Aloha Friends,
The Indigenous arts and cultures of the Native peoples of the United States are strong and thriving, despite the invisibility and stereotypical misrepresentations that prevail across the country. The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation expresses sincere appreciation to our friends, artists, and communities for continually inspiring us and working together to advance Native truth and knowledge. We could not do our work without continued support and encouragement from the donors and foundations who have made NACF possible. We are deeply grateful!
During 2019, we reflected on our past ten years and engaged in the Wakanim Journey, our strategic planning process, while also continuing important programming. We learned of the extraordinary growth many artists and communities have experienced as a result of our awards.
We have worked with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, the Burns Paiute Tribe, the Klamath Tribes, and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs through our Native Nation Partnerships programming in 2019. One of these projects, the Language Arts and Culture Movement, provided several opportunities for community engagement with activities designed to create awareness about language among the Yakima, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and Umatilla tribes.
Last year marked NACF’s tenth anniversary since we opened our doors, a year of reflection, and a time to review our work. 2020 will continue our anniversary as it is the ten-year mark from our first year of programming, which began in 2010.
We thank you for your support and look forward to deepening relationships and fostering new collaborations.
Me ka mahalo nui (with deep gratitude),
Lulani Arquette (Native Hawaiian)
Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, President/CEO
