RAPID CITY, S.D. – First Peoples Fund, one of the oldest national organizations dedicated to supporting Native American artists and culture bearers, has announced its roster of 2024 fellowship recipients.
Selected from a pool of “exceptional candidates,” 15 artists have been chosen for the Artist in Business Leadership Fellowship and 11 artists have been awarded the Cultural Capital Fellowship. As part of their fellowship, each artist will receive a $10,000 award and ongoing professional development support from First Peoples Fund throughout their fellowship year.
Among the 15 artists selected for the 2024 Artist in Business Leadership Fellowship is Cherokee Nation citizen Richard York of Muldrow, Oklahoma.
“I would love to bring attention to First Peoples Fund and the importance of the work they do and the cultural fellowships they offer. An aspect of this fellowship is relating to how I can give back to the community, so I want to facilitate that,” York said. “Hopefully, other Cherokee artists will be inspired to apply to First Peoples Fund programs especially with the tribe’s investment in artists and culture bearers.
The Artist in Business Leadership Fellowship/Grant I received is a $10,000 grant to help me establish my art practice and business and to do these things in a way that potentially gives back to the Cherokee community.”
The Artist in Business Leadership Fellowship annually assists independent Native artists in developing their crafts into successful businesses through networking, training, and financial aid, aiming for their long-term success. Concurrently, the Cultural Capital Fellowship supports artists committed to preserving ancestral knowledge and celebrating Indigenous heritage in Native communities, ensuring its continuity for future generations.
Dr. Lara Evans, Ph.D., Vice President of Programs at First Peoples Fund, expressed her excitement about the new fellowship cohort.
“We are excited about the wide variety of cultural and artistic practices of the 2024 fellowship cohort,” Evans said. “Their creative endeavors bring together traditional knowledge, community perspectives, and each has their own spirit of growth and determination.”
Since its foundation, First Peoples Fund has honored more than 410 artists from 117 tribes across 32 states and three Canadian provinces with fellowships. In addition to its fellowship and grants programs, FPF also helps support the inclusion of the arts in communities through values-based artist workshops, community art classes, youth programming and nationwide partnerships with other organizations invested in the arts.
With more than $9.3 million distributed in grants, fees, and honoraria since 1999, First Peoples Fund champions Indigenous artists. The achievements of the 2024 Artist in Business Leadership and Cultural Capital Fellows highlight the significant impact and importance of supporting and celebrating Indigenous artistry. Visit firstpeoplesfund.org to explore how these cultural advocates contribute to their communities and how you can help preserve Indigenous arts and culture for future generations.
Loren Waters, (Kiowa Tribe, Cherokee Nation), of Norman, Oklahoma, also received the Cultural Capital Fellows grant. She is an award-winning filmmaker whose work centers on environmental knowledge, culture revitalization and Indigenous futurity through storytelling.
Visit firstpeoplesfund.org for a full list of 2024 Artist in Business Leadership Fellows and 2024 Cultural Capital Fellows.
