PlaceKnowing with Dr. Ted Jojola Returns for Season 3

The University of New Mexico's Indigenous Design and Planning Institute (iD+Pi) in the School of Architecture + Planning announces the return of its original podcast series, PlaceKnowing with Dr. Ted Jojola, with a five-part third season premiering Oct. 14.

Season 3 centers on Restorying Our HeartPlace: Contemporary Pueblo Architecture, an exhibition which opened in March 2025 at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Curated by distinguished scholars Dr. Theodore (Ted) Jojola (Isleta Pueblo) and Lynn Paxson, the exhibition examines the evolution, revival, and transformation of Pueblo architecture following the passage of the 1975 Indian Self-Determination Act.

Following the success of this exhibition, iD+Pi has been invited to participate in the Venice Biennale in Italy. Participating in this prestigious event offers the opportunity to reach and engage a global audience in Pueblo culture and traditions, showcasing architecture as a form of resilience. The six-month exhibition is expected to welcome more than 370,000 visitors during its run from May 8 through Nov. 21, 2027.

"The Venice Biennale is a once-in-a-lifetime event that will stage the accomplishments of our own Pueblo designers," said Jojola, who is the iD+Pi founder and director. "It is a saga of ingenuity and assertion of our cultural identity that continues to influence and affect modern life. Pueblo architecture continues to connect us to the land and it is a manifestation of our Indigenous sovereignty."

Through five in-depth conversations, Jojola engages architects, designers, and Pueblo leaders whose work demonstrates how ancestral architectural principles continue to shape 20th- and 21st-century design. The series highlights projects including the Sky City Ha'aku Museum and Cultural Center at Acoma Pueblo, contemporary Pueblo-led design practices, and comprehensive planning approaches grounded in cultural continuity and sovereignty.

Hosted by Jojola, a world-renowned expert in Indigenous design and planning methodology, distinguished professor and regents' professor in the Community & Regional Planning Program at UNM, the podcast extends the exhibition beyond gallery walls, creating an accessible audio archive of contemporary Pueblo architectural thought.

Season 3 features conversations with:

• Earthen builder and author Athena Steen (Santa Clara Pueblo)
• Co-curator Dr. Lynn Paxson
• Pueblo architect Theo Edaakie (Isleta Pueblo)
• Designer Janet Carpio (Laguna/Isleta Pueblo)
• Former Governor of the Pueblo of Acoma, Founding director of the Pueblo of Acoma's Haakú Museum Brian Vallo (Acoma Pueblo)

Far from being a relic of the past, contemporary Indigenous architects are actively reclaiming ancestral knowledge to build structures that treat architecture not as a static consumer object, but as a living, breathing participant in the ecosystem.

Produced in collaboration with The Aunties Dandelion media organization, PlaceKnowing continues its mission to support social changemakers, planners, designers, and community leaders in engaging Indigenous planning methods to remediate neglected land and make way for healthy communities.

"Pueblo architecture exists within a living continuum," said Jojola. "These conversations honour ancestral foundations that continue to guide contemporary practice. Self-determination shapes our political systems, our spatial environments, and our architectural expression."

PlaceKnowing with Dr. Ted Jojola will release biweekly beginning Oct. 14, with subsequent episodes dropping Oct. 28, Nov. 11, Nov. 25, and Dec. 9, and is available on all major podcast platforms.