The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, based in Minneapolis, is one of nine organizations selected to receive a non-matching grant of $150,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This funding will support projects that explore local arts and cultural approaches to promoting social connection, a sense of belonging, and mental health through the arts.
In addition to the financial support, the nine grant recipients will participate in a collaborative learning process, sharing best practices and insights with other organizations engaged in similar work.
The grant awarded to the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition will fund a series of virtual, artist-led workshops designed to foster healing for those impacted by the federal Indian boarding school system. These workshops will specifically address the collective trauma experienced by individuals whose lives were disrupted by these institutions.
From 1819 to the 1970s, the U.S. government established Indian boarding schools with the aim of forcibly assimilating Native children, removing them from their families, communities, languages, religions, and cultural traditions. The healing workshops will provide a safe space for participants to reconnect with their cultural heritage through traditional Native American art forms. Led by masters of these art forms, the workshops will offer hands-on, virtual instruction in mediums such as beading, weaving, pottery, and painting. Participants will receive at-home art supplies and guided sessions designed to foster healing, reduce stress, and build self-esteem, while reconnecting with collective, intergenerational cultural practices.
To complement the art workshops, the project will also involve a licensed mental health professional and will promote fieldwide learning through public webinars. These resources will offer guidance on facilitating virtual healing art workshops for marginalized and trauma-affected communities, with a focus on respecting and honoring participants’ stories, experiences, and cultural beliefs.