


#Pacific northwest art professional#
She is the recipient of an Allied Arts Foundation Professional Poets Award and fellowships from Nia Tero, Indigenous Nations Poets, and the Vadon Foundation. She currently serves as Washington State Poet Laureate (2021-2023) and has been named as the University of Washington Libraries Maxine Cushing Gray Distinguished Writing Fellow for 2022. Rena Priest is a member of the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation. Please stay tuned for updates about applications for the 2023 cohort of Pacific Northwest Arts Fellowship. It is clearer now more than ever that art and culture are fundamentally tied to the well-being of Indigenous peoples, which in turn ensures the health of the lands we steward. Artists continue finding innovative new ways of connecting us. Even as Native populations were being hit especially hard by the pandemic, Indigenous makers were rallying to provide solace and sustenance during isolation. Nia Tero was proud to launch this Fellowship in Fall of 2020, when millions of cultural workers were experiencing significant income loss due to Covid-19. Engagement sessions will be designed collaboratively with the group and held virtually. The seven selected fellows will each receive an unrestricted award of $10,000 and will participate in a series of cohort engagement sessions. Nia Tero is proud to provide Indigenous artists working in the Northwest of Turtle Island this opportunity for professional and personal support as part of their growing network of fellows that spans the globe. Nia Tero’s Pacific Northwest (PNW) Art Fellowship brings together creatives working in many visual disciplines, from diverse international Indigenous affiliations, across stages of their artistic development.
