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 College
White Earth Tribal and Community College
Related Blogs
Fostering Culture and Community: Chadwick Kramer’s Impact on Native Education in Bismarck
Chadwick Kramer, an elder and Cultural Responsive Coordinator for Bismarck Public Schools, is dedicated to providing Native students with culturally enriching opportunities through the Indigenous Education Program. Inspired by his own experiences and his grandmother’s teachings, Chadwick creates welcoming spaces for all students to explore Native traditions, fostering lifelong learning, cultural understanding, and community connection.
Waabaabigan, Working with Our Namesake
Janet and Eliza Klarer, a mother-daughter duo from the White Earth Ojibwe community, are preserving traditional Woodland-style pottery inspired by their ancestor Judy Toppings, who revitalized White Earth clay lifeways. Through workshops and their own artistry, they share the significance of working with White Earth clay, nurturing creativity and connection in their community.
A New Direction
The complexity of Native people and their identities drew Anna to sculpture, video performance, and installation. She uses her familial and formal training to disrupt stereotypes of Natives by telling multi-dimensional stories. The story drives her choice of technique and materials, defying boundaries around Native art.
Bringing Baleen Basketry Into the Future with Ira Ilupak Frankson
Ira Ilupak Frankson, an Iñupiaq artist from Tikiġaq, Alaska, is preserving the traditional art of baleen basketry, an Iñupiat craft made from bowhead whale baleen and walrus ivory. Through his work and teaching, Frankson is helping to revitalize this unique cultural art form for future generations.
