UCROSS FELLOWSHIP FOR NATIVE AMERICAN ARTISTS
We are now accepting applications for our Spring 2026 residency.
Our dedicated fellowship supports the work of contemporary Native American visual artists, writers, and performers. Selected fellows are offered a four-week residency, which includes uninterrupted time, private studio space living accommodations, meals prepared by our professional chef, a stipend, and the experience of the majestic High Plains. The Fellowship for Native American Artists also includes an award of $2,000 and the opportunity to present work publicly, such as a featured exhibition in the Ucross Art Gallery, a reading, or a performance.
The fellowship began in 2018 by supporting Native American visual artists, thanks in large part to a grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Following the success of the first two years, in 2020, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) granted Ucross funds to continue the program for visual artists and expand its reach to include Native American writers. In 2024, the NEA granted Ucross additional funds to include Native American performers.
We are now accepting applications for our Spring 2026 residency.
Our dedicated fellowship supports the work of contemporary Native American visual artists, writers, and performers. Selected fellows are offered a four-week residency, which includes uninterrupted time, private studio space living accommodations, meals prepared by our professional chef, a stipend, and the experience of the majestic High Plains. The Fellowship for Native American Artists also includes an award of $2,000 and the opportunity to present work publicly, such as a featured exhibition in the Ucross Art Gallery, a reading, or a performance.
The fellowship began in 2018 by supporting Native American visual artists, thanks in large part to a grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Following the success of the first two years, in 2020, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) granted Ucross funds to continue the program for visual artists and expand its reach to include Native American writers. In 2024, the NEA granted Ucross additional funds to include Native American performers.
APPLY FOR THE FELLOWSHIP
The open call for applications for Spring 2026 (January through early June) will open May 1, 2025, with a deadline of July 15, 2025. The open call for applications for Fall 2026 (August through early December) is open from November 1 to January 15.
There is no application fee to apply to the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Artists. While typically only two recipients will be selected per discipline each year, all applicants will have the option of being considered for a standard Ucross residency.
APPLY HERE
The open call for applications for Spring 2026 (January through early June) will open May 1, 2025, with a deadline of July 15, 2025. The open call for applications for Fall 2026 (August through early December) is open from November 1 to January 15.
There is no application fee to apply to the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Artists. While typically only two recipients will be selected per discipline each year, all applicants will have the option of being considered for a standard Ucross residency.
APPLY HERE
FELLOWSHIP ALUMNI
FELLOWS IN VISUAL ARTS
2018 - Sydney Pursel (Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska)
2018 - Brenda Mallory (Cherokee)
2019 - Heidi K. Brandow (Native Hawaiian and Dine)
2019 - Luzene Hill (Eastern Band of Cherokee)
2020 - Teresa Baker (Mandan/Hidatsa)
2020 - Anthony Hudson (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde)
2021 - Eliza Naranjo Morse (Santa Clara Pueblo)
2021 - Jessica Doe (nee Mehta) (Cherokee - Aniyunwiya - Nation)
2022 - Savannah LeCornu (Tsimshian [Wolf Clan] - Haida - Athabascan - Nez Perce - First Nations Nisga’a)
2022 - Mikayla Patton (Oglala Lakota)
2023 - Gerald Clarke (Cahuilla Band of Indians)
2024 - Steven Yazzie (Navajo Nation and Laguna Pueblo)
2024 - Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock Indian Nation)
2025 - Gina Herrera (Tesuque Pueblo)
FELLOWS IN WRITING
2020 - Brendan Basham (Diné)
2021 - Brandon Hobson (Cherokee - Aniyunwiya - Nation)
2022 - M.L. Smoker (Nakoda - Dakota - Lakota)
2022 - Natanya Pulley (Diné)
2023 - David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Sicangu Lakota Nation)
2023 - Kelli Jo Ford (Cherokee Nation)
2023 - Stacie Denetsosie (Diné)
2024 - Danielle Emerson (Diné)
2025 - Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)
FELLOWS IN PERFORMANCE
Coming in Spring 2025
FELLOWS IN VISUAL ARTS
2018 - Sydney Pursel (Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska)
2018 - Brenda Mallory (Cherokee)
2019 - Heidi K. Brandow (Native Hawaiian and Dine)
2019 - Luzene Hill (Eastern Band of Cherokee)
2020 - Teresa Baker (Mandan/Hidatsa)
2020 - Anthony Hudson (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde)
2021 - Eliza Naranjo Morse (Santa Clara Pueblo)
2021 - Jessica Doe (nee Mehta) (Cherokee - Aniyunwiya - Nation)
2022 - Savannah LeCornu (Tsimshian [Wolf Clan] - Haida - Athabascan - Nez Perce - First Nations Nisga’a)
2022 - Mikayla Patton (Oglala Lakota)
2023 - Gerald Clarke (Cahuilla Band of Indians)
2024 - Steven Yazzie (Navajo Nation and Laguna Pueblo)
2024 - Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock Indian Nation)
2025 - Gina Herrera (Tesuque Pueblo)
FELLOWS IN WRITING
2020 - Brendan Basham (Diné)
2021 - Brandon Hobson (Cherokee - Aniyunwiya - Nation)
2022 - M.L. Smoker (Nakoda - Dakota - Lakota)
2022 - Natanya Pulley (Diné)
2023 - David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Sicangu Lakota Nation)
2023 - Kelli Jo Ford (Cherokee Nation)
2023 - Stacie Denetsosie (Diné)
2024 - Danielle Emerson (Diné)
2025 - Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)
FELLOWS IN PERFORMANCE
Coming in Spring 2025
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Ucross Foundation acknowledges with respect that it is situated on the aboriginal land of several Indigenous communities, including the Cheyenne, Crow, and Lakota nations. Indigenous people continue to live in this area and practice their teachings and lifeways. Today, this region remains an important place for many Indigenous peoples. As a Wyoming institution, we recognize and respect this historical context and are working to build reciprocal relationships with the Native nations on whose lands we are situated. In partial fulfillment of that commitment, Ucross established Fellowships for Native American Visual Artists in 2017, Writers in 2020, and Performers in 2024.
Ucross Foundation acknowledges with respect that it is situated on the aboriginal land of several Indigenous communities, including the Cheyenne, Crow, and Lakota nations. Indigenous people continue to live in this area and practice their teachings and lifeways. Today, this region remains an important place for many Indigenous peoples. As a Wyoming institution, we recognize and respect this historical context and are working to build reciprocal relationships with the Native nations on whose lands we are situated. In partial fulfillment of that commitment, Ucross established Fellowships for Native American Visual Artists in 2017, Writers in 2020, and Performers in 2024.
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“I feel transformed by my time at Ucross, in terms of my relationship to my work-in-progress and the work of writing in general. I feel like I rediscovered a sense of playfulness in language and style, something I don't think I could have done right now amid my day-to-day responsibilities. I'm grateful for the land, the time, the thoughtful spaces, the delicious food, and the community.”
— Kelli Jo Ford, Native American Fellow in Writing, 2023 |
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"Ucross is a place where the mind can roam freely and creativity can flourish. It captures the essence of artistic freedom within the vast and expansive landscape." — Steven Yazzie, Native American Fellow in Visual Arts, 2024 |