Native Artist-in-Residence

Background

Seattle Rep acknowledges that we are on the traditional land of the Coast Salish people. We honor with gratitude the land itself and its innumerable stewards, past and present. We recognize Washington’s tribal nations, all of the Tribal signatories of the Treaty of Point Elliott, and the urban Native communities who continue to live and thrive in this space. This acknowledgment does not take the place of authentic relationships with Indigenous communities, but serves as a first step in honoring the land we are on and the people and cultures it has nurtured.

About the Program

Overview

From 2021 to 2024, the Native Artist-in-Residence Program was a season-long program in which one Native artist of any discipline (theater, visual arts, writing, dance, 3D or 2D art, film, design, etc.) was paid a stipend to create art, gain professional development, and build a relationship with Seattle Rep. The entire program was informed by the individual Artists-in-Residence—what kind of art they wanted to make, what kind of professional development they would benefit from, and what they wanted their interaction and relationship to the Seattle Rep to look like. The only fixed requirement of the program was that it culminates in a public or invited event featuring either a finished product or work in progress around which staff and guests can engage in dialogue. The subject of this dialogue and the focus of the event was entirely up to the choice and interest of the artist.

Through this program, with guidance from each Native Artist-in-Residence, Seattle Rep was able to:

• Include local Native art and artists in every season at Seattle Rep
• Begin to develop relationships with local Indigenous artists and communities through critical dialogue shaped by the work of Native artists themselves
• Make Seattle Rep available to Native artists, informed by their wants and needs
• Create a space at Seattle Rep more explicitly inviting to Native community members