chapter house ['chap-tәr 'haūs] noun

1. On the Navajo Nation, a municipality’s seat of government.

2. A community center where chapter residents of all ages meet, discuss community issues, attend classes, participate in walks and runs, and receive assistance like food, water, or medical and veterinary services.

About The Chapter House

A large part of the modern Native experience is protest. While protests are crucial to fight for Indigenous sovereignty and dignity, there are few spaces in urban centers off of reservations for Natives to convene, discuss, and heal when protests end - and fewer that celebrate the importance of art and artists to Indigenous people.

The Chapter House provides that space. It is a place for Indigenous Peoples and allies to appreciate art, convene and collaborate, celebrate individual and shared Indigenous cultures, and explore the complexities of the 21st Century Indigenous experience. This is a space for Indigenous empowerment and community, but all who share a desire for universal empowerment are welcome here. 

Founded in 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we started entirely online. In our first year, we hosted virtual panel discussions, artist lectures, poetry nights, concerts, film screenings, weaving demonstrations, community arts nights, and an online exhibition featuring works from 45 artists. In October 2021, we held our first in-person events at our month-long REZidency on Tongva Land (so-called Los Angeles, CA) where we held wellness and empowerment workshops, weaving and beading workshops, live music and poetry performances, and ate plenty of piccadillies.