In this episode, artist-in-residence, Lakota musician, public speaker, and educator Frank Waln joins ArtLab director Bree Edwards to explore the medicinal power of music in constructing futures from the rubble of colonial violence. Drawing on his formative relationship with music, Frank traces the lineage of hip-hop back to experiences of colonial displacement faced by communities of color in America. He discusses how this legacy allowed him to celebrate and share his indigeneity through storytelling, ceremony, and music.

We delve into Frank’s multi-year artist residency at ArtLab, where he aimed to continue exploring his musical practice—until he received unexpected news: the discovery of a hair sample belonging to his great-grandmother in the Woodbury Collection at the Harvard Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography. This painful revelation marked a pivotal moment in his creative journey.

In collaboration with Harvard’s Native American Program (HUNAP) and the Harvard Divinity School (HDS), Frank led Waná Wétu Owíčhota Owášta (We Gather in the Spring to Help in Our Healing), a gathering inspired by the Lakota Wiping of the Tears ceremony, creating a healing space for himself and other Native peoples at Harvard. Join us for an intimate conversation about Frank’s approach to hip-hop, heritage, and healing at ArtLab and beyond.