FELLOWSHIP FOR NATIVE AMERICAN VISUAL ARTISTS

In July 2017, Ucross announced a new initiative to support the work of contemporary Native American visual artists at all stages in their professional careers. The Ucross Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists is open to disciplines that include but are not limited to painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, video, performance art, installation, ceramics, and collaborative projects involving multiple disciplines.

“The High Plains setting of Ucross is particularly fitting for such a fellowship initiative. In recent years Ucross has directed significant energy toward broadening the cultural reach and depth of our visual arts program. Thanks to the support of the Ucross Board of Trustees, which has begun an endowment for this new Fellowship, we are excited to support the work of Native American visual artists.” — Ucross President & Executive Director Sharon Dynak

Two Ucross Fellowships for Native American Visual Artists are awarded each year. Those selected for the fellowship are offered a four-week residency, a stipend of $2,000, and a featured gallery exhibition at Ucross the following year. For Fellowships in Spring and Fall in 2024, the deadline is September 1, 2023. There will be no application fee to apply. While only one Fellowship winner will be selected for each session, all applicants will have the option of being considered for a regular Ucross residency.

​Funding for the first two years of the fellowship (2018-2019) was provided in large part by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. 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. 

FELLOWSHIP FOR NATIVE AMERICAN WRITERS

In 2020, following the success of its Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists, Ucross launched a similar opportunity for Native American writers at all stages in their professional careers. The Ucross Fellowship for Native American Writers is open to practicing writers who are currently producing work in one or more of the following genres — fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, screenwriting, playwriting, or hybrid forms. 

Two Ucross Fellowships for Native American Writers will awarded each year. Those selected for the fellowship are offered a four-week residency, a stipend of $2,000, and an opportunity to present work publicly. For upcoming Spring 2022 Fellowship, the deadline is September 1, 2021, for a residency taking place between late February and early June 2022. For the Fall 2022 Fellowship, the deadline is March 1, 2022, for a residency taking place between August and early December 2022. There will be no application fee to apply. While only one Fellowship winner will be selected for each session, all applicants will have the option of being considered for a regular Ucross residency.

APPLY HERE

LIST OF FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS (Visual Arts)
Spring 2018 - Sydney Pursel (Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska)
Fall 2018 - Brenda Mallory (Cherokee)
Spring 2019 - Heidi K. Brandow (Native Hawaiian and Dine)
Fall 2019 - Luzene Hill (Eastern Band of Cherokee)
Spring 2020 - Teresa Baker (Mandan/Hidatsa)
Fall 2020 - Anthony Hudson (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde) 
Spring 2021 - Eliza Naranjo Morse (Santa Clara Pueblo)
Fall 2021 - Jessica Mehta (Cherokee - Aniyunwiya - Nation)
Spring 2022 - Savannah LeCornu (Tsimshian [Wolf Clan] - Haida - Athabascan - Nez Perce - First Nations Nisga’a)
Fall 2022 - Mikayla Patton (Oglala Lakota​)

LIST OF FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS (Writing)
Fall 2020 - Brendan Basham (Diné)
Fall 2021 - Brandon Hobson (Cherokee - Aniyunwiya - Nation)
Spring 2022 - M.L. Smoker (Nakoda - Dakota - Lakota)
Fall 2022 - Natanya Pulley (Diné)

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 and Native American Writers in 2020.