Alaska Pacific University has been approved for a $25,000 Art Works grant to support APU’s efforts to revitalize Indigenous Alaskan arts. Overall, the National Endowment for the Arts has approved 1,187 grants totaling $27.3 million in the first round of fiscal year 2020 funding to support arts projects in every state in the nation, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The Art Works funding category supports projects that focus on public engagement with, and access to, various forms of excellent art across the nation; the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence; learning in the arts at all stages of life; and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life.
“The arts are at the heart of our communities, connecting people through shared experiences and artistic expression,” said Arts Endowment Chairman Mary Anne Carter. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support projects like Alaska Pacific University’s.”
APU President Valerie Davidson states, “Indigenous art provides a time-honored practice of sharing wisdom, ways of knowing, and expressing critical thinking. This project will support the sharing of knowledge and practice of Indigenous art forms critical to the decolonization of pedagogy in academia.”
This project will help to support the APU Native Elder/Artist in Residence program, provide honorariums for visiting artists hosting Indigenous art workshops, as well as support the documentation of conversations with the Native Elder/Artist in Residences.
For more information on projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
