Native Arts Blogs

SIPI Drawing Workshop Taps into Native Philosophies of Awareness in Art, Native Identity, Sacredness, and Value

SIPI Drawing Workshop Taps into Native Philosophies of Awareness in Art, Native Identity, Sacredness, and Value

The warm smell of burning firewood wafted around us as we stepped out of the car. The cool still morning and chirping birds greeted us as we entered the building of the Ancestral Rich Treasures of Zuni (ARTZ) which houses silver and turquoise jewelry and is adorned with colorful paintings all created by Zuni artists.

A Time for Change and Innovation – Native Arts and Distance Learning  

A Time for Change and Innovation – Native Arts and Distance Learning  

Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) transitioned from holding in-person classes and community events to closing their campuses, instead offering academic courses online or through distance learning. Community programming and events were canceled or postponed, greatly impacting TCUs, students, and the communities they serve.  

To help TCUs during the transition, seven TCUs were awarded Distance Learning Grants. Each had a different approach on how they would continue to provide Native Arts programming while keeping their students and community members safe. Each explored how they were going to bring people together while keeping them safely apart.  

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Hosts Native Arts Workshops Based in Place

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Hosts Native Arts Workshops Based in Place

In the fall of 2017, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC) hosted a series of traditional Native Arts workshops that relied heavily on the surrounding environment for source materials to help produce a woven cedar mat.  Using local resources and materials to create and revitalize traditional Native art forms is the essence of place-based education in the arts.

Connecting, Learning and Growing: Native Arts Convening

Connecting, Learning and Growing: Native Arts Convening

The American Indian College Fund (the College Fund) hosted a Native Arts convening in Seattle, Washington in September, 2018. Seven program Administrators of the Restoration and Preservation of Traditional Native Art Forms and Knowledge Grant participated in the Native Arts convening  from the College of Menominee Nation, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College, Leech Lake Tribal College, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, Sisseton Wahpeton College, Sitting Bull College and United Tribes Technical College.

Navajo Rug Weaving: Learnings from the Loom

Navajo Rug Weaving: Learnings from the Loom

Bridget Skenadore, Project Officer of Native Arts and Culture at the American Indian College Fund, had the opportunity to participate in the Heard Museum’s Navajo rug weaving workshop in November 2017. In her job capacity she has had the opportunity to learn about Traditional Native Art forms from the upper-Midwest and with this opportunity from the Heard Museum she was able to learn about a Traditional Native Art form from her culture.

Traditional Native Arts Sister Site Visit: Sitting Bull College’s Skirt-Making Workshop

Traditional Native Arts Sister Site Visit: Sitting Bull College’s Skirt-Making Workshop

This weekend, Denise McKay, a Tribal Elder from Fort Yates, North Dakota, brought me to a point in my life that inspired me to look differently at life and my surroundings. Listening to her stories, how she spoke about her mother with love, how she cradled everything that was taught to her, and how she spreads her knowledge to anyone who wants to learn put such a joy in my heart and my soul, I felt as if I would burst when I told my family.

Traditional Native Arts Sister Site Visit: Learning From One Another

Traditional Native Arts Sister Site Visit: Learning From One Another

The American Indian College Fund is proud to offer a cross-collaboration learning opportunity through the Restoration and Preservation of Traditional Native Arts and Knowledge Grant. Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) program administrators of the Traditional Native Arts grant will have the opportunity to learn, observe and exchange ideas from each other through the “Sister Site Visit” program.