A New Residency Aims to Give Indigenous Artists the Tools to Make Art in Neon

A Native-led nonprofit launched a residency in collaboration with a neon studio in Kingston, New York. The program selects a Native artist who has never created neon work and pairs them with the studio to fabricate a new piece in the medium. Applicants are chosen for their interest in neon but lack of access to it. The inaugural resident, Sarah Rowe of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, primarily works in painting and installation and explores identity, ecology, and reinterpretations of Native visual histories. Her prior mural work across 15 grain silos informed how neon could extend her scale and visibility into light and public space. Applicants were asked to describe how they would translate their existing practice into neon rather than propose a finished neon concept. The residency is valued at about $50,000 per cycle, with most funds supporting fabrication and additional support for travel, lodging, and an artist stipend.

"For the program, a Native artist who has never created work in neon will work with Lite Brite to fabricate a new piece in the medium. We specifically asked for applicants who had never worked in neon before because we wanted to open the door for artists who had never worked in the medium, but had a desire to and never have the access to it, Reid Walker, the foundation of the Walker Youngbird Foundation, told ARTnews in an interview."

"The inaugural Native Neon resident is Sarah Rowe (Ponca Tribe of Nebraska), who primarily works in painting and installation. She explores identity, ecology, and the reinterpretation of Native visual histories, Walker said of her practice. He pointed to a mural titled Starseeds that she created in Nebraska that spans 15 grain silos. Her practice already carried a strong sense of scale and visibility, and neon can extend that language into light and public space a very different way, he added."

"Instead of giving a specific proposal about what a work by them in neon might look liked, the foundation asked them to write about how they would envision translating their current practice into a format that's different from what they've done before, Walker said. We didn't want them to have an idea of the finished product because they don't understand the medium yet. There are so many variables that go into thisit's really a collaborative process."

"The residency is valued at around $50,000 per cycle, with the majority of the funds going toward the fabrication of the neon work but also covers flights and lodging, as well as a $10"

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