Each summer, Native artists give visitors an inside look into their creative process at Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) through the Indigenous Arts and Cultural Demonstration Program. It’s a rotating one-week residency at the Colter Bay Visitor Center and runs from mid-May to late September. Weavers, potters and makers of all sorts practice their craft in real time and visitors can learn about their creative process and its cultural importance.
The residency was previously known as the American Indian Guest Artist Program, but it’s going by a new name this year. Katie Tozier, the district interpretative ranger at Colter Bay, said the name change came after consultation with artists who’ve been involved in the program in the past.
“Some artists felt that the former name was really representative of them…and other artists felt like it was not a name that they appreciated, that “American Indian” felt dated and they felt like it was using colonizers' terms. So, we updated the name and we feel that “Indigenous Arts and Cultural Demonstration Program” is the most representative and the most inclusive of the work that's encompassed in the program,” she said.
The park recently released the line-up for this season of artist residencies, which has been going on for over four decades. The program is designed to emphasize that Native peoples have long-lasting and on-going ties to the land that is now known as Grand Teton National Park. The National Park Service recognizes 24 Associated Tribes to the area.
Tozier said many visitors only have an understanding of Indigenous cultures in a historic sense or in the past tense.
“One of the goals of the program is to put artists right in the present space of the visitor center demonstrating their work, whether it's beadwork, or painting or quill work. They're just right there having casual conversations with people in the visitor center,” she said.
The program is also designed to give artists a chance to connect with their ancestral homelands and participants are able to stay in an apartment at Colter Bay for the week with no cost to the artist. Tozier said some regularly returning artists, like Cherokee of Northeast Alabama painter DG House, have built up quite a fan club over the years.
“She sits in the space and paints these beautiful blue bears right there. There are visitors I know who scheduled their annual visit to Grand Teton National Park based on the week that she'll be in the demonstration space,” she said.
In addition to the residency program, Tozier said the interpretation division at the park has been working on incorporating more Indigenous-focused education in their guided ranger programs and evening campfire programs.
“Regardless of topic, we're encouraging our staff to try and find a neat way to tie in Indigenous perspectives and remind the public that there have been stewards here for thousands of years that predate Grand Teton National Park as a place,” she said.
Standing Rock Sioux artist Austin Kasto kicks off the residencies on May 20th and Shoshone-Bannock artists Willy and Debbie Lamere will close out the program from September 16-23. Artists will offer their finished items for purchase, and can also give live performances and talks about their art at the Colter Bay Amphitheater on Saturday evenings during their residency.
The park also coordinates with the Shoshone-Bannock tribe youth to the park through the week-long Indigenous Ground Leaders program and has hosted the Indigenous Youth Voices youth group, which supports young people from the Wind River Reservation and the Pine Ridge Reservation. In partnership with Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps, youth and young adults can also participate in conservation career exploration and cultural education at GTNP, which ranges from three to six weeks.
