Dreamstarter Creatives 2025

2025 Dreamstarter Creatives are honoring their heritage, healing their communities, and creating better futures through their art.

Aimee Decory

Rosebud Sioux Tribe

Beadwork

Aimee Decory (Rosebud Sioux Tribe), 43, has been working with quills and beads for over 10 years. Decory’s Dream is to inspire her community to keep traditional art forms alive and provide high quality, one of a kind works to her community at an affordable price. She will create two series of works, a line of earrings and a line of holiday ornaments. She will also invest in supplies that will allow her expand her sales at Pow Wow and Markets. During her grant year, she also plans to host a community night to show people how to clean and dye quills.

Alexis Dutro

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe

Beadwork

Alexis Dutro (Rosebud Sioux Tribe), 24, has always found belonging in her community through the sharing of information, and spending time with Elders. Dutro’s Dream is to support Native Businesses through the creation of an online marketplace for Indigenous Art & Design that prioritizes traditional methods and materials, ensuring that Native businesses remain true to their heritage while adapting to modern markets. Throughout her grant year she will focus on marketing her brand and creating partnerships.

Angelica Roach

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Beadwork and Pottery

Angelica Roach, (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), 33, has always felt that beading is a way to honor her heritage, express herself, and share the beauty of Choctaw culture with others. Roach’s Dream is to preserve the symbolism that defines Choctaw tribal identities and tells the stories of their history. During her grant year, she will focus on procuring new supplies for her studio that will allow her to expand her talents, and provide more pieces to her audience.

Charlissa Strong

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Beadwork

Charlissa Strong (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), 43, feels that learning traditional arts has been a way to preserve what she sees as the most powerful and beautiful representation of her people across generations. Her Dream is to preserve the craft of making beaded flutes. During her grant year, she will work with Southeastern Plains flute maker Joey Hall to create a series of intricately beaded flutes, continuing the legacy of cultural expression and artistry.

Chasity Locklear

Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina

Beadwork and Sewing

Chasity Locklear (Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina), 38, believes that art is medicine—a powerful way to heal, express identity, and celebrate culture. Locklear’s Dream is to design and create a culturally inspired beadwork and sewing collection that honors the traditions of her Tribe while bringing in modern elements. During her grant year, she will focus on creating pieces like beaded earrings, ribbon skirts, regalia accents, and garments that tell stories of healing, identity, and resilience as a way to share the strength and beauty of Lumbee culture with her community and beyond.

Desiree Benally

Navajo Nation

Poetry

Desiree Benally (Navajo Nation), 24, believes that writing is a powerful artistic outlet—one that has helped her strengthen friendships, support her mental health, and deepen her intellectual passions. Benally’s Dream is to publish both an ebook and a physical children’s book about a Utah Navajo youth who faces a challenge head-on, while also sharing a cultural teaching about the importance of respecting animals, nature, and elders. During her grant year, she will focus on bringing this story to life as a way to inspire young readers and celebrate the values and resilience of Navajo culture.

Jesalyn Keziah

Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina

Pottery

Jesalyn Keziah (Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina), 35, has been working with pottery for over 15 years and believes in healing both the heart and the community spirit through the grounding power of artmaking. Keziah’s Dream is to expand her home studio to create space for hosting workshops and building connections through shared creativity. During her grant year, she will focus on creating serving dishes specifically made to honor traditional foods and foodways, blending functional art with cultural celebration and storytelling.

Juliana Pole

Hupa Valley Tribe

Beadwork

Juliana Pole (Hupa Valley Tribe), 23, sees art as both a spiritual connection and a reflection of the relationship between people and the land. Pole’s Dream is to expand the reach of her art while using it as a tool for education, and cultural revitalization. During her grant year, she will create two jewelry collections inspired by the seasons in Hupa homelands. She will also host six Cultural Art Tables at community events across Hupa, Yurok, and neighboring territories to share knowledge about traditional materials while building awareness and appreciation for Hupa and Yurok artistic traditions.

Samantha Jacobs

The Seneca Tribe

Tufting, Embroidery

Samantha Jacobs (Seneca Nation), 41, sees art as a vital way to connect community members with their culture and each other. Based in Irving, NY, she serves as the Cultural Learning Coordinator at the Sully, where she leads and coordinates art and culture classes in a safe, supportive environment. Jacobs’s Dream is to create a series of medallions and pendants using tufting and embroidery that incorporate traditional Haudenosaunee storytelling elements. During her grant year, she will also lead a tufting and embroidery class using moose and caribou hair, guiding participants through the techniques and stitches firsthand,helping to keep these cultural practices alive and thriving within her community.

Shadow Hardbarger

Cherokee Nation

Sewing

Shadow Hardbarger (Cherokee Nation), 30, believes that art is not only a form of self-expression but also a practice in mindfulness—where good thoughts are woven into every creation. Hardbarger’s Dream is a continuation of a past effort that had a meaningful impact on her community by supporting families facing financial hardship. During her grant year, she will purchase materials to create a series of handmade ribbon skirts, which will be raffled off to raise funds. All proceeds from the raffles will go directly to a family in need, using art as a powerful vehicle for community care, healing, and support.

Dreamstarter Creatives 2025

2025 Dreamstarter Creatives are honoring their heritage, healing their communities, and creating better futures through their art.

Aimee Decory

Beadwork

Alexis Dutro

Beadwork

Angelica Roach

Beadwork and Pottery

Charlissa Strong

Beadwork

Chasity Locklear

Beadwork and Sewing

Desiree Benally

Poetry

Jesalyn Keziah

Pottery

Juliana Pole

Beadwork

Samantha Jacobs

Tufting, Embroidery

Shadow Hardbarger

Sewing

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