Restoration and Preservation
of Traditional Native Art Forms
and Knowledge
2013 – 2020
About The Program
The American Indian College Fund has created a re-granting opportunity for Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) to enhance the capacity of traditional Native art forms and knowledge at participating TCUs in the upper-Midwest. The goal of this funding is to provide resources for colleges to develop and implement more formalized traditional Native arts academic and community outreach programming. As a result, cultural knowledge and skills of traditional Native art forms indigenous to the tribe or tribal region will be shared with students and tribal communities. In addition, TCUs will be able to increase the direct support of culture bearers and established artists who are knowledgeable and skilled in traditional Native arts forms. Furthermore, master artists can participate with TCU faculty professional development, curriculum development, academic programming, and in the planning of community outreach programs.
Program Gallery
Grantees
Cankdeska Cikana Community College
College of Menominee Nation
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University
Leech Lake Tribal College
Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College
United Tribes Technical College
Oglala Lakota College
Sinte Gleska University
Sisseton Wahpeton College
Sitting Bull College
Turtle Mountain Community College
White Earth Tribal and Community College
Related Blogs
A Dialogue with Diné Director Blackhorse Lowe
Diné film and TV director Blackhorse Lowe met with the College Fund to speak about what it means to be an Indigenous director. Lowe grew up on the Navajo Nation hearing traditional and family stories and watching movies–lots of movies, which influenced his path on becoming a film and TV director.
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
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
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.
