VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The National Indian Education Association is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The NIEA, the largest and oldest Indian education organization in the nation, is holding an art design competition for its 40th Annual NIEA Pendleton Commemorative Blanket.
The winning artist’s design will appear on the commemorative blanket and will be showcased at the NIEA convention in Milwaukee, Wis. in October. The winning artist will also receive a $2,500 cash prize and travel expenses to attend the convention.
According to information released by the NIEA, this will be the first exclusively designed NIEA Pendleton Commemorative Blanket. The event itself is lauded by the NIEA as a unique opportunity for the winning artist to display his or her talent before the NIEA membership of more than 3,000 educators, tribal leaders and administrators across Indian country.
The convention will also celebrate with a showcase of historical memorabilia relevant to the NIEA, including the work of respected and founding members.
The NIEA, whose mission is to support traditional American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian cultures and values, while enabling Native learners to become contributing members of their communities, began in the fall of 1969.
In that year, Native educator Will Antell, Minnesota White Earth Chippewa, organized the association’s first event. Antell and other Native educators recognized the need for a national organization that would address the unique educational needs of Native students. Over the course of the following year, they created the precursor to the present-day NIEA, which incorporated formally in 1970.
Over the last 40 years, Antell and other Native educators worked to expand the NIEA into an organization that committed itself to creating educational opportunities for American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian students. In 2005, Antell received a Life Achievement Award in Indian Education at the NIEA’s 36th annual convention.
“This October we celebrate 40 years of national conventions and the continuing commitment to Native education. As the only national membership organization dedicated to American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians; we fight hard for our members, support Native languages and cultures, and advocate for policies that promote the success of Native students,” said Media Relations Contact Michael Woestehoff, Navajo.
NIEA President Robert B. Cook, Oglala Lakota, expressed his enthusiasm for the blanket design competition and the connection to traditional Native ways.
“This blanket will serve as a connector to Native traditions, Native ways of life and our pursuit to getting a great education in our schools. Many different cultures have used blankets to tell the history of their people.
“We are very proud that a Native artist, along with Pendleton, will create a beautiful blanket that will express the many contributions American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians have made to education.”
Woestehoff added that since releasing the information about the artwork competition to the public, the responses have been far-reaching. “We’ve already had some inquiries from Canada asking if the competition is open to aboriginal artists.”
He said they would consider all entries, as long as they fell within the boundaries of the selection criteria.
According to the NIEA’s release, the artwork selected for the art project should address one or more of the following goals:
To acknowledge and celebrate the rich heritage of American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiians; to appeal to a broad intertribal constituency of the education community; to create an identity for the NIEA that reinforces its function and honor as the 40th anniversary NIEA convention; and to be a quality work of art and design.
The deadline for submitting applications is Feb. 28. After the initial application process, the artwork is due to the NIEA headquarters in Washington, D.C. by May 15.
Winning artist notification letters will be sent by June 15.
For more information or to obtain an application, e-mail membership@niea.org or call (202) 544-7290.
For more information visit NIEA.
The address for submitting artwork is NIEA Headquarters, 110 Maryland Ave., NE., Suite 104, Washington, DC 20002.
