TODAY'S Native American Art in New England

The Native Arts program at NEFA has partnered with Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center (MPMRC) to bring together Native New England Now, on exhibit through January 4, 2014, featuring many of New England’s Native American artists who have been supported through NEFA’s Native Arts program.

This is a rare opportunity for an organization to be able to showcase the work it supports, and we are grateful for the partnership and expertise of MPMRC. It allows the visitor a quick immersion into our world, to showcase our artists and the work that is happening. The work here and the work supported in our program represent our master artists, our elders, our youth, our emerging artists, and those in between. It’s a true community effort that would not have happened without the support of our artists, MPMRC, and those who have loaned from their collections (the Abbe Museum, the Hood Museum) or their own private collection. 

I can’t say enough about the art that is happening in New England. It’s our home, and what you see in this exhibit really represents the love of our land and the gifts that are given to us.  The work that is happening represents our connection to our land, our resources, our cultures and heritage, and, in reality, to our future.

We were honored to have so many of the exhibited artists attend the opening reception on October 4, as well as program advisors, funders, museum officials, NEFA board members, and my own NEFA colleagues. Additional related events include the November 16 artist panel conversation as well as a November 30 holiday artisan market.

This exhibit shows the work of 28 of the over 80 artists and organizations - representing over 35 tribes - that have received grants from NEFA’s Native Arts program. You can learn more about the artists in this companion publication we’ve published, but the best way for you to understand the work that has come from this love - and really see the talent and creativity of our amazing artists - is to see it in person.

NEFA’s Native Arts program supports projects that nurture artistic exchange, community development, youth engagement, environmental resource research and preservation, cultural preservation, and artistic innovation. Special thanks to the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the six New England state arts agencies, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, and other Native Arts program funders.