Evaluating the Social Impact of Indigenous Art Projects by Way of Aesthetic Impact

Indigenous artists have long used art as a means of pushing back on colonial actions, ideas, and ways of being. It is not only a powerful vernacular in which to communicate about the persistence of Indigenous peoples and who they are today, but also an effective means of questioning dominant worldviews and inspiring social change.

In 2014, to both celebrate and promote these valuable aspects of contemporary Indigenous art, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) launched a new initiative, the Community Inspiration Program (CIP). The basic program strategy was to identify and fund unique projects that were led by Native artists, spoke to socially important issues, and engaged communities.

Among the four CIP projects, The Story of Everything, a music, dance, visual imagery, and spoken word performance by the slam poet Kealoha, focused on the Big Bang, climate change, and Indigenous knowledges.

Besides this, Sundance Native Forum, a workshop offered through the Sundance Institute’s New Frontier program that engaged Native artists, activists, and innovative media makers in transmedia storytelling for social and environmental justice.

Evaluating the Social Impact of Indigenous Art Projects by Way of Aesthetic Impact
Story of Everything