Episode 3 Frank Waln

Works in Progress

In this episode, Lakota music artist, 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 opened space for him to celebrate and share his indigeneity through storytelling, ceremony, and music. Native artists, having already navigated their own apocalypses, are uniquely equipped with potent cultural tools for fostering renewal.
We delve into Frank’s multi-year artist residency at ArtLab, where he aimed to continue exploring his hip-hop 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 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.
Frank’s ArtLab residency page: https://artlab.harvard.edu/directory/frank-waln/
Frank’s personal website: http://frankwaln.com/
Frank’s instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/frankwaln/
Works in Progress is recorded and produced in ArtLab’s Mead Production Lab, located on the traditional territory of the Massachusetts people, the original inhabitants of what is now known as Boston and Cambridge. The show is hosted by Bree Edwards, produced by Kat Nakaji, and edited by Luke Damrosch—theme music . Theme music is by Kicktracks.
For more information about the show, the ArtLab, and the artists featured, visit artlab.harvard.edu. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram by searching @ArtLabHarvard.