Grand Forks, ND — Hillary Kempenich (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) is an Anishinaabe artist, storyteller, and knowledge keeper who facilitates healing and opportunity through the arts.
Fargo, ND — Joseph Williams (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate) wants his region to be a national hub for Native American arts and culture, where engaging exhibitions, workshops, and convenings inspire connection and conversation.
Pine Ridge, SD — Tashina Banks Rama (Oglala Sioux Tribe, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe) comes from a family committed to the ancestral language revitalization movement and to living and teaching the Lakota worldview and philosophy.
Agency Village, SD — Erin Griffin (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate) envisions Makoce ataya Dakota Oyate kin Dakota iapi kte, a future where the Dakota Oyate will speak the Dakota language everywhere.
Woodbury, MN — ifrah mansour sees art as the way we can heal the world. A child who experienced civil war, famine and refugee camps at an early age, she says her grandmother’s storytelling saved her.
Minneapolis, MN — E.G. Bailey fell in love with film as a young boy when a traveling crew came to his Liberian village and he saw his first movie. Many years later, his own film, New Neighbors, was featured at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
Savage, MN — Naomi Ko believes artists can be bold architects of social change. She recognizes the tremendous impact that film and television have on perceptions of people and communities.
Twin Buttes, ND — Jodi Rave Spotted Bear (Mandan, Hidatsa and Mniconjou Lakota) is called to amplify the voice of Native Americans. She believes deeply in the freedom of the press in Indian Country to reflect the needs and voices of the people.
Saint Paul, MN — Amira Adawe is on a quest to redefine beauty. She aims to end skin-lightening practices that both expose people to toxic chemicals and harm their identities.
