WAA Receives $400,000 in Support of Advancing Indigenous Performance Program
We’re delighted to announce $400,000 in funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, designated to support our Advancing Indigenous Performance (AIP) program. The three-year grant will cover AIP program expenses including operational and staff costs, Native Launchpad awards, the AIP Touring Fund and the Artist Opportunity Fund, and enables WAA to further our goal of building capacity and networking opportunities for Indigenous performing artists.
The AIP program, established in 2018 thanks to generous lead support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and additional funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, has to date supported 39 Indigenous artists and ensembles, from 18 states and territories, through professional development opportunities, strategic promotions, financial support, and networking.
"AIP would not exist without this critical support from the funding community, led by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation," said WAA's AIP Program Manager, Ed Bourgeois. "Their continued belief in this program enables us to uplift Indigenous voices in a broad national and international touring marketplace, through greater visibility and increased bookings, yes — but also by providing Native performers the tools they need to self-direct and develop sustainable livelihoods in the arts.
“This funding provides opportunities to transform the field, through the advancement of cultural understanding and investment in marginalized artists and their communities. We’re grateful to the Mellon for their leadership in making AIP a reality.”
2018 Native Launchpad Artist Anthony Hudson/Carla Rossi; image credit: Mel Christy
2019 Native Launchpad Artist Maura Garcia; image credit: Jenny Wheat