GILLETTE, Wyo. — An exclusive window through which Native Wyoming artists can apply to win one of two $5,000 art fellowships is now open, according to the Wyoming Arts Council.
The fellowships are open exclusively to Native artists residing in Wyoming and are intended to recognize their exceptional work, the WAC says. This year, up to two $5,000 fellowships will be awarded based on a qualified artist’s portfolio, with an application deadline set for May 15.
Per the WAC, the fellowships are open to artists working in several disciplines including visual, literary, performing, folk and traditional arts. The primary aim of the fellowship program is to elevate the visibility of Native artists in Wyoming.
In addition to the $5,000, fellowship recipients will be given support to find a venue to showcase their work.
This year, Native Arts Fellowship applications will be judged by two jurors, Ben Pease and Dakota Hoska, the WAC says.
Pease is a native Montanan artist and a member of the Newly Made Lodge Clan of the Crow Indian Reservation. His work has appeared in major exhibitions at the Field Museum of Chicago and the New York Historical Society, among several other locations, per the WAC.
Hoska is the associate curator of Native Arts at the Denver Art Museum in Colorado, the WAC says. She comes from the Oglala Lakota Nation in South Dakota and has served as a Curatorial Research Assistant at the Minneapolis Institute of Art in support of the ground-breaking exhibition “Hearts of our People: Native Women Artists.”
