Celebrating National Native American Heritage Month 2024

As the nation celebrates the heritage of Native Americans and Alaska Natives, we lift up the broad range of diversity, nuance, and beauty of Indigenous cultures and artistry throughout the country. The artistic contributions of Native peoples have demonstrated the power of the arts to inspire us, respect our lands and environment, see our shared humanity, preserve tradition, connect us to one another, and narrate our histories, present and futures.

The NEA is proud to support Native arts organizations and recognize Native artists and culture bearers. This year the National Endowment for the Arts awarded the 2024 NEA National Heritage Fellowship to the Zuni Olla Maidens (Zuni Pueblo) Dance Troupe, Quilter Susan Hudson (Navajo/ Diné), and fiddler Trimble Gilbert (Gwich’in). In April, visual artist Jeffrey Gibson (Choctaw/Cherokee) was the first American Indigenous artist to hold a solo exhibition in the American pavilion at the Venice Biennale, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Department of State, and philanthropy.

Artists and culture bearers such as these luminaries—and the artforms and traditions they practice—are critical to our society. They help us tell our stories on our own terms, challenge us, and help us live artful lives. Importantly, they offer all of us different perspectives to understand the world around us.

We are grateful for the many Native American and Alaska Native artists who have kept their traditions and histories alive, continue to expand their creative expressions, and through their generosity, help us understand ourselves and each other more deeply as individuals and as a nation. I invite you to follow the NEA on its social media channels and on arts.gov as we celebrate National Native American Heritage this month and throughout the year.