Native Art Fellowship

The Wyoming Arts Council introduced the Native Art Fellowship in 2021 as part of its on-going effort to increase support and recognition of Wyoming’s rich cultural arts and traditions.

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About the Native Art Fellowship

The Native Art Fellowship is a $5,000 unrestricted award of merit, based on the artist’s portfolio, honoring the work of Native artists based within Wyoming. Recipients of the Native Art Fellowship will also be given support to find a venue to showcase their work.

Artists working across any artistic discipline or medium (visual, literary, performing, folk & traditional, etc.) may apply. This fellowship is designed to raise the profiles of the highly talented Native artists in Wyoming and celebrate their artistry.

Applications are juried by noted Native artists outside the state. Two fellowships will be given this year. Jurors may also select honorable mentions.

2025 Native Art Fellowship Info

2025 Application Window: March 12 – May 15, 2025

ELIGIBILITY

 

WHAT IF YOU WIN AN AWARD?

 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

 

Click here for the online application:
Apply for the Native Arts Fellowship Here

Meet the 2025 Jurors

TahNibaa Naataanii By way of introduction, I am a traditional Diné woman, representing the Many Hogan Clan and Coyote Pass Clan. My maternal and paternal grandfathers are the Mexican Clan and the Steep Rock Clan. I hail from Table Mesa and Toadlena, New Mexico. As a young girl my paternal grandmother bestowed on me my Navajo name: TahNibaa Atlohiigiih. Translated, it means “Going into Battle with Weaving.” I was introduced to Navajo Weaving by my mother, Sarah H. Natani at 7 years old. I learned to weave stripes first, then advanced to complex patterns. I actively wove during adolescence, however took a hiatus to enlist in the U.S. Navy. In 2000, hearing a sacred call from the weaving deities, I enthusiastically returned to weaving. As a spiritual and cultural practice, I delight in the many stages of weaving: washing the wool, carding, hand spinning, wool dyeing and the weaving stage. Advancing in fulfilment of this calling, I am learning to create traditional Twill weave patterns together with various sacred weaving songs. I ranch heritage Navajo Churro sheep, following the legacy of my grandparents. I often weave utilitarian pieces such as Shoulder blankets, Ponchos, Navajo Woman garments (“biil ee”), wall hangings, and contemporary works. I created a special weaving garment, given the name, “TahNibaa Shawl”, in honor of my weaving ancestors. Numerous accolades are found in my Resume, however, uniquely blessed, to have received two special honors worthy of mentioning here: Recognition as “Culture Bearer” from the First People’s Fund (2020), and recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts, “National Heritage Fellow” (2022).

Jackie Sevier As an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, she is proud of her Native American and Wyoming heritage. Jackie (Allen) Sevier was born in Riverton, Wyoming. For the past fifty years, she has resided with her husband and together raised their children in the small rural sandhills community, Seneca, Nebraska.

Awards include honors at the Santa Fe Indian Market, Santa Fe, NM; Heard Fair, Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ: Cherokee Art Market, Tulsa, OK; Northern Plains Indian Art Market, Sioux Falls, SD; Red Earth Festival, Oklahoma City, OK; Cahokia Contemporary Indian Art Show, Collinsville, IL; Inter-Tribal Ceremonial, Gallup, NM; Artesian Arts Festival, Chickasaw Nation, Sulphur, Ok.

Jackie’s works have been included in “Let the Spirit Speak”, Pope VI Institute of the Arts, Washington, DC: “Our Way Continues”, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO, The Sioux Indian Museum, Rapid City, SD, Museum of Anthropology, Lawrence, KS; “Influences of our Grandparents”, Oscar Howe Museum, Mitchell, SD; and “Heart Dreams and Legends”, a joint indigenous exhibit that toured the US and Australia.  Her works were also included at the Bradford Brinton Memorial Museum, Sheridan, WY: “The Cowboy, Rodeo & WYO Rodeo”, “West of the Mississippi”, “Ladies’ Choice”.

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2024 Native Art Fellowship Recipients

Jackie Dorothy (Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone) | Writer, Podcaster, and Journalist

Jackie Dorothy (Thermopolis) is a distinguished writer, podcaster, and journalist with a deep expertise in Wyoming history. Her accolades include the Emerging Voices Award from the Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators, the Wyoming Governor’s Journalist of the Year Against Impaired Driving, four Bronze Telly Awards, two Communicator Awards, and the title of Small Business Administrator Journalist of the Year for the Rocky Mountain Region.

Her historical narrative podcast, “Pioneers of Outlaw Country,” can be found on most podcast platforms, and Jackie actively engages with her audience through a dedicated Facebook group. Recently, she joined Cowboy State Daily as a freelance reporter, where she continues to share compelling historical articles about Wyoming’s rich past. Always eager to challenge herself, Jackie remains dedicated to expanding her knowledge and sharing the stories of Wyoming.

Bruce Cook (Haida) | 2D Haida Art

Bruce Cook is a Haida artist residing in Riverton, “I am driven to explore and innovate. The woods and natural materials I used that were once abundant in the Pacific Northwest are now scarce. This scarcity of resources has led to a creative drive that has been vital to my survival as a Haida artist in the high plains desert. My subject matter is Haida, both traditional and contemporary. As Native artists, we are capable of inhabiting both forms simultaneously. I am free to create without the confines of being bound to one or the other.”

When talking about his art, Cook says “My favorite mediums are yellow cedar and fresh red alder. Their suppleness, delicacy, strength, and willingness to be transformed in both form and texture make them perfect mediums for exploring Haida art. However, since there is no longer a supply of yellow cedar and alder, my inspiration has now shifted to creating 2D Haida art on canvas. Using acrylic paints to create the designs, I explore the abstract use of the ovoid and U shapes to create the art of the Haida.”

“I have also been exploring my Arapaho side by creating ledger art as well as designs inspired by the beadwork of my Arapaho ancestors. This has led to interesting combinations of Haida and Arapaho designs.” Cook goes on to say, “Each day brings a new desire to practice the forms of those who have come before me and a push to innovate in the forms that are yet to come. This inspiration is my daily spirit to create.”

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Previous Native Art Fellowship Recipients

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Contact Information

For more information on the Native Art Fellowship, contact Kimberly Mittelstadt at 307-274-6673 or kimberly.mittelstadt@wyo.gov.