TY DEFOE
TY DEFOE
As an Indigiqueer citizen of the Oneida and Anishinaabe Nations, Ty Defoe is a writer, interdisciplinary artist, and Grammy Award winner whose work thrives in the fluid spaces between forms. His practice exists at the intersections of art, climate justice, and cultural activism, challenging the settler colonial binaries imposed upon me as a theatermaker. At the heart of his work is the creation of beautiful trouble—expression that dismantles conventions, expands the possibilities of performance, and architects worlds where I and my communities can thrive.
As a shape-shifter, Ty moves between mediums to center Indigenous voices, trans identities, and the urgency of climate justice. His work is animated by the belief that anything can happen at any time, and by a curiosity that transforms whatever materials are at hand. Now, as an artist, he is demanding more for resources, collaborators, and the infrastructure that will allow his art to flourish. This demand is not only practical; it reflects an ethic of care and a commitment to creating space for visions that honor both ancestors and future generations.
Ty’s journey has taken him from the Millennium celebration in Cairo to Lincoln Center in New York, guided by a global commitment to story. Along the way, he have been honored with awards such as the Jonathan Larson Award and the Global Indigenous Heritage Festival Award, and supported through fellowships with the Sundance Institute, MacDowell, Kennedy Center’s Next 50, and Pop Culture Collaborative’s Becoming America initiative. These experiences have fortified his vision: to cultivate a voice rooted in heritage yet radically inventive in expression.
As co-founder of Indigenous Direction, Ty has led landmark projects that bridge Native and non-Native communities through the arts. From educational programs to groundbreaking performances, the mission has always been to amplify Indigenous and marginalized voices. With support such as the Global On the Road Grant from Theatre Communications Group, their work has reached audiences at events ranging from Marquette University’s First Native American Film Festival to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
As a Native, two-spirit/Indigiqueer trans artist, Ty’s life and work are inherently political. His very existence is resistance in a world that often denies him space. Embracing his full identity reveals power in his artistic practice. That power continues to propel him forward: taking risks, disrupting norms, and refusing to compromise.
Ty dreams in futures where performance transcends the stage, unfolding in planetariums, immersive gardens, and multimedia sanctuaries. Narrative and story remain at the center, but always in ways that resist binary thinking. Ty is not simply imagining new worlds; he is building them.
Ty is building—futures as boundless and luminous as the celestial forces that inspire me.
