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Native Arts @ NEFA / Overview
Native Arts @ NEFA supports Native American artists in New England and nationally through grantmaking and network development. Developed in partnership with the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance with lead funding from the Ford Foundation, the program addresses needs identified by Native artists and community members.
Native Arts @ NEFA builds regional and national support structures to help Native artists reach broader audiences, connect with new markets for their work, and gain access to financial resources. This initiative will support important artistic traditions within Native Communities, and among Native artists, promoting the preservation of traditional art forms and contemporary expression, and the use of art to raise public awareness.
Native Arts New England
With Ford Foundation planning grant funding, NEFA and Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance (MIBA) hosted three convenings between November 2005 and August 2006. At the convenings, Native artists and leaders from New England discussed how NEFA and MIBA could craft a grant making program that would most effectively serve the needs of the Native community.
Native ethnographer Darren Ranco (Penobscot) provided documentation. His summary presented five key areas of need identified by the Native artists:
- Market Expansion and Market Development
- Development of Capacity and Infrastructure Needs
- Honoring and Ensuring Cultural Programs
- Educational Programs
- Materials and Materials Security
Ranco’s findings were evaluated by select convening participants and the program objectives below were put forth as priorities:
- Identify and build a communications network among Native artists in New England, coordinating with other organizations nationally to develop a national database of Native artists.
- Convene Native artists and community leaders for gatherings, workshops, and other opportunities to share knowledge and artistry.
- Develop a pilot grant program to address needs identified by Native artists and provide assistance for Native artists and organizations applying for grant support.
Native Artist Exchange - National Travel Fund
The Native Artist Exchange, a program of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), provides support for Native artists residing in any of the 50 United States to travel to different regions of the country so that they may exchange artistic knowledge and skills. This fund is designed to encourage and assist American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian artists, and provides an opportunity for Native artists to teach, learn, and collaborate in traditional and/or contemporary Native art forms through travel from one region to another across the nation.
Funders
Native Arts @ NEFA, in partnership with the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, is made possible with lead funding from the Ford Foundation's "Indigenous Knowledge and Expressive Culture" program.
Contact
For more information, contact dspears@nefa.org or call [617] 951-0010 ext. 525.
Links to IllumiNation Cohort Members:
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
www.AmericanIndian.si.edu
First Peoples Fund
www.firstpeoplesfund.org
Seventh Generation Fund
www.7genfund.org
First Nations Composer Initiative
http://fnci.org/
Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
www.eiteljorg.org
Evergreen State College Foundation Longhouse Education Cultural Center
www.evergreen.edu/longhouse
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