March is “Women’s History Month” in the United States. At the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, we recognize and honor our women artists and culture bearers that have received fellowships since our inception seven years ago. While we acknowledge them during “Women’s History Month”, we actually cherish and hold them in high regard every month of the year. These remarkable women are always in our thoughts and hearts for their commitment to keeping the arts and cultural expression of Native peoples alive. They are mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, aunties, in-laws, cousins and friends who give tirelessly of their time and talent. They are skilled and outstanding artists who hold many other important roles in our communities and whose voices are reflected in the work they produce. We admire their courage, compassion, strength, and congratulate each one of them for sharing their “spirit” and helping to make the world a better place.
Please join us in honoring NACF’s women artists and culture bearers Bernice Akamine (Native Hawaiian), Kaili Chun (Native Hawaiian), Kelly Church (Grand Traverse Band Ottawa Chippewa), Amelia Cornelius (Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin), Laura Da’ (Eastern Shawnee/Seneca/Miami), Natalie Diaz (Mojave/Pima), Shan Goshorn (Eastern Band Cherokee), Raiatea Helm (Native Hawaiian), Melissa Henry (Navajo), Linda Hogan (Chickasaw Nation), Vicky Holt Takamine (Native Hawaiian), Emily Johnson (Yup’ik), Robi Kahakalau (Native Hawaiian), Starr Kalāhiki (Native Hawaiian), Lehua Kalima (Native Hawaiian), Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole (Native Hawaiian), Kaui Kanaka’ole (Native Hawaiian), Sonya Kelliher-Combs (Iñupiaq/Athabaskan), Kapulani Landgraf (Native Hawaiian), Layli Long Soldier (Oglala Lakota), Christen Marquez (Native Hawaiian), Nora Naranjo Morse (Santa Clara Pueblo-Tewa), Joan Naviyuk Kane (Iñupiaq), Martha Redbone (Cherokee/Choctaw), Clarissa Rizal (Tlingit T’ak Dein Taan Raven Clan), Teri Rofkar (Tlingit), Abigail Romanchak (Native Hawaiian), Rosy Simas (Seneca), Rose Simpson (Santa Clara Pueblo), Jennifer M. Stevens (Oneida/Lakota), April Stone-Dahl (Bad River Band of Lake Superior), Brooke Swaney (Blackfeet/Salish), Dalani Tanahy (Native Hawaiian), Lisa Telford (Haida), Maggie Thompson (Fond du Lac Band of Minnesota), Anna Tsouhlarakis (Navajo/Creek), Marie Watt (Seneca), Delina White (Ojibwe), and Dyani White Hawk (Sicangu Lakota).
“Women’s History Month” traces its roots back to the first International Women’s Day on March 8, 1911. An effort to celebrate and honor women and their often neglected contributions to the history of the United States and our society began in the early 1900’s with the movement for women’s labor rights in the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union (ILGWU). President Carter issued a presidential proclamation making the week of March 8th, 1980 “Women’s History Week” after Sarah Lawrence College, the Women’s Action Alliance, and the Smithsonian Institution co-sponsored a successful fifteen-day conference about women’s history. In 1987, with pressure from the National Women’s History Project, Congress finally passed Public Law 100-9 designating the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month”. Since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama have issued annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.”
Every year since 1980, women have been uplifted in March for their courage and compassion in helping to build a better nation. They are honored for their historical contributions to social and political change. Their unique accomplishments and stories are celebrated from our communities to the halls of schools, business, and government. Women’s vision, strength and conviction have positively influenced every aspect of society. Women’s History Month provides an opportunity for women from the past and those women alive today to be recognized and dignified. We appreciate this effort and are grateful that at least one month each year The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of women whose commitment to our nation and planet have proved invaluable.
Reminder: NACF Open Call Closing on March 21
Completed applications for NACF’s National Artist Fellowship will be accepted until Monday, March 21, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time…
Make sure to complete your application and submit all of the required documents. For more information click here, or if you need assistance contact NACF Program Officer Andre Bouchard, M-F from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT, at andre@nativeartsandcultures.org, or call 360-334-7285.
Complete Your Application Now!
Embracing Tradition, Creating in the Now
Native Artists Explore the Art of Basketry to Weave Tradition into the 21st Century…
“Woven: The Art of Contemporary Native Basketry” is an exhibit that brings together 13 contemporary Native artists to shed light on the many different facets of the age-old craft of weaving. The exhibit, which is on display at the Archer Gallery in Vancouver, Wash., from Mar. 1 through Apr. 23, is the second in the I.M.N.D.N. Native Arts for the 21st Century Exhibition Series.
One of the intents of the series is to break away from the preconceived notion that romanticizes Native artists as “frozen” in historic pictures of centuries ago. While “Woven” honors and acknowledges the weavers of the past, many anonymous, the focus of the exhibit is not on historic baskets. In many cases the featured contemporary artists have researched and mastered traditional basket making techniques. However, many have incorporated socio-political elements to their work, and others have integrated contemporary materials and imagery that pay respect to tradition but clearly depict the 21st century as their time and place.
NACF is the fiscal sponsor for “Woven” and partnered with I.M.N.D.N’s director and exhibit curator Todd Clark, who has done a superb job in selecting, displaying and setting up the exhibit. “Woven” has received support from several Pacific Northwest tribes, including, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, the Nisqually Indian Tribe, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, the Quinault Indian Nation, the Snoqualmie Tribe, the Suquamish Indian Tribe, and the Tulalip Tribes. Four of the 13 featured artists are also current and past NACF fellows: Kelly Church, Shan Goshorn, Bernice Akamine and Lisa Telford. For more information visit I.M.N.D.N.’s website.
Thank you for your feedback!
We’d like to thank all of you who took the time to take the Readership survey we sent out in December…
We are also appreciative of all of the comments that were made. Unfortunately the survey was anonymous so we cannot respond to you on an individual basis, but please feel free to reach out to us if you would like to follow up.
Of those who responded, 56% were artists, 50% were professionals from the arts and cultures fields, 14% were donors and 9% were professionals in philanthropy. The most sought out topics of interest were information about funding opportunities from NACF or other organizations, events by NACF artists, articles about NACF fellows/grantees and op-ed articles on issues of cultural equity and or social justice.
As far as frequency and length of our newsletter there was a 50-50 split, with half of respondents preferring longer newsletters less frequently and the other half favoring shorter newsletters more frequently. We take your time and opinions seriously and we will do our best to incorporate your feedback into our communications moving forward.