« The Northern Indigenous Artist Alliance (NIAA) is an emerging, Indigenous-led provincial arts service organization with the mandate to support, promote, and advocate on behalf of Indigenous artists in Northern Ontario. NIAA was created in response to the lack of Indigenous arts leadership in the North, and with the belief that Indigenous artists are the experts on Indigenous art and on the communities and contexts in which they work. https://niaa.ca/

This Fall 2019, the Northern Indigenous Artist Alliance (NIAA) will host Dream Big 2019 in Baawating / Sault Ste. Marie. This gathering will bring together Indigenous artists, curators, critics and cultural organizations from across Northern Ontario for two days of collaboration and exchange as we seek to answer the question – what do Indigenous artists need to thrive in the North?

NIAA has received funding from the Ontario Arts Council to host Dream Big 2019 and is currently raising funds to help offset the high travel costs in the North so more Indigenous artists can attend the gathering. Featuring presentations, panel discussions, art creation, and performances, Dream Big attendees will be able to network, develop hands-on skills for promoting their work, widen their audiences, and add their voice to an ongoing dialogue about contemporary Indigenous arts in Northern Ontario. Your donation will help cover travel and accommodations so artists from all across Northern Ontario can take part.« 

For more information about the campaign and to donate, please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/get-indigenous-artists-to-dream-big-northern-on

-from NIAA