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Native Arts Initiative

The Native Arts Initiative 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.

The Native Arts Initiative 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.

New England Program
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.

National Program
The Ford Foundation’s IllumiNation program has awarded NEFA additional funding to help address the needs of Native artists nationally. With this funding, NEFA is building its internal capacity to serve Native artists by hiring additional staff, and establishing a national re-granting initiative in service to Native artists to complement its Native arts work in New England.

NEFA is part of a national IllumiNation cohort of seven organizations brought together by the Ford Foundation to strengthen and expand the national philanthropic network supporting Native arts and culture. This distinguished group includes the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian; First Peoples Fund; Seventh Generation Fund; American Composers Forum; Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art; and the Evergreen State College Foundation Longhouse Education and Cultural Center.

Contact
For more information, contact dspears@nefa.org or call 617-951-0010 x 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

American Composers Forum
www.composersforum.org

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
www.eiteljorg.org

Evergreen State College Foundation Longhouse Education Cultural Center
www.evergreen.edu/longhouse