for a Q&A session with a member of the Springfield Museums curatorial staff to discuss Portraits in RED, her artistic process, and the humanitarian cause behind the series. In LaFond’s words, “when looking at the paintings, please consider that these are real people with stories, families, and lives.”
Presented by Nayana LaFond, multi-disciplinary artist and human rights advocate
Join us in-person or online!
If you plan to attend in person at the Museums, tickets are available on the day of the lecture in the Welcome Center.
Members: FREE
Springfield residents: $4
Nonmembers: $4
To attend via ZOOM, please register in advance.
