The Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums announced the next phase of its Strengthening Institutional Support for Native Artists (SISNA) initiative, a national effort aimed at improving how institutions support Native artists, culture bearers, authors, performers, and Indigenous creative communities.
Funded through a Ford Foundation BUILD grant, SISNA was launched in response to ongoing national conversations among Native artists, tribal leaders, cultural institutions, arts organizations, funders, and community partners about the need for stronger and more culturally grounded systems of support for Native artists and Native communities.
Over the past two years, the initiative has included national research, listening sessions, and the inaugural SISNA Summit, which brought together Native artists, tribal leaders, cultural practitioners, arts administrators, funders, and institutional partners from across the country. One of the clearest themes emerging from those conversations was the importance of strengthening existing institutions and improving institutional readiness.
“As we listened to Native artists and community leaders, it became clear that this work is fundamentally about relationships, accountability, and long-term investment,” said Susan Feller, President and CEO of ATALM. “Artists consistently emphasized the need for stronger support systems, fair compensation, better partnerships, and institutions that are better prepared to work collaboratively with Native communities.”
The initiative is currently focused on developing practical resources, institutional readiness frameworks, peer-learning opportunities, and accountability tools designed to help tribal governments, museums, libraries, archives, arts agencies, universities, funders, and cultural organizations strengthen support for Native artists and Native cultural futures.
Heidi K. Brandow (Diné and Kanaka Maoli) recently joined ATALM as Senior Consultant for Strategic Initiatives and will help guide the next phase of SISNA. Brandow is an Indigenous artist, curator, communications strategist, and cultural practitioner whose work centers on relationship-building, ethical storytelling, cultural sovereignty, and Indigenous-led collaboration across communities and institutions.
“SISNA is intended to be collaborative, practical, and responsive to the field,” said Brandow. “This initiative is not about creating one model for everyone. It is about helping institutions build stronger relationships, improve accountability, and develop systems that better support Native artists and Native communities.”
Over the coming months, SISNA will host a series of national virtual gatherings focused on refining the framework and gathering additional input from Native artists, institutions, and partners across the field. ATALM also announced that SISNA Summit II will take place on September 21, 2026, in Spokane, Washington, immediately preceding the annual ATALM Conference.
Additional information about SISNA, upcoming gatherings, and opportunities for participation can be found on the SISNA website at www.atalm.org.
