Deadline: 19-Jun-20
Nia Tero’s inaugural Pacific Northwest Art Fellowship will bring together creatives working in many visual disciplines, from diverse international Indigenous affiliations (inclusive of people with heritage from Pasifika and Amazonia), at any stage of their artistic development.
Nia Tero is proud to provide Indigenous artists working in the Northwest this opportunity for professional and personal support as part of their growing network of fellows that spans the globe.
Nia Tero is eager to launch this Fellowship now, when millions of cultural workers are experiencing significant income loss due to Covid-19. Even as Native populations are being hit especially hard by the pandemic, Indigenous makers are rallying to provide solace and sustenance during isolation. Whether through video streaming, social distance pow wows, creatively crafted masks, virtual beading circles, free coloring pages, or educational activities for kids, artists are finding innovative new ways of connecting them. It is clearer now more than ever that art and culture are fundamentally tied to the well-being of Indigenous peoples, which in turn ensures the health of the lands they steward.
Funding Information
In acknowledgement of the invaluable contributions of cultural practitioners in their communities, Nia Tero is offering two tiers of funding to reach as many people as possible. 20 finalists will receive $300 honorariums. The six selected fellows will each receive an unrestricted award of $6,000, and will participate in a yearlong series of cohort engagement sessions.
Fellowship Activities
Engagement sessions will be designed collaboratively with the six selected fellows and held virtually six times over the course of a year. Activities may include:
- Guidance from established artists and leaders in Indigenous communities
- Studio visits with in-depth discussion about individual participants’ works in a supportive critique environment
- Professional development workshops on subjects requested by participants
- Collective learning and knowledge sharing, with the opportunity to be nurtured and challenged by peers
- Lasting networks and relationship building in the Northwest arts community
Eligibility Criteria
- Open to Indigenous artists living in Washington, Oregon, or British Columbia – including residents of those places that belong to Indigenous communities outside of the Pacific Northwest, and outside of what is currently the United States
- Any visual art medium – including painting, drawing, design, photography, digital, film, sculpture, beadwork, leatherwork, ceramics, weaving, carving, regalia, clothing design, jewelry, cultural objects, utilitarian objects, tools, installation, performance, and anything else applicants consider their art form
- Applicant must apply as an individual artist
- Applicant must be 18 years or older
Artists are encouraged to provide documentation of social and familial ties to an Indigenous community. Examples of documentation include: tribal enrollment card, letter from a federally recognized Alaska Native village or tribe identifying the applicant as a member, a letter from a federally recognized tribal enrollment office identifying the applicant as a descendant, documentation from a tribe denied federal recognition but socially and historically acknowledged, letter from an Indigenous community member, or self-attestation of Indigenous connection with verification in another form including recounting oral histories, personal essay, etc. They know this is a complicated issue.
Selection Criteria
Artists will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:
- Strength of past work as demonstrated in the submitted application materials
- Perceived commitment to a regular art practice
- Connection to culture, environment, and/or Indigenous identity through artwork
- Connection to cultural preservation
- Perceived impact of the Fellowship program on the applicant and their practice
- Perceived contributions to the diversity of perspectives in the cohort as a whole
- Representation from diverse career stages, with two fellows selected per category: emerging (0-5 years of active or professional art making), mid-career (5-15 years of professional art making), or established (15+ years of professional art making or recognized as an important community contributor as a creative)
For more information, visit https://indigenouscreatives.submittable.com/submit/165540/nia-tero-pnw-art-fellowship