We Are the seeds
Tailinh Agoyo - Director of We Are The Seeds
Interview and video by Mouty Shackelford, Artsy Scoop
Art is humanity’s oldest form of communication. From the earliest depictions of great hunts in cave drawings to the walls of contemporary museums and galleries, art has always been a tool for storytelling. Art can also be a means of sharing and preserving culture, it can be a mechanism for passing knowledge to others, and in meeting with Tailinh Agoyo, the co-founder and director of We Are The Seeds, I was reminded that it can be a fantastic platform for joy and celebration, too.
Indigenous Children at Seeds Philly, 2021 - Cherry Street Pier
Image: @mondayshift
Indigenous Dancers at Seeds Philly 2021
Image: @mondayshift
Joy and celebration are vitally important to Tailinh, and We Are The Seeds, a magnificent organization that promotes Indigenous Art and Culture, was born out of her desire to share this enthusiasm with the world. Currently based at the Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia, PA, I met with Mrs. Agoyo to get a better sense of the Seed’s mission, learn about its creation, and discover what their guiding light towards the future looks like.
Her family is of Narragansett decent, and as a very young girl, Tailinh remembers joining her father, TChin (pronounced ‘Chin) at his art classes at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He is a celebrated jewelry designer, who also studied at the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, NM, so she grew up surrounded by art, artists, and various expressions of her culture. She worked as a professional designer, photographer and actor for decades, before she joined SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market as their Director of PR, Marketing, and Programming. It was during her time in Santa Fe that the “seeds” of what would become We Are The Seeds began to germinate.
As anyone who has been there knows, New Mexico has a rich history of art, and indigenous people’s art and culture is represented there in abundance. But while this representation is robust, it tends to be narrowly focused (turquoise jewelry, feathered headdresses and Kachina dolls immediately come to mind), and Tailinh set out to bring indigenous people’s art into the current era. With this backdrop, the organization created a unique, two-day celebration in the Santa Fe Railyard Art District. It featured over 100 indigenous artists from a wide range of disciplines: painters, sculptors, musicians, and contemporary jewelry designers. They had a big stage with numerous musical acts and performers. Traditional foods were served and the event featured a lot of non-traditional art, creating an environment that Tailinh says, “showed that our culture is vibrant and joyful, and also let people know that our people’s art is evolving, too.”
While the Eastern seaboard of the United States certainly has a rich history of native peoples, when I think of places where their representation in culture is strong and readily evident, a city like Philadelphia didn’t immediately come to mind. Which is why learning that We Are The Seeds has now relocated its operations to this historic city came as a bit of a surprise initially. I asked Tailinh about the move and the reasons behind it, and she mentioned that doing the work that her organization does requires that you educate people.
Sharing the joy and enthusiasm she has for her culture and her people’s art in a place like Philly has special significance, since Philadelphia is distinctly tied to the history of our nation, yet she feels that indigenous people’s role in that narrative is underrepresented. But she makes it very clear, We Are The Seeds of Culture Trust Greater Philadelphia is not about that; forcing a deeper conversation about the limited narrative of indigenous peoples in our history is not their mission. The mission for “Seeds Philly” is to celebrate their history while demonstrating the art of the present and elevating the artists who make it.
While art and music were a large part of their big, produced Santa Fe events, the organization’s focus in Philadelphia has deliberately been more on education. Here, they do fewer big events and focus more on community gatherings, speaking on panels, meeting with business leaders, and going to schools and performing at assemblies. They show films by indigenous filmmakers, showcase current singers and dancers, and they even sponsored a talk about the historical roots of Lacrosse, a wildly popular game on the east coast, which is called “the Creator’s game” in their culture.
You would be hard pressed to find someone who has more passion for sharing her art, culture, and history, while simultaneously spearheading the next chapter of their story through exhibition, education, and celebration. As we began to wrap up our conversation, I mentioned that delicate balance, and Tailinh told me that “we want to share our traditions, but we also want to remind the world that we are still here, we’re still contributing to art in amazing ways, and we’re thriving!”.
Tailinh Agoyo - Seeds Philly 2021
Co-founder & Director of We Are The Seeds
Born in Rhode Island and raised in New York, Tailinh Agoyo has since lived on both coasts + New Mexico.
Tailinh was the Tomaquag Museum’s 2020 Eleanor Dove Entrepreneur Award Recipient.
Tailinh was the Tomaquag Museum’s 2020 Eleanor Dove Entrepreneur Award Recipient.
