AIANTA to Receive $150,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the American Rescue Plan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (January 28, 2022) —The American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) has announced they have been approved to receive an American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help the arts and cultural sector recover from the pandemic.
AIANTA is recommended to receive $150,000 and will use this funding to provide training to Indian tribes and Native artists through regular educational sessions. The funding will further support artist stipends at the annual American Indian Tourism Conference. Additionally the funding will support increasing awareness of Native arts experiences trough blog posts, website listings, social media posts and electronic outreach through AIANTA’s websites NativeAmerica.travel and AIANTA.org. Finally, the funding will help support professional photography for artisans looking to promote themselves and expand their marketing efforts.
“Artists serve as important ambassadors for their tribes, reservations and communities and we are thrilled the NEA supports AIANTA’s efforts in shining the light on these individuals,” said Sherry L. Rupert (Paiute/Washoe), Chief Executive Officer of AIANTA. “AIANTA’s partnership with the NEA will help extend AIANTA’s regular artisan marketing efforts.”
For three years, AIANTA has run the annual Shop Native webpage during the holiday season encouraging buyers to consider making holiday purchases at Native museum and cultural center gift shops. Additionally, the association produced the “Business of Art” seminar during the 2021 and 2019 American Indian Tourism Conference. The half-day workshop features industry experts who present important information on how artists can better market themselves while also educating artisans and tribes on the importance of supporting artisan efforts. The NEA funding will support expanding Business of Art programing for 2022 and 2023.
AIANTA’s funding is just one award of a series of grants totaling $57,750,000, which NEA has awarded to 567 arts organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, DC. Of those grants, more than 30 were awarded to Native organizations and tribes for funding equaling more three million dollars.
“Our nation’s arts sector has been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Endowment for the Arts’ American Rescue Plan funding will help organizations, such as AIANTA rebuild and reopen,” said Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the NEA. “The arts are crucial in helping America’s communities heal, unite, and inspire, as well as essential to our nation’s economic recovery.”
The American Rescue Plan was signed into law in March 2021 when the NEA was provided $135 million for the arts sector. The funding for organizations is the third installment providing more than $57.7 million for arts organizations. In April 2021, the NEA announced $52 million (40 percent) in ARP funding would be allocated to 62 state, jurisdictional, and regional arts organizations for regranting through their respective programs. The second installment in November 2021 allocated $20.2 million to 66 local arts agencies for subgranting to local artists and art organizations.
For more information on the NEA’s American Rescue Plan grants, including the full list of arts organizations funded in this announcement, visit www.arts.gov/COVID-19/the-american-rescue-plan.
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About AIANTA
For nearly two decades, the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) has served as the national center for providing tourism and recreational travel technical assistance, training and capacity building to American Indian nations. AIANTA is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit association of Native American tribes and tribal businesses and was incorporated in 2002 to advance Indian Country tourism. AIANTA’s mission is to define, introduce, grow and sustain American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian tourism that honors traditions and values.
For more information and images, contact:
Monica Poling
Marketing & PR Manager