August 16 marked a very special day for the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. Surrounded by friends, artists, community and supporters, NACF celebrated ten years of service with a Gratitude Reception in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was a particularly meaningful event as it was in that very town during the 2009 Santa Fe Indian Market, that NACF took its first steps as an organization and held a reception to introduce board and staff to the public. We have come full circle and are looking forward to another decade of serving Native artists and communities.
NACF board members past and present, staff, volunteers and over 100 guests came together at the Santa Fe Community Convention center to help us celebrate and thank everyone who engaged, collaborated with and supported us in our first decade.
The evening began with a blessing offered by Former Governor Mark Mitchell of the Pueblo of Tesuque and was followed by a poem reading by NACF board member and U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, and a performance by NACF 2016 National Artist Fellow Laura Ortman. NACF board member Amy Hanaili‘i Gilliom made a special appearance and offered a song about Mauna Kea.
This is a crucial year for NACF not only because we are commemorating ten years of service, but also because we have embarked in a strategic planning process called the Wakanim Journey to assess our past work and help determine what our next ten years will look like.
We want to thank everyone who has walked with us along our path thus far, and we hope that you will continue to join us for the years ahead.
NACF Board Member and U.S. Poet Laureate poem reading at 10-year Gratitude Reception