"A national search is under way for a president to lead a new multimillion-dollar art foundation to promote indigenous art and culture throughout Native America.

The Native American Art and Culture Foundation will be the nation's first permanently endowed foundation devoted exclusively to support tribal art and culture.

“The stars have aligned,” said Walter Echo-Hawk, the art foundation board chairman. “You have this foundation now coming on line that has enormous potential to become a powerful funding engine that will redirect the face of private philanthropy and divert huge increases of financial resources directly to our Native artists and tribal communities.”

The Native American Art and Culture Foundation board is in the middle of interviewing candidates to lead the organization. An announcement naming the new president is expected within the next two weeks. The location of the organization will be dependent on who gets the job.

The foundation already has collected $6.5 million and committed end-of-year pledges now total $13 million.

“We hope to launch this foundation publicly in September or October. Our doors will be open and we'll start to give out grant awards,” said Echo-Hawk, who is based in Denver. “It's going to happen. We've been working quiet � . We're just waiting to get our president hired so we have a warm body out front who can really take this and lift it off the ground.”

Echo-Hawk said the foundation was initiated by artists some 20 years ago."

Get the Story:
Search on for Native art fund director (The Missoulian 5/18)

Relevant Links:
Jodi Rave - http://www.missoulian.com/jodirave

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