New Native Narratives Featured at Writers Conference
Over the course of four days at the end of March, the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) held…
Jim Denomie Paints Fearlessly About Contemporary Native Issues
Jim Denomie, 2018 National Artist Fellow Jim Denomie (Ojibwe) is a 2018 Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) National Artist Fellow…
Learning to Weave with Lisa Telford
Francene Blythe, NACF Director of Programs During a recent visit with 2018 NACF Mentor Artist Fellow Lisa Telford (Haida), I had…
NACF Fellows Shine at Honolulu Biennial 2019 Events
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) was thrilled to present several events featuring National and Regional Artist Fellows during…
2019 AWP Conference Events in Portland, Oregon
Portland, OR – NACF Fellows are participating in this week’s 2019 Association of Writers & Writers Programs Conference in Portland,…
Building Bridges – A Conversation with Author Heid E. Erdrich
Heid E. Erdrich (Ojibwe) is a writer, poet, filmmaker and visual artist, and the author of several poetry collections. She…
2019 Honolulu Biennial Events
The Honolulu Biennial is an international contemporary art exhibition that brings together artists from Hawaiʻi, the Pacific, Asia and the…
Celebrating Native Women Artists During Women’s History Month
In 1987, the U.S. Congress designated March as National Women’s History Month to honor the contributions of women to history…
NACF 2018 Annual Report
Lulani Arquette (NACF President/CEO) Welina me ke aloha, The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation expresses sincere appreciation to our friends,…
2017 Mentor Artist Fellow Update: Delina White
2017 Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) Mentor Artist Fellow Delina White (Ojibwe) creates appliqué and beadwork apparel using traditional Woodland designs of…
NACF Fellows Perform at the 2019 APAP|NYC Conference
Three Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) Fellows performed at the annual APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals) conference this January…
Remembering Shan Goshorn (2014 NACF Artist Fellow)
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) mourns the passing of Cherokee weaver Shan Goshorn (2014 NACF Artist Fellowship), after…
Please Support the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation!
Aloha Friends, As someone who understands the value of arts and cultures you know that they provide a seed with…
2017 Mentor Artist Fellow Update: Royce Manuel
2017 NACF Mentor Artist Fellow Royce Manuel (Auk-Mierl Aw-Thum) is a renowned artist in southern Arizona who has spent years researching…
2017 Mentor Artist Fellow Apprentices on Retreat
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) 2017 Mentor Artist Fellow apprentices culminated their 12-month program this past summer at…
Remembering Cyril Pahinui (2013 National Artist Fellow – Music)
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) mourns the passing of Native Hawaiian slack key guitar player Cyril Pahinui (2013…
2018 National Artist Fellows Convening
Over the course of three days, September 26-28, the eighteen 2018 National Artist Fellows were convened in Portland, Oregon, for sharing…
NACF Fellows Receive Western Arts Alliance Native Launchpad Award
This year, three Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF), National Artist Fellows have been named the inaugural Western Arts Alliance (WAA), Native Launchpad award recipients. Congratulations to Christopher Kau’i Morgan (2013 – NACF Dance Fellow), Allison Warden (2018 – NACF Music Fellow) and...
Native Arts for Social Change
NACF has a passion and talent for bringing exceptional artists together before diverse audiences to share their insightful work and…
2017 Mentor Fellow Update: Dyani White Hawk
Dyani White Hawk, a 2017 Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) Mentor Artist, recently completed her joint art project (on…
Kevin Pourier Wins Best of Show at Indian Market
Kevin Pourier (Oglala Lakota), a 2014 Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) Regional Artist Fellow, has been carving Buffalo horn…
Out of State – A Documentary by Ciara Lacy
Ciara Leina`ala Lacy (Kanaka Maoli), 2018 Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) National Artist Fellow, presented her directorial debut, Out of State,…
Join Us For First Friday With Richard D. York
“Embracing tradition helps me to embrace change. I intend each artwork I make to operate as a provocative invitation for…
Manahatta by Mary Kathryn Nagle
This past spring the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) supported three panel discussions with three Native female playwrights –…
NACF Supports Work of Reclaiming Native Truth
At an international conference I attended this year, a Caucasian male speaker who has traveled the nation and world extensively,…
Where the Sky & the Earth Meet: NACF Native Artist Panel Event at PNCA
Join us for a panel discussion by Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian visual artists as they present their work addressing the complexities of contemporary Native life and Native identity.
Events are open to the public!
Join us for a free screening of Out of State
SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 7:00pm Screening 8:40pm Q & A with director Ciara Lacy Doors open at 6:30 PM Reserve your…
For Girls Becoming – an Arts Mentorship Program for Young Mvskoke Women
For Girls Becoming was launched in June 2017 by Mvskoke poets Joy Harjo-Sapulpa (NACF Board Member) and Jennifer Elise Foerster…
NACF Fellow Artists at the 2018 Santa Fe Indian Market
Native Arts and Cultures Foundation’s (NACF) Director of Programs, Francene Blythe, attended The Southwest Association for Indian Arts 97th Annual Santa Fe Indian…
Join us for First Friday with Greg Archuleta
What: You won’t want to miss this Native Artist Series event! For Vancouver’s September First Friday our featured guest is a…
Studio Visit with Linda Infante Lyons
From her Anchorage studio, visual artist and 2018 National Artist Fellow Linda Infante Lyons (Alutiiq) discussed the development of her…
NACF Fellows Participate in Standing Rock Exhibition
The Condor and the Eagle: Moving Forward After Standing Rock is a Native art exhibition currently on display at the Elisabeth Jones…
Tlingit Art of Copper Chasing and Repoussé with Mentor Fellow Nicholas Galanin
The art of copper chasing and repoussé – designs hammered into relief, also known as embossing – has been used by several…
Join Us for First Friday with Roben White
What: You won’t want to miss this Native Artist Series event! For Vancouver’s First Friday our featured guest is visual…
2018 Mentor Artist Fellows Start Their Mentorship Year
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation’s Mentor Artist Fellowship recognizes established American Indian and Alaska Native artists of ten years or more…
Weaving a New Narrative – the Interwoven Radiance Exhibition is Celebrated
On June 28, the Portland Art Museum (PAM) hosted a closing celebration for Interwoven Radiance, part of the Center for…
Capacity Building in Native Communities – The National Philanthropy Institute
Santa Ana Pueblo, NM – The National Philanthropy Institute, an annual conference hosted by Native Americans in Philanthropy, brought together…
Join Us for First Friday with Robert Harju
What: You won’t want to miss this Native Artist Series event! For Vancouver’s First Friday artwalk our featured guest is…
Brian Adams – Environmental Portraiture Documenting Alaska Native People
Brian Adams (Iñupiaq), a 2018 NACF National Artist Fellow, was featured in the North by North Festival this past April as part…
Iñupiaq Hip Hop with Allison Akootchook Warden
The North by North Festival held in Anchorage, Alaska this past April brought together innovators from Alaska, the nation and other Arctic…
Mentor Artist Fellows Training in Minneapolis
On May 17 and 18, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) convened its 2017 and 2018 Mentor Artist Fellows…
“Identity In Our Fashion” Panel Event at the Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) partnered with the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) to present a collaborative panel…
Woven: The Art of Contemporary Native Basketry
Woven, an exhibition in the Portland International Airport, challenges preconceived notions of Native art by balancing contemporary creative expression with…
Join Us for First Friday in Vancouver, WA
Friday, June 1, 2018 5:00-8:00pm NACF Headquarters, The Academy 400 E. Evergreen Blvd. #101B, Vancouver, WA What: You won’t want…
Cultural Exchange in Croatia – An Interview with TahNibaa Naataanii
In mid-December of 2017 we received an email requesting contact information for one of our Mentor Artist Fellows. This is…
Identity in Our Fashion: Four Native Women Artists on Creativity and Cultural Knowledge
Wearable art and culture have always been at the center of Native American life, from ceremonial robes to traditional dress…
NACF to Receive $30,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
DATE: May 9, 2018 Native Arts and Cultures Foundation to Receive $30,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts…
Join us for a discussion about Native Perspectives on Arts, Culture and Justice
Programmed by the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation and We Can Listen, seven Native American artists share their perspectives through…
Meet Chinook artist Greg A. Robinson at NACF headquarters for First Friday in Vancouver, WA
Please join us for Art, Inspiration, Conversation and Light Refreshments! ɬax̣awyam (welcome) When: Friday, May 4, from 5:00-8:00pm Where: Native…
Exploring Life’s Offerings through Journeys in Creativity
Capturing the attention of high school students in the digital era can be a challenge, but Shirod Younker (Coquille), Journeys in…
NACF’s Community Inspiration Project Airs on National Television
One of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation’s Community Inspiration Project pilots, “Repellent Fence”, is scheduled to air on prime-time national television Tuesday, April 24, at 8:00 pm Eastern (check local stations here). It will be broadcast as part of the new season of the award winning “America Reframed”.
Introducing the 2018 Mentor Artist Fellows
Join us in congratulating the eight accomplished Native artists, representing six states, named our 2018 Mentor Artist Fellows!
NACF attended the CultureSummit 2018 in Abu Dhabi
Native Arts and Cultures President/CEO Lulani Arquette attended Culture Summit 2018 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The high-level international summit…
Weaving for Generations to Come
2017 Mentor Artist Fellow Lani Hotch (Chilkat Indian Village) comes from a long lineage of weavers starting back with her great-great-grandmother. She began weaving with her grandmother and is using her opportunity as a Mentor Fellow to ensure that the tradition is passed on to younger generations.
Visit our National Headquarters, Meet artist Brenda Mallory!
Stop by our national headquarters on April 6, 2018 to view a unique installation by Cherokee visual artist Brenda Mallory.
2018 National Artist Fellow and Grammy Winner Kalani Pe’a tours the West Coast
NACF 2018 National Artist Fellow and singer/songwriter Kalani Pe’a calls himself a millennial Hawaiian who loves to write Hawaiian music with his own innovative twist.
Celebrating our Indigenous Women Artists during Women’s History Month
During National Women’s History Month, please join us in honoring our community of Native Arts and Cultures Foundation women artists and culture bearers.
Supporting Emerging Native Filmmakers with the Sundance Institute
Filmmaker Shaandiin Tome (Diné) recently completed her year as a Sundance Institute | Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Fellow, a unique opportunity for emerging filmmakers to learn from industry professionals.
Join the 2018 Revolution of Values!
We call on artists, creative organizers, concerned citizens, and all community members to join together from April 2-8, 2018, to draw inspiration from and breathe new life into the prophetic words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Can You Name #5WomenArtists?
Can you name five women artists? Many people can’t. If you can, it probably takes you much longer to think of five female artists than five male artists. Now, try to name five women artists of color. Join us in the #5WomenArtists campaign.
Indigenous Women Playwrights Series in Oregon
This spring, three Indigenous, female playwrights will present their work on Oregon’s top stages at the same time. It’s a ground breaking convergence of award-winning, distinguished playwrights.
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.
NACF Welcomes New Director of National Artist Fellowships
Please join us in giving a warm welcome to our new Director of National Artist Fellowships, Reuben Tomás Roqueñi!
Save the NEA
The following is a statement on behalf of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, regarding recent proposals to eliminate the…
Missing Indigenous To Screen in Paris
Missing Indigenous is a seven-minute film which personalizes the heart wrenching epidemic of Native American women going missing. NACF is proud to support its first international screening.
Restitution and Healing
As we reflect on 2017, it was a year in which people of this country gathered and championed issues they…
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!
2017 Year In Review Report Now Available
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation is pleased to share its 2017 Year In Review, available to view and or…
Diné Weaver to Raise Awareness Internationally
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation extends its congratulations to 2017 Mentor Artist Fellow TahNibaa Naataanii (Diné [Navajo]), who has…
Share Our Brochure with your Favorite Native Artist!
Would you like to help the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation reach more Native artists and supporters? We could use…
To change the world, we have to change the story. #PSOTU2018
What if the annual State of the Union was not a speech spoken by one, but a poem created by…
Native Art Now! Documentary Offers Insights into Contemporary Native Arts
Click here to watch the full 57 minute documentary. Native Art Now! is a new exhibition of some of the…
Aloha and Thank You to the Native Arts and Cultures Community
On behalf of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation staff and Board of Directors, President and CEO Lulani Arquette extends…
Mentor Artist Fellow Update: Carving and Making Connections in Oregon
As the Native Arts and Cultures pilot Mentor Artist Fellowship approaches its six-month mark, we’d like to update our followers…
Mentor Artist Fellows Update: Canoe Building in Wisconsin
Wayne Valliere and Lawrence Mann gathering cedar., 2017 As part of our mission to support the continuation and revitalization of…
The Art of Brenda Mallory Comes to Vancouver!
Over the next few months the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation has a fascinating surprise for anyone fortunate enough to…
Into the Future: Culture Power in Native American Art
From July 17, 2016 through October 22, 2017, visitors to the Museum of Indian Arts and Cultures (MIAC) in Santa…
Giving Thanks ~ A Message from President Lulani Arquette
We believe in the power, beauty, and resilience of Native arts and cultures. In challenging times such as these, we…
Deva Leinani Aiko Yamashiro, Governor’s Heritage Award Recipient 2017
NACF staff and board members honored the legacy of Deva Leinani Aiko Yamashiro who was one of the recipients of…
Sculptors Respond: Indigenous (hi)Story, Land and “Belonging” in an Era of Anti-Immigration
Kansas City, Missouri – In October 2017, the 27th Annual International Sculpture Conference featured the panel Indigenous Sculptors Respond: Indigenous…
The Story of Everything – A Provocative Multimedia Exploration of How We Came to Be
The Story of Everything -San Rafael, Ca. On October 22, the production of The Story of Everything was performed to…
Indigenous New York, Artist Perspectives
New York City, New York – Indigenous New York, Artist Perspectives, focuses on contemporary indigenous artist perspectives and practices, grounded…
NACF Fellow Participates in Australia’s BlakDance National Indigenous Dance Forum
We know that is necessary for indigenous artists to develop opportunities to network and build relationships within states, regions, nationally,…
Tears of Duk’Wibahl International Gathering of Indigenous Visual Artists of the Pacific Rim
The Longhouse Education and Cultural Center has been promoting Indigenous arts and cultures through education, cultural preservation, creative expression, and…
Chilkat and Ravenstail Weavers Celebrated in Interwoven Radiance
Weavers Across the Water: Marsha Hotch, Michelle Gray, Debra O’Gara, Douglas Gray, Irene Lampe, Catrina Mitchell, Karen Taug, Nila Rinehart,…
California’s American Indian & Indigenous Film Festival
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation is proud to support California’s American Indian & Indigenous Film Festival (CAIIFF), taking place…
Advocating for Native Arts on a National Stage
Native Arts and Cultures Foundation staff will speak to issues affecting the national arts and cultures sector this fall at…
#HonorNativeLand – A guide to respectfully acknowledge ancestral lands
In countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and among tribal nations in the U.S., it is commonplace, even policy, to open events and gatherings by acknowledging the traditional Indigenous inhabitants of that land. While some individuals and cultural and educational institutions in the United States have adopted this custom, the vast majority have not. Together, we can spark a movement to change that.
Native Arts and Cultures Abound at SWAIA
Native Arts and Cultures Foundation’s (NACF) Programs staff — Director of Programs, Francene Blythe; Senior Arts Manager, Stephen Blanchett; and…
How the Mentor Artist Fellowhip Builds Oregon’s Resilient Indigenous Community
Last week the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation announced its open call for the for the second ever Mentor Artist…
The Story of Everything – Where Do We Go From Here?
The Story of Everything is the culmination of Hawaii Poet Laureate Kealoha’s lifetime work, as he puts it himself. It…
Evaluating Community Arts-Based Projects – A Native Arts and Cultures Perspective
Native Arts and Cultures Foundation President & CEO Lulani Arquette will speak at the 2017 Philanthropy Northwest Conference in Vancouver,…
Open Call for Regional Mentor Artist Fellows
Applications are requested from established American Indian and Alaska Native artists interested and qualified to mentor an apprentice of their…
Mid-Year Highlights from Native Arts and Cultures
Wondering what keeps the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation staff so busy and inspired? What follows are just a few…
NACF National Artist Fellowships: Open Call!
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation has issued an open call for submissions for its 7th year of National Artist…
Opportunities for Artists – Fall 2017
We are committed to promote opportunities that support and enrich Native artists and organizations in the United States, to the…
Writer Kelli Jo Ford on the Value of NACF Fellowship
Portrait of Kelli Jo Ford by Mario Gallucci, June 2017, Portland, Ore. Kelli Jo Ford (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma), a…
NACF Artist Fellow Chosen as “Voice for the Monarch” by World Wildlife Fund
2014 NACF Regional Artist Fellow Kevin Pourier (Lakota) and monarch butterfly. Photo by Clay Bolt. The World Wildlife Fund,…
Arts, Politics, Spirit: Braided Activism for Culture Shift
As part of NACF’s ongoing efforts to advocate and educate the arts and cultural sector on the rich, complex and…
“Then A Cunning Voice…”: NACF Dance & Visual Arts Fellows Collaborate to Engage Community
Images courtesy Emily Johnson / Catalyst Dance and Maggie Thompson / Makwa Studios Emily Johnson/Catalyst’s Then A Cunning Voice and…
Native Artists Honored as 2017 Heritage Fellows by National Endowment for the Arts
Washington, DC— Across the United States there are traditional art forms that shape our culture and make our communities distinct,…
Advocacy: Arts, Social Change, and Impact
NACF Addresses Social Change, Art, and Impact In 2014, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) launched a new initiative,…
2016 National Artist Fellows Convene and Create Community
On June 1 and 2, 2017, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation celebrated the passion and creativity of our 2016 cohort…
NACF Honors 2016 National Artist Fellows
On June 2, 2017, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation celebrated the passion and creativity of our 2016 cohort of…
NACF’s First Mentor Artist Fellow Cohort and Apprentices Convene
2017 Mentor Artist Fellow Dyani White Hawk (Sicangu Lakota) and Apprentice Jennie Kappenman (Red Lake Ojibwe) examine collections from the…
National Endowment for the Arts Announces Project Support for NACF
More Than $82 Million Awarded for Arts Projects Nationwide Includes $15,000 awarded to Native Arts and Cultures Foundation [Vancouver, WA]—National…
‘The Story of Everything’ In California
Updated August 31, 2017 With support through the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation’s Community Inspiration Program, and our friends at…
Nominate a National Heritage Fellow!
Do you know of a master folk or traditional artist? The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is now accepting…
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations highlights NACF: “Smarter Grantmaking in Action”
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations recently highlighted the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation’s work to empower Indigenous communities through capacity building,…
NACF Addresses Social Change, Art, and Evaluation
Updated June 14, 2017: As part of NACF’s ongoing work to advocate for awareness, revitalization and the support of contemporary…
Public Art Request For Proposals at Rincon
Public Art Sculpture Request for Proposals Harrah’s Resort Southern California (HRSC) and the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians seek an…
Arts & Cultural Equity: Current Examples & Relevant Strategies
On May 12, 2017, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation staff attended Arts & Cultural Equity: Current Examples & Relevant Strategies,…
2016 National Artist Fellows Gather for Convening
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation believes in the power of fostering beneficial alliances between indigenous artists. In keeping with…
NACF’s 2017 Mentor and Apprentice Artists Gather in Portland, Oregon
Native Arts and Cultures Foundation 2017 Mentor Artist Fellows, Apprentices, and Session Leaders at the Portland Art Museum, May 2017.…
Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Stands with the NEA & NEH
As an organization with a mission to support American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native artists in all disciplines –…
Join NACF May 9 for Artist Talks – Live!
Please join us LIVE from the very first NACF Mentor Artist Fellowship Training in Portland, Oregon! Native Arts and Cultures…
Announcing 2017 Mentor Artist Fellowship Awards
April 19, 2017 – Please join the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation staff, board and selection panelists in congratulating the…
Opportunities for Native Artists – April 2017
We are committed to promoting opportunities that support and enrich Native artists and organizations in the United States to the…
Native Wisdom Film Festival
This series of four short documentaries feature Oregon and Alaskan Native people as they discuss the impact of a changing…
Creating Change through Arts, Culture, and Equitable Development
ArtPlace America and PolicyLink have published a new paper, Creating Change through Arts, Culture, and Equitable Development: A Policy and…
Take Action April 4th – #Revolution Of Values
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation is proud to be a partner in #RevolutionOfValues, a day of creative action on April 4th, 2017, the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s powerful speech “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.”
Fifty years later, to walk in his footsteps, to give voice once again to his powerful words, and to kick off a year of efforts by many organizations around the U.S. to remind people of Dr. King’s real message and unfinished work, the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, and partners are sponsoring #RevolutionOfValues.
A Closer Look at “Connecting Lines”
Saturday, March 11, is a proud day for the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation and our 2016 Visual Arts Fellows Brenda Mallory (Cherokee Nation) and Luzene Hill (Eastern Band of Cherokee). The two installation artists open their joint exhibit “Connecting Lines” at the Portland Art Museum bringing unique perspectives on themes of disruption, violence against Native women, survival, renewal and empowerment.
Hill’s “Enate” and Mallory’s “Recurring Chapters in the Book of Inevitable Outcomes” masterfully blend contemporary and past in a multi-layered exploration of history and the resilience and determination to overcome them.
Engaging and Fostering Change: Community Inspiration Program Update
We believe that the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation has a responsibility to support those artists and culture bearers whose voices and actions are championing justice. Our Community Inspiration Projects do just that by providing artists and communities opportunities to address issues of social concern through artmaking. Here are some of the great things that are happening with some of our Community Inspiration Projects:
Native Dance celebrated in the Twin Cities
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation is proud to share an update on Oyate Okodakiciyapi , a performance and full…
Socially Engaged Art: A Standing Rock Round Up
Several Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Fellows, past and present, have been vocal advocates for the Water Protectors of the…
2016 Annual Report Released
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation has released its 2016 Annual Report as a digital download, and in it we…
NACF Welcomes New Program Coordinator
Please join us in giving a warm welcome to our newest staffer, Laura Cales! Laura joined the Native Arts and…
Upholding Our Values through Arts and Cultures
2016 NACF Annual Report (cover) The following is an introduction to the 2016 Annual Report, by Native Arts and Cultures…
2016 NACF Fellows illuminate Cherokee history in “Connecting Lines”
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation is committed to nurturing artists who generate critical conversations, using the arts to organize…
Opportunities for Native Artists and Arts Organizations – February 2017
Please check back as we learn of new opportunities, and visit us on Facebook for updates. We are committed to…
“Indigenous New York, Critically Speaking” gathers artists, curators, critics and scholars
“Indigenous New York, Critically Speaking” is the second of three colloquia grounding the Vera List Center‘s Indigenous New York series.…
Joy Harjo and Valorie Johnson Join the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Board of Directors
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) announced that it has added Valorie Johnson, a consultant, lifelong human rights activist…
World Premiere of “Through the Repellent Fence: A Land Art Film”
Repellent Fence, Scare Eye Balloons The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation is proud to announce the world premiere of Sam…
Opportunities for Native Artists & Organizations – January 2017
Please check back as we learn of new opportunities, and visit us on Facebook for updates. We are committed to…
Funding Opportunity for Indigenous Communities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has announced Creating Humanities Communities, a new grant that supports grassroots humanities programs by…
Remembering Clarissa Rizal
Weaver Clarissa Rizal, Tlingit T’ak Dein Taan Raven Clan, passed away in December 2016. While we at Native Arts and…
Postcommodity to be featured in 2017 Whitney Biennial
Repellent Fence, Scare Eye Balloons The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation offers its congratulations to Southwest artist collective Postcommodity, who…
“Saying Our Share: Surviving the Missions”
Through performance, literature and art, “Saying Our Share: Surviving the Missions”, outlines the tragedy that befell a pre-contact California indigenous population of close to one million people and, over 70 years post contact, reduced it to an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 survivors.
Saying Our Share: Surviving the Missions
Through performance, literature and art, “Saying Our Share: Surviving the Missions”, outlines the tragedy that befell a pre-contact California indigenous population of close to one million people and, over 70 years post contact, reduced it to an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 survivors. This project attempts to educate in a way that engages the public and advances the historical record.
Remembering Teri Rofkar
Teri Rofkar. Still from Rasmuson Foundation Teri Rofkar passed away in December 2016. While we are deeply saddened by…
“Return from Exile” in Arkansas and Oklahoma in 2017
We are pleased to announce that Return From Exile, an exhibit from the Southeastern Indian Artists Association, has added venues…
A Conversation with Theresa Secord
Theresa Secord. Photo courtesy of Native Arts and Cultures Foundation 2016 was a good year for traditional ash Wabanaki basket…
Spotlight on Filmmaker Shane McSauby
Shane McSauby. Photo Credit: Sundance Institute In its work to support Native American storytelling, the Native Arts and Cultures…
NACF Fellows Honored as United States Artists Fellows
Each year, United States Artists (USA) awards $50,000 fellowships to the country’s most accomplished and innovative artists working in the…
New Mexico Musicians & NACF Board members Stand with Standing Rock
Santa Fe, N.M. – November 18, 2016 – New Mexico musicians and bands Innastate, Native Roots, Joy Harjo, and Def-I…
What is #GivingTuesday?
#Giving Tuesday is a one-day annual movement focused on supporting your favorite charity and cause. Celebrated on the Tuesday after…
Artists invited to Standing Rock, November 18-30, 2016
“Give Thanks – A Conscious Migration to Standing Rock During America’s Thanksgiving Holiday” is an invitation to actively and peacefully…
Young Filmmakers Capture Climate Change
The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) was honored to partner with Wisdom of the Elders’ (WOTE) and support its community collaboration project, the Native Youth Film Academy and Climate Change Film Festival. This project is NACF’s fifth Community Inspiration Program, which are artist-driven projects that address pressing social, cultural and environmental issues to bring about community conversations connecting Native and non-Native people.
NACF President Profiled by Philanthropy Northwest
Lulani Arquette, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation President & CEO, spoke last spring with Philanthropy Northwest about the challenges, successes,…
Return from Exile
This traveling art exhibit was conceived to encourage healing and reconciliation and intentionally organized around the work of Native artists currently enrolled in the displaced tribes of the Creek, the Cherokee, the Choctaw, the Chickasaw and the Seminole.
Oklahoma Native Artists and Tribal Arts & Cultural Organizations Invited to Learn about NEA Opportunities
In partnership with the Chickasaw Nation, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation is coordinating a free workshop by the National Endowment…
Living in Relativity – an article by NACF’s Music Fellow Tiokasin Ghosthorse
In Native communities and indigenous thinking, water is much more than a resource. Water is part of the “body” of…
NACF’s New Mentor Fellowship Program – Apply Now!
NACF’s new Mentor Fellowship program will award accomplished American Indian and Alaska Native artists to mentor emerging artists in the Traditional Arts or Contemporary Visual Arts categories.
Celebrating the Life of Dave Hatch
Dave Hatch was a Native environmental activist and a cultural heritage advocate who became well known for his ability to bring together usually disparate tribal and non-Indian groups to pool resources to address regional issues.
Two NACF Fellows Honored as Master Artists by National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced on June…
NACF Launching New Mentorship Program
For thousands of years, master Native artists have dedicated time, resources, and support to the next generation, passing on the…
NACF Founding Board Member Named Oregon’s 8th Poet Laureate
Elizabeth Woody (Navajo / Warm Springs / Wasco / Yakama, and an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs) was named Oregon’s 8th Poet Laureate for a two-year tenure, which she began in May.
Conversations on Hula
“Our people can’t live without hula and hula cannot live without our people.” 2015 NACF Fellow Vicky Takamine and Kahikina…
NEA National Heritage Fellowship Call for Nominations Deadline July 25, 2016
Last year the NEA received a record number of nominations of Native artists and awarded three Native artists out of 8 total.
Celebrating Women’s History
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.
2015 Highlights
The following covers highlights from seven Fellows, the Community Inspiration Projects, Sponsorships and California Bridge Initiative. To see and learn…
“What’s up with the balloons?” The hopes of a community
After eight years of creative visioning, planning and community engagement Postcommodity’s “Repellent Fence” (or Valla Repelente, in Spanish) goes airborne connecting the lands north and south of what is today the U.S./Mexico border. The installation, which launched October 10th, involved 26 scare-eye balloons tethered to the Sonoran Desert ground, that spanned a two-mile stretch and physically and metaphorically created a direct line of communication between communities and their many stakeholders. Repellent Fence is one of NACF’s Community Inspiration Program Pilot Projects.
Where Do We Come From?
A fusion of talent and energy came together in the sold-out world premiere of The Story of Everything (TSOE) in Honolulu, Hawai`i on September 26, 2015. Kealoha, an award winning spoken word poet and a graduate of MIT with a degree in nuclear physics, led the effort. The theatre, filled with a community of mothers and babies, students, and young adults to elders of all ethnicities and professions, represented the vast diversity of communities Kealoha desires to work among. The performance was the culmination of a lifetime’s work for Kealoha and one of the pilot projects of NACF’s Community Inspiration Program.
A World Where Performance is Part of Life
Yup’ik dancer and choreographer Emily Johnson galvanized four large urban centers in the country and her hometown of Homer, Alaska, with her multi-disciplinary project SHORE – one of NACF’s Community Inspiration Pilot projects. Story, volunteerism, performance and feasting engaged local communities who were willing to show up and be open to the possibilities.
The Profound and Numerous Benefits of Arts and Cultures
I believe there is a benefit of arts and cultures that has not been written about nor studied enough in more intentional ways, although it has gained value in arts and philanthropic circles in the past few years. This is the value of arts and culture as a social change tool. The head of a social change organization and one of the national proponents of social change and the arts had this to say: “The single most powerful social change tool in the world is arts and creative expression. There is nothing that transcends barriers across language, economics, cultures, and place in a way that engages people and community like arts and cultures can. Nothing (emphasis) is that powerful.”
Repellent Fence: Art that Engages Communities through Collaboration
The interdisciplinary, Native arts collective, Postcommodity, will install the largest bi-national land art installation ever exhibited–in the southern border area.…
Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Announces its Distinguished 2015 National Artist Fellowship Awardees
NATIVE ARTS AND CULTURES FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES ITS DISTINGUISHED 2015 NATIONAL ARTIST FELLOWSHIP AWARDEES VANCOUVER, Wash., Aug. 6, 2015 – For…
NEA National Heritage Fellowship Call for Nominations Deadline July 16, 2015
Opportunity For American Indian, Alaska Native And Native Hawaiian Artists Eligibility is by nomination only for the coveted National Heritage…
The 1960’s had a great impact on me
In my lifetime, I have not seen this level of racial discrimination and hatred in our country since the 1960’s and early 1970’s. As a very young girl, too innocent to understand what was going on, but intuitive enough to know that something very wrong was happening, I remember seeing on national television these horrific images of police dogs and fire hoses turned on the demonstrators in Birmingham, the violence at the Pettus Bridge in Selma, and the burning neighborhoods of the Watts riots in Los Angeles. These images from Alabama and California flashed on TV screens across our nation and stayed with me for a long time.
Catch this Rising Star
Delina White, 2014 Regional Artist Fellow for the Upper Plains, is going to be busy this fall in five upcoming exhibitions throughout Minnesota. She’s presenting historical to contemporary women’s dress regalia through display and lectures along with meet-the-artist receptions; catch her event if you can. The event is called, “The Great Lakes Native Woodland Skirts” Project. “The project is giving me the opportunity to do what I have always wanted to do – to make beadwork and clothing that focuses on the historical significance of materials that I love and the beautiful way Native people used those materials to adorn themselves to create a culture identifiable as belonging to the woodlands of the Great Lakes region,” says Delina, member of Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
One Hand Full of Earth
Jennifer M. Stevens, 2014 NACF Regional Artist Fellow for the Upper Plains, lands her debut solo exhibition at Neville Museum in Green Bay Wisconsin entitled, “One Hand Full of Earth.” Her spirit and ancestral heritage is sculpted into every piece she creates.
Brian Patterson Joins NACF Board of Directors
BRIAN PATTERSON JOINS THE NATIVE ARTS AND CULTURES FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS (VANCOUVER, Wash.) – The Native Arts and Cultures…
2015 NACF Native Hawaiian Artist Fellowships Awarded
NATIVE ARTS AND CULTURES FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL NATIVE HAWAIIAN ARTIST FELLOWSHIP AWARDS FOR 2015 (VANCOUVER, Wash.) – The Native Arts…
More Than A Link to the Past
Art by Kevin Pourier (Oglala Lakota, 2014 NACF Regional Artist Fellow) is now on view at the Metropolitan Museum of…
Trusting Your Instincts
As a guest lecturer selected by students to participate in the Paul Brach Visiting Artist Lecture Series at the California…
Foundation Appoints Francene Blythe As Director Of Programs
Native Arts And Cultures Foundation Appoints Francene Blythe As Director Of Programs (VANCOUVER, Wash.) – In a national search, the…
Foundation Presentations in Alaska March 2015
Alaska Native Artists Events March 17-18 (VANCOUVER, Wash.) – Alaska Native, American Indian and Native Hawaiian artists are invited to…
Foundation Presentations in Oklahoma March 2015
Oklahoma Native Artists Events March 10-12 (VANCOUVER, Wash.) – American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian artists are invited to…
Rendering Views from Paper to Canvas
Star Wallowing Bull (Ojibwe/Arapaho) presents new works in Mechanistic Renderings, a solo exhibition created in part with support from the…
Inspiring Communities Nationwide
With support from arts patrons, supporters of Native cultures and Native Nations, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation is building…
Native Artist Workshops in Oregon and Washington
Professional Development Workshops For Native Artists (VANCOUVER, Wash.) – To meet the needs of practicing Native artists in the region,…
Artist Workshop Brought to Grand Ronde Reservation
Professional Development Workshop For Native Artists In Grand Ronde, Ore. (VANCOUVER, Wash.) – Native artists are encouraged to attend a…
2014 Regional Fellowship for Traditional and Visual Artists
Regional Artists to Create New Native Art (VANCOUVER, Wash.) – Regalia makers, beadwork artists, photographers, painters, sculptors and other American…
Open Call: 2015 NACF Artist Fellowships
Opportunity For American Indian, Alaska Native And Native Hawaiian Artists (VANCOUVER, Wash.) – American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian…
Aloha from the President
[us_single_image align=”left” image=”6284″ size=”medium” link=””] Time has been on my mind lately, and I’ve been wondering about the ways in…
Writing the Human Experience
[us_single_image image=”5144″ align=”left” size=”medium” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPrudence-Novel-David-Treuer%2Fdp%2F1594633088″] Author David Treuer (Ojibwe) completed “Prudence,” a novel set in post-WWII Minnesota, wrote several essays…
Directing Mainstream Media
[us_single_image image=”3549″ align=”left” size=”medium” link=””] Support from a 2014 NACF Film Fellowship allowed Billy Luther (Navajo/Hopi/Laguna Pueblo) the flexibility to…
Creating Maximum Creative Potential
Over the last four years, I have had the honor to serve as the first Program Director at the Native…
Our First Five Years
June 2014 The national Native-led Native Arts and Cultures Foundation has produced a report sharing the work of the new…
2014 Bridge Initiative for the Native Arts
Regional grantmaking allows the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) opportunity to connect with American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities in depth.
The Cultural Survival of Native Nations
My name is Marshall McKay and I am honored to lend my support as the Chairman of the Native Arts…