Born fromResistance.
IndigiPopX was founded to do what mainstream geek culture wouldn't — put Indigenous creators, stories, and voices at the center of the pop culture universe.
It started with a need.
In 2016, Dr. Lee Francis IV (Pueblo of Laguna) looked at the landscape of comic conventions and saw what was missing: Indigenous people. Not as costumes or caricatures — but as creators, heroes, and storytellers. He didn't set out to build something alone. He set out to open a door — and invite all of us to walk through it together.
IndigiPopX was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a direct response to the underrepresentation and erasure that had long defined mainstream geek spaces. The first event was a beginning — but the community made it real. Every artist who tabled, every fan who showed up, every volunteer who stayed late: this was always ours to build.
What grew from that first gathering became something none of us could have imagined alone — the Indigenous Pop Expo. Fashion. Music. Food traditions. Literature. Gaming. Film. A full-spectrum celebration of what Indigenous pop culture actually is, shaped by the hands and hearts of the community that claimed it.
In 2026, Dr. Lee Francis IV officially passed the torch. Co-Directors Tom Farris and Kristin Hoover Gentry — who had been building alongside him for years — stepped fully into leadership of IndigiPopX. It was not a handoff. It was a homecoming. The movement Dr. Francis started now lives in the hands of the community that grew it.
Dr. Lee Francis IV
Founder & Director Emeritus
Pueblo of Laguna
"We're not a footnote in someone else's story. We are the story."
In 2026, Dr. Lee Francis IV officially passed leadership of IndigiPopX to Co-Directors Tom Farris and Kristin Hoover Gentry.
Current Leadership
Founder Emeritus
From Albuquerque to Australia.
Albuquerque, NM
2016The founding event. A grassroots gathering in the heart of the Southwest that proved the demand was real.
Denver, CO
IndigiPopX heads north — bringing Indigenous pop culture energy to Colorado's Front Range.
Tacoma, WA
2023IFFNW — the Indigenous Film & Film Festival of the Northwest — brings IndigiPopX to the Pacific Northwest, rooting the movement in Tacoma's Indigenous community.
Oklahoma City, OK
2023 & 2024Back-to-back events at the First Americans Museum — one of the most significant venues in Indian Country.
Durham, NC
2025The East Coast debut at Duke University in North Carolina, bringing IndigiPopX to a new audience and a new region.
Australia
IndigiPopX goes international — connecting with Indigenous communities and pop culture fans across the Pacific.
TBA
2027The decade+ celebration. Location to be announced. The movement continues.
Pop culture is a battleground. We're here to win it.
Representation
Indigenous people are not relics of the past. We are scientists, artists, gamers, cosplayers, and creators — and we deserve to see ourselves in the stories we love.
Sovereignty
Our stories belong to us. IndigiPopX is a space where Indigenous creators control the narrative — no gatekeepers, no stereotypes, no permission required.
Community
Every con is a gathering. A reunion. A reminder that we are not alone — and that the Indigenous pop culture community is vast, vibrant, and growing.
Future
We invest in the next generation of Indigenous creators. The kid who attends IndigiPopX today is the comic book writer, game designer, or filmmaker of tomorrow.
Made by the community.
The IndigiPopX visual identity was created by Indigenous artists who are part of this movement — not outside it.
IndigiPopX Logo
Co-created by Dale Deforest (Diné) and Dr. Lee Francis IV (Pueblo of Laguna). The mark reflects the intersection of Indigenous identity and pop culture that defines this movement.
Dale Deforest & Dr. Lee Francis IV
The Dizi Twins
IndigiPopX's chibi-style symbols, designed by Dale Deforest (Diné). The Dizi Twins embody the spirit of the community — playful, proud, and unmistakably Indigenous.