
Introducing the 2018 Mentor Artist Fellows
Join us in congratulating the eight accomplished Native artists, representing six states, named our 2018 Mentor Artist Fellows!

Remembering James Luna (1950-2018)
Installation and performance artist James Luna has died. Luna, of Puyukitchum, Ipai, and Mexican American Indian descent, passed away on March 4, 2018. While our hearts are heavy with his loss, we remember his relentless spirit and poignant voice as a Native artist.

Introducing the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation 2018 National Artist Fellows
Congratulations to the 20 artists, representing five disciplines and twelve states, who have been awarded a Native Arts and Cultures Foundation 2018 National Artist Fellowship!

Linda Infante Lyons
The work of visual artist Linda Infante Lyons (Alutiiq) is a quietly subversive act intended to achieve an element of decolonization.

Jim Denomie
Painter and multimedia artist Jim Denomie (Ojibwe) portrays historical, political and social issues with sly humor and an eye-popping palette.

Elizabeth Woody
Elizabeth Woody’s vivid and powerful poetry conveys the immediate impact of a brilliant intellect and an astounding use of language.

Michael Wasson
Writer Michael Wasson (Nimíipuu) sees poetry as his calling to create space for Indigenous artists – not merely in the Western canon, but as a counterweight to its violence and legacy.

Luci Tapahonso
Writer Luci Tapahonso (Diné [Navajo]) is the inaugural Poet Laureate of the Navajo Nation and uses language to honor the rich legacy of the Diné people.

Heid E. Erdrich
Writer, storyteller, poet and multidisciplinary artist Heid E. Erdrich reaches audiences through her voice as a woman from both Ojibwe and American cultures.

Marques Hanalei Marzan
Fiber artist Marques Hanalei Marzan has dedicated his career to continual exploration, perpetuation, and innovation around Native Hawaiian arts.

Pōhaku Kaho`ohanohano
Pōhaku Hano Kaho`ohanohano, a practitioner and preservationist of traditional Native Hawaiian weaving, weaves and teaches from his studio on family land in Kahakuloa.

Melissa S. Cody
Melissa S. Cody is a fourth generation Navajo weaver and textile artist who pushes the boundaries of a traditional art form with vivid colors and sharp geometric overlays.

Frank Waln
Frank Waln (Sicangu Lakota) is an Indigenous American rapper, songwriter and activist from the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota.

Bently Spang
Installation, performance and video artist Bently Spang blends the sacred and seemingly mundane to interpret contemporary life as an Tsistsistas (Northern Cheyenne) man from his studio in Billings, Montana.

Ciara Leina`ala Lacy
Filmmaker Ciara Leina`ala Lacy (Kanaka Maoli) is driven by her commitment to social justice, representation, and Native Hawaiian culture.

Anthony Hudson
Performance Artist Anthony Hudson’s work powerfully confronts social constructs through drag, performance, video and theater.

Allison Akootchook Warden
Interdisciplinary hip-hop artist Allison Warden of Anchorage, Alaska engages her audience with stories of the Iñupiaq people, putting a contemporary spin on tradition.

Jeff Peterson
Jeff Peterson is a slack key guitarist, composer, and educator. He studies and shares the rich history of Hawaiian music across generations.

Kalani Pe’a
Kalani Pe’a is a songwriter and vocalist who celebrates his Native Hawaiian language and heritage through music and visual arts.