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Native Arts & Cultures Foundation

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Native Arts & Cultures Foundation

The national Native Arts + Cultures Foundation promotes American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian arts and cultures in the United States.

The Native Arts + Cultures Foundation advances equity and cultural knowledge, focusing on the power of arts and collaboration to strengthen Native communities and promote positive social change with American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples in the United States. The national, Native-led, not-for-profit charity Native Arts + Cultures Foundation was founded in 2007 to promote the r

evitalization of and appreciation for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian arts and cultures. We convene and support Native artists, partner with Native-led arts organizations, and advocate for increased recognition, awareness, and support of Native creatives. Our headquarters are based in Portland, Oregon

08/30/2026

We were excited to see 2021 LIFT awardee D.C. Allen (Baaa T’-chiilash, Del Curfman), Apsáalooke (Crow), at Phoenix Art Museum, where his work "Vanishing Series (XVII)" is featured in "The Way We Came: A Century of Indigenous Art" from The William P. Healey Collection.

Drawing from memories of Crow Fair and his formative years at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Allen’s Vanishing Series responds to the long-standing and harmful idea that Indigenous peoples were disappearing or destined to be erased.

Instead, Allen’s paintings center presence, resilience, movement, and lived experience, affirming that Indigenous cultures continue to evolve and thrive.

D.C. was a 2021 NACF LIFT awardee, and it’s exciting to see his work continuing to reach new audiences and contribute to conversations around Indigenous art and identity.

"The Way We Came" is on view at Phoenix Art Museum through July 11, 2027.

08/27/2026

This is LIFT Thursdays. Each Thursday, we’ll introduce you to one of our 2026 LIFT Awardees, sharing their stories and the projects they’re bringing to life. Meet Elise Beers.

Elise Beers (Aleut) is a filmmaker, choreographer, and interdisciplinary artist based in Seattle, WA. Her practice spans photography, documentary editing, short narratives, music videos, comedy, and dance, to create work rooted in cultural identity, resilience, and connection to nature.

Beers holds a BFA in dance, choreography, and filmmaking from Brigham Young University and an MFA from the American Film Institute Conservatory. She was also a Vision Maker Media fellow for her short film BRAIDS, which explores themes of identity, tradition, and resilience. Through her work in film and performance, Beers is committed to expanding Native representation and creating space for Native people to tell their own stories.

Beers’ 2026 LIFT project, SAVAGE, is a narrative short film following an Inuit Alaska Native father struggling to pass down traditional hunting values to his tech-obsessed son, who is tempted by a wealthy outsider to hunt illegally. The film explores cultural survival, tradition and modernity, environmental stewardship, and resistance to exploitation through an Indigenous perspective.

These awards would not be possible without the generosity of our supporters. Help us restore a world crafted by Native artists with our cultures at its center: https://www.nativeartsandcultures.org/donate

08/20/2026

Hear from 2026 NACF LIFT Awardee Rocket Ahuna (Kanaka Maoli), a multidisciplinary artist based in Honolulu, HI, whose work draws from Hawaiian language, history, hula, and relationships to ʻāina (land). Through garments, textiles, and adornment, Ahuna creates work that honors cultural continuity while expanding the possibilities of Hawaiian fashion.

A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology and recipient of its Critics’ Choice Award for excellence in design, Ahuna has presented runway collections including LAU KĪ, KAIMANA, LIMAHULI, and NUIOKA. He has presented runway collections, participated in artist residencies, designed for Apple TV+’s Chief of War, and led community-based lei and design workshops.

Ahuna’s 2026 LIFT project, “Nāpua: A Puʻuhonua Through Stitch,” is a fashion collection rooted in Hawaiian quilt appliqué as a living practice of sanctuary, healing, and cultural resistance. Inspired by the memory of his grandmother, Nāpuahauomalani, the project explores lineage, grief, sovereignty, and cultural continuity through wearable works informed by Hawaiian quilting traditions, moʻolelo, and ʻāina. The collection will be shared through a public runway presentation, installation, and digital archive.

This is LIFT Thursdays. Each Thursday, we’ll introduce you to one of our 2026 LIFT Awardees, sharing their stories and projects they’re bringing to life. Follow along as we get to know this year’s cohort.

These awards would not be possible without the generosity of our supporters. Help us restore a world crafted by Native artists with our cultures at its center: https://www.nativeartsandcultures.org/donate

08/14/2026

Santa Fe Indian Market is almost here!

We’re excited to see NACF-supported artists bringing their work to the plaza this weekend. Swipe through to see who you can find at SWAIA, then make a plan to stop by their booths, meet the artists, and experience their work in person.

Save this post for your market weekend and keep an eye out for more artist highlights and moments from Santa Fe.

📍 Santa Fe Plaza
📅 August 15–16, 2026

08/13/2026

Join us at the Center for Native Arts + Cultures on Friday, August 28, for the opening reception of "Between the Lines," a new installation by Cahuilla artist Gerald Clarke, presented as part of CONVERGE 45's 2026 triennial, "Here, To you, Now."

Created around a 16-foot “rubber stamp” sculpture, "Between the Lines" examines the performativity of land acknowledgments and invites deeper conversations about Indigenous sovereignty, history, and place.

Hear directly from Clarke about the ideas behind the exhibition, experience the installation, and connect with community.

📍 Center for Native Arts + Cultures
800 SE 10th Avenue, Portland
🗓 Friday, August 28
⏰ 5:30–8:00 PM
🎟 Free and open to the public

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1996504410436

Presented in partnership with CONVERGE 45. Support for this event is provided by the City of Portland Office of Arts & Culture and the Mellon Foundation.

08/11/2026

Coming to Santa Fe for SWAIA? Take a break with us!

Current NACF awardees and alumni are invited to stop by our SWAIA Grantee Drop-In Space to recharge, grab a snack, connect with the NACF team, or take care of any last-minute printing before heading back to Market.

We're just a 6-minute walk from the Santa Fe Plaza, so come by for a few minutes or stay awhile. Come and go as you're able!

📍 301 E Palace Ave., Santa Fe, NM 87501
🗓️ Thursday, August 13 | 10AM–2PM
🗓️ Saturday, August 15 | 2–5PM

Need something outside of those hours? Text us at 505-331-0372 and we'll do our best to help.

We'd love to see you and hear how Market is going!

08/08/2026

What does it mean for Native Hawaiian culture to exist beyond Hawaiʻi?

A recent story by Kānaka Maoli journalist Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton for Hawaiʻi Public Radio explores the complicated questions surrounding Native Hawaiian cultural belongings held in museums outside Hawaiʻi, including access, stewardship, repatriation, and who gets to tell these stories.

The story also highlights "DISplace," an exhibition at Seattle’s Wing Luke Museum co-curated by NACF LIFT artists Lehuauakea (2022) and Kanani Miyamoto (2023).

Through visual art, family stories, historic photographs, archival materials, and the voices of Native Hawaiian descendants, "DISplace" reclaims histories connecting Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Northwest while affirming the enduring presence of Native Hawaiian communities beyond the islands.

We’re proud to see Lehuauakea and Kanani shaping this important conversation, alongside Kānaka Maoli voices telling and documenting these stories in different ways.

"DISplace" is on view through January 4, 2027.

Read Megan’s story from Hawaiʻi Public Radio and learn more about "DISplace" at the link in our bio.
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Images: (1) Photos taken by Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton for Hawaiʻi Public Radio, (2) Photos from exhibition "DISplace"

08/05/2026

With great excitement: Join us in congratulating the 15 artists selected for the 2026 LIFT – Early Career Support for Native Artists Awards!

This marks the fifth cohort of the LIFT program. This year, we received our most competitive applicant pool to date, and we're thrilled to expand the program from 10 to 15 awardees, supporting even more American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian early-career artists.

Each artist will receive a $15,000 one-year award, along with professional development, marketing support, culturally appropriate evaluation, and community-building opportunities to help bring new projects to life.

NACF is honored to support these visionary artists as they explore cultural sovereignty, environmental and social justice, healing and well-being, systemic change, and the enduring strength of Native arts and Traditional Knowledge.

Stay tuned as we spotlight each of these incredible artists and their work throughout the year. See the full announcement on our website. https://www.nativeartsandcultures.org/category/2026-lift-awardees

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗧 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗲𝘀:
* 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗮 (Kanaka Maoli) Multi-Disciplinary Arts
* 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 (Aleut) Film
* 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿 (Anishinaabe – Enrolled Sault Ste Marie Tribe) Interdisciplinary Arts
* 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀 (Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma) Visual Arts
* 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗜𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 (Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribe) Literature
* 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀𝗼𝗻 (Navajo Nation) Interdisciplinary Arts
* 𝗔𝗻𝗽𝗮'𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲 (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe & Village of Tazlina) Film/Video
* 𝗝𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 (Tlingit) Traditional Arts
* 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗢𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗼 (Native Hawaiian) Multidisciplinary Arts
* 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗲 (Cherokee / Muscogee (Creek)) Music
* 𝗡𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹 (Native Hawaiian) Visual Arts
* 𝗕𝗼 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻 (Pueblo of Acoma [Enrolled Member] & San Felipe Pueblo) Music
* 𝗟𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗦𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗲 (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin) Traditional Arts
* 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘂𝗵𝗶 (Oglala Lakota) Film/Video
* 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗭𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗿 ( Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe/Onondaga) Traditional Arts

Special thanks to the Maxwell/Hanrahan, whose generous support helps make the LIFT – Early Career Support for Native Artists program possible.

08/03/2026

Congratulations to 2015 NACF National Artist Fellow Anna Tsouhlarakis (Navajo Nation, Muscogee Creek, Greek) on her upcoming solo exhibition, "Indigenous Irregularities," opening August 25 at Temple Contemporary.

Created during her residency as the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Artist in Residence at Temple University's Tyler School of Art and Architecture, the exhibition brings together new sculptures, text works, and Anna's first explorations in glass. Through humor, experimentation, and unexpected materials, her work challenges fixed ideas about Native identity while embracing the complexity and contradictions of contemporary Indigenous life.

As Anna shared during her residency:

"I think it's important for people to see that Native people have complex identities... By creating work that has this push and pull of culture, but also sarcasm and humor, it shows the versatility of Native people."

We're proud to celebrate Anna's continued impact and look forward to seeing this exciting new body of work.

What: "Indigenous Irregularities: Anna Tsouhlarakis"
When: August 25–December 5, 2026
Artist Talk: September 17, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Temple Contemporary at Temple University's Tyler School of Art and Architecture, PA

Congratulations, Anna!

More info: https://now.temple.edu/events/2026-08-25/indigenous-irregularities-anna-tsouhlarakis
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Image courtesy of Temple University.

07/28/2026

***OFFICIAL CTWS DONATION ACCOUNT***The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon (CTWS) sincerely appreciates the generosity and support…

Address

800 SE 10th Avenue
Portland, WA
97214

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+13603142421

Website

http://www.nativeartsandcultures.org/

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