NATIVE LAUNCHPAD
Creating opportunity and sustainability for Indigenous artists through financial support, strategic promotion, networking, and career development.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Native Launchpad is the cornerstone program of Advancing Indigenous Performance (AIP), Western Arts Alliance’s national initiative to create new touring and presentation opportunities for US-based Indigenous performing artists.
Native Launchpad provides Indigenous artists with tools and resources needed to further their careers and introduce them to the world of arts presenting and management.
The program helps create opportunity and sustainability for Indigenous artists through financial support, strategic promotion, networking, and career development.
Meet the artists below.
MEET THE ARTISTS
2023 COHORT
2023 NATIVE LAUNCHPAD ASSOCIATE ARTISTS
Pele Bauch; image credit: P. Silcher
Pele Bauch (she/her)
Tribal Affiliation: Kanaka Maoli/Native Hawaiian
Artistic Discipline: Dance; multidisciplinary
Location: New York, NY
Pele Bauch is an interdisciplinary choreographer who weaves dance, theater, and installation design into unique performances. Bauch’s work has been selected for presentation at many New York venues. She has received residencies from The Joyce Theater Foundation; Dance Theater Workshop; Chocolate Factory; and 92Y Harkness Dance Center. Funders include the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; Brooklyn Arts Council; and Harkness Foundation for Dance. Trained as a modern dancer, Bauch draws from additional studies in fine arts, Oli (Hawaiian Chant), and Hula, as well as from her Hapa Haole Kanaka Maoli (multi-racial Native Hawaiian) heritage.
Full bio | Artist website
Def-i; image courtesy of Def-i
Def-i (he/him)
Tribal Affiliation: Diné
Artistic Discipline: Music; poetry
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Diné artist 'Def-i' continues to carve out an original niche from introspective and poetic Hip-Hop. Emerging from Dinétah & the underground rap circuit, Def-i’s eclectic repertoire has provided him with much success and opportunity; MC, Producer, Artist-Educator – Def-i has been featured on NPR Music, Sway In The Morning, BBC, Shade 45, CBC, Democracy Now!, HipHopDX and more. His performance styles range widely from Hip-Hop and spoken word to contemporary Indigenous acoustic. Rounding out this diverse musical powerhouse, Def-i is an experienced youth workshop provider, active Recording Academy/GRAMMYs member, and currently serves as a U.S. Department of State Hip-Hop Cultural Ambassador.
Full bio | Artist website
Chantil Dukart; image courtesy of Chantil Dukart
Chantil Dukart (she/her)
Tribal Affiliation: Tsimshian & Sugpiaq
Artistic Discipline: Music
Location: Denver, CO
Chantil Dukart is a Denver-based, Alaska raised Indigenous jazz and funk artist with roots in the Tsimshian and Sugpiaq peoples of Alaska. Her style influences include everything from Nat King Cole to Erykah Badu to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Full bio | Artist website
Olivia Komacheet; image credit: Jordan Nicks
Olivia Komahcheet (she/her)
Tribal Affiliation: Comanche, Otoe-Missouria
Artistic Discipline: Music
Location: Austin, TX
Olivia Komahcheet is an Indigenous/American composer and music producer whose work spans spaces of music, visual media, and immersive art experiences. Olivia has worked with top brands Instagram; Ableton; Keeley Electronics; Walrus Audio; Beatclub; Old Blood Noise; and Native Audio, with original music being heard on Square Register and Shudder TV platforms. A 2021 Sundance Composers’ Lab Fellow, Olivia worked closely with leading film and television composers on her craft with creative advisors composing for television, video-game, concert music and feature length films such as Life of Pi; Little Miss Sunshine; and The Last Samurai. Her original music has been
Full bio | Artist website
G Precious; image courtesy of G Precious
G Precious (she/her)
Tribal Affiliation: Ohkay Owingeh
Artistic Discipline: Music
Location: Ohkay Owingeh, NM
G Precious is a multi-Award winning hip-hop, pop, R&B artist from Ohkay Owingeh — Village of the Strong People. She began creative writing at the young age of six, writing as a means to deal with the dynamics of life — alcoholism, drugs, depression, suicide, loss, and reservation life. G Precious is a Native American Music Award winner, multi-New Mexico Music Award winner, and has garnered various nominations throughout the world for her music. She has been called “the Storyteller” of her time, sharing her life through music.
Full bio | Artist website
Sondra Segundo; image credit: Dave McGrawn
Sondra Segundo (she/her)
Tribal Affiliation: Haida
Artistic Discipline: Music
Location: Seattle, WA
Sondra Segundo comes from a long line of Haida Raven Clan Matriarchs. She is a storyteller, singer, songwriter, and keeper of ancestral-songs. Singing in her Alaskan Haida dialect has opened doors for her to share her passion and healing with others.
Full bio | Artist website
2022 COHORT
2022 NATIVE LAUNCHPAD ARTISTS
2021 COHORT
2021 NATIVE LAUNCHPAD ARTISTS
2020 COHORT
2020 NATIVE LAUNCHPAD ARTISTS
2020 ASSOCIATE ARTISTS
2019 COHORT
2019 NATIVE LAUNCHPAD ARTISTS
2019 ASSOCIATE ARTISTS
2018 COHORT
2018 NATIVE LAUNCHPAD ARTISTS
2018 ASSOCIATE ARTISTS
NATIVE LAUNCHPAD 2023
Applications for Native Launchpad 2023 closed on February 1, 2023. Information remains for reference.
PROGRAM BENEFITS
Each awardee receives direct financial and travel support, mentoring/coaching, career development, and promotional benefits, valued at $40,000, over three years:
Financial support: $17,000 in direct support: $10K in year one, $5K in year two, and $2K in year three. Each year, 25% is unrestricted and 75% restricted to expenses directly related to career development.
Travel support: Airfare, lodging, and per diem – as well as membership and registration fees to attend the WAA Annual Conference for three years and the APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals) conference in NYC for two years.
Mentoring: Each year of the fellowship, each Native Launchpad artist is paired with a mentor, who is compensated for up to 10 hours of coaching time, to work with the artist on areas where they feel they could use support. Together, they create a work plan for the fellowship, to guide their work together and assess progress towards stated goals.
Career development: AIP maintains a year-round career development program for Native Launchpad artists and Associate Artists, with special topic webinars and monthly check-in Zoom calls.
Promotional benefits: Artist profiles on the WAA website, spotlight articles in the WAA newsletter, and an AIP booth at the WAA and APAP conferences – from which artists can network, distribute materials, and set meetings.
Official Showcase: Native Launchpad artists each receive a spot in the WAA Annual Conference Official Showcase in the second year of their fellowships. The showcase is attended by presenters and agent/managers from across the US and abroad.
NATIVE LAUNCHPAD APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Applications are now closed. Application guidelines remain for reference.
Four artists will be selected for the 2023 Native Launchpad program by a panel of Indigenous performing arts professionals from across the country to receive support over the course of three years. Additionally, our panel will select up to five AIP Associate Artists, who will be invited to access career development and networking resources through the program.
Applications opened on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 and closed at 5pm PT on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. Artists will be notified by May 1, 2023.
INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR
This informational webinar, hosted by AIP Program Manager, Ed Bourgeois, includes application tips and guidance plus valuable perspectives from AIP Committee Chair, Qacung Stephen Blanchett, and 2019 Native Launchpad awardee Delbert Anderson.
Since 2019, the AIP program has helped me launch a career in music. After participating the Native Launchpad program, our band and projects are reaching national and international levels of achievement.
- Delbert Anderson, Native Launchpad 2019
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must:
Be US-based professional performing artists at any stage in their career.
Be US citizens or have permanent resident status.
Be 18 years of age or older.
Be planning to tour work within the coming three years.
Self-identify as Indigenous.
For AIP, the term Indigenous (or Native) refers to: Member or descendant of a Native American, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian nation or community, including the U.S. Territories of Amelika Sāmoa (American Samoa), Guahan (Guam), Saipan, Tinian, Rota (Northern Mariana Islands), Borikén (Puerto Rico), and the US Virgin Islands.
The program is open to any performing arts discipline suitable for touring. Membership with Western Arts Alliance is not a requirement for applicants.
REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS
At least one video work sample (preferably of live, staged work).
Artist statement.
A statement of Native identity.
A statement of touring goals and objectives.
A letter of recommendation from an individual or organization that has presented or produced your work in the last three years.
A completed, standard application form.
FAQS
Can I apply to Native Launchpad if I don’t have a live performance sample or only have audio recordings?
The program is focused on building professional capacity for touring. Video of live performances is strongly preferred to evaluate readiness for the program. If you do not have live video, you may submit your application with a non-live set or with a music video performance. Applications without any video cannot be considered at this time.
I won’t be able to commit to all three years; can I still apply?
The purpose of the program is to build capacity over time, through mentorship, networking and promotion of your work. If you have concerns about the amount of time that it would take to complete this program or are not clear on the purpose of a development program, please reach out.
I would like to learn more about who qualifies in terms of tribal enrollment.
WAA uses the following language regarding Native identity: Member or descendant of a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian nation or community, including the US Territories of Amelika Sāmoa (American Samoa), Guahan (Guam), Saipan, Tinian, Rota (Northern Mariana Islands), Borikén (Puerto Rico), and the US Virgin Islands. Tribal enrollment is not a requirement. If you were born outside the US in a community bisected by the US-Mexico or US-Canada borders, or have other specific questions, please contact us.
I have never toured before; can I still apply?
Yes. While preference is given to artists who have toured/are ready to tour, lack of touring history is not a deal-breaker. The AIP program is designed to accommodate Native performing artists at all stages of their careers. We will work with the individual awardees to identify appropriate resources, mentors and map a path forward together.
I have a mentor in mind already; may I use her/him/them as my Native Launchpad mentor?
We are open to considering mentors that you nominate. The program is adaptive, and we recognize the value of using established relationships for mentors. Program participants may work with multiple mentors over the span of the program and allocate the mentor stipend accordingly.
How do you define a professional artist?
We would like to see applications from artists who have at least three years of paid performance experience before live audiences and have press reviews or audience responses that they can share.
How do you define a performing artist? Does it matter if my work is traditional or contemporary?
We do not ask that your work conform to Western labels or constructs. If your art is performed and has a live audience, regardless of discipline(s) or category, you meet the qualification criteria.
What are the application dates?
Applications open on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 and close at 5pm PT on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. Artists will be notified by May 1, 2023.
I have another question not listed here.
Please reach out.
THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS
Native Launchpad and the Advancing Indigenous Performance (AIP) program are made possible by a lead grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
