Exoticization in Collecting Institutions Confronting the Façade of Representation in Colonial Knowledge Systems and Creating Tactics for Indigenous Agency (LISG Speaker Series)
Presented by Durante Blais-Billie,
Tribal Member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida
Tuesday, April 26, 2022 at 1 p.m. (EDT)
About the Libraries Indigenous Studies Group
Launched in 2020, the Libraries Indigenous Studies Group (LISG) advises and assists library leadership on policies, programs, activities, and resources related to how the University of Miami Libraries can celebrate and elevate contemporary Indigenous experiences and histories while also critically addressing ongoing structures of colonialism, imperialism, and other injustices.
The LISG supports curricula, collection development in Indigenous Studies, and speaker series, workshops, and other educational initiatives at the University of Miami. Group members are currently developing research guides—such as the
Native American and Global Indigenous Studies guide and the
Native Arts of the Americas guide—and hosting public events related to their charter.
About the Presenter
Durante Blais-Billie
Tribal Member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida
Durante Blais-Billie is a Two-Spirit member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Durante holds an M.A. in art history and management from the University of St. Andrews and has formerly served their tribe as the assistant director of the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum. They have also acted as a cultural representative and ambassador for their community under the title Miss Florida Seminole.
Durante's work focuses on reclaiming Indigenous knowledge systems through Native-led education with the central mission of de-colonial healing. They are dedicated to exploring the intersections of Seminole identity, Indigenous knowledge, and Seminole visual culture. They utilize their lived experience and the knowledge gifted to them by their community to negotiate what ‘art history’ truly looks like for their people.
Durante is also an advocate for cultural continuation through inter-generational organization and serves as a member of the independent youth council, Future Indigenous Leaders of South Florida. Working in their community, they are a founding contributor of their tribe’s first Two-Spirit Affirmation project where they advocate for Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ rights as an essential part to community well-being.