Dreamstarter Creatives 2026

2026 Dreamstarter Creatives are rooted in tradition and reaching toward the future, using creativity to preserve culture, uplift community, and share Indigenous stories in new ways.

Aaron Baumgardner

Catawba Indian Nation

Pottery and Basketry

Aaron Baumgardner’s Dream is to see traditional Catawba basketry recognized and revered as part of contemporary fine art. He was the first Catawba artist to create a traditional rivercane basket in over a century and loves working with both pottery and basketry because they provide a direct connection to Catawba land and his ancestors. During his grant year, Aaron will debut his art business at the Santa Fe Indian Market, enter his pieces into competitions, and build relationships with galleries and collectors. His goal is to elevate Catawba art in the fine art world and challenge the perception of traditional Native art as simply craft.

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Anpa’o Locke

Húŋkpapȟa Lakota & Ahtna Dené

Multi-Media

Anpa’o’s Dream is to create community and honor her identity by launching her own brand, Wahcazizi, featuring beadwork and textile designs that celebrate both her Black and Indigenous heritage. Her creativity has always been a way to connect with her community, friends, and family. During her grant year, Anpa’o will launch her business by creating a series of beadwork and textile designs and using her experience in photography and filmmaking to market and grow her brand.

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Diane Sharpe

Oglala Lakota

Jewelry Making

Diane’s Dream is to promote healing within her community through both her beadwork and her work in suicide prevention. She has been beading for five years and has worked in suicide prevention for youth, veterans, and their families for nearly a decade. During her grant year, Diane will create new, high-quality pieces using better materials and expand into new markets, using her art to spread prevention through purpose. She will continue to donate all net proceeds from her beadwork to support the suicide prevention work she does in her community.

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Elizah Dominy

Tlingit and Haida

Visual Arts

Elizah’s Dream is to honor and support her community through her art by both selling and donating her work. She has studied Northwest Coast formline art since 2019 under masters of the style and continues to use her creativity as a way to connect with and give back to her community. During her grant year, Elizah will dive deeper into her culture, expand her artistic skills and offerings, and create a larger supply of items. This will allow her to participate in community giveaways and take advantage of more vendor opportunities while sharing her art with a wider audience.

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Eva Ellingson

Walker River Paiute

Wearable Medicine & Apothecary Arts

Eva Ellingson’s Dream is to make traditional medicines more accessible to a wider audience by incorporating them into jewelry and other commonly used products. A multi-year Dreamstarter Creative recipient, Eva runs her own small business, Numa Designs. During her grant year, she will work with an expert consultant to create wearable oil medicines designed to promote protection and wellness, expanding the ways traditional medicines can be incorporated into everyday life.

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Jarrette Werk

Aaniiih & Nakoda, Fort Belknap Indian Community

Jewelry Making and Photography

Jarrette Werk’s Dream is to support and uplift his community by keeping Native representation at the forefront of every step of his creative process—from sourcing supplies from Native-owned businesses to creating high-quality pieces and showcasing his finished work. A seasoned photographer and jewelry maker, as well as a 2023 Dreamstarter, Jarrette will create a full collection of jewelry and produce a stylized editorial photoshoot to showcase the finished pieces.

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Jessica Swann

Piscataway Conoy Tribe

Leather Working

Jessica Swann’s Dream is to preserve and share Piscataway Conoy cultural traditions through intergenerational learning and traditional regalia-making. A Dreamstarter Mentor and community workshop leader who has learned from her elders, Jessica will host a series of moccasin-making workshops focused on the traditional “pucker toe” center seam style. Participants will create their own pair of moccasins while strengthening their connections to culture, community, and heritage.

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Robert DeGaetano

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Member

Jewelry Making & Visual Arts

Robert’s Dream is to connect with his community while continuing to grow as an artist. An up-and-coming artist who has been pursuing his craft for three years, Robert will use his grant to replace worn supplies and invest in new materials and tools to continue creating pieces that honor the land, culture, and history of the Wampanoag people. His goal is to showcase his work in local exhibits, increase Indigenous representation on the East Coast, and grow as an artist.

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Sean Parrish

Dine

Immersive & Experiential Art

Sean’s Dream is to create new ways to experience Indigenous culture through gathering, design, and shared interaction. A decorated fashion photographer with a background in event production, Sean will use his grant to push the boundaries of immersive experiences by creating custom sculptural pieces to present seasonal, locally sourced Indigenous foods at his events. These vessels will transform how food is presented and experienced, creating interactive, storytelling-based experiences that bring people together.

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Tiffany Wolfe

Navajo & Oglala Lakota

High Fashion

Tiffany’s Dream is to inspire others to express their culture and identity through art by creating couture that blends contemporary design with traditional design and storytelling elements. An artist since childhood, Tiffany recently began pursuing her art full time. During her grant year, she will create a new couture dress piece and showcase her work through digital storytelling and marketing, sharing her designs and cultural vision with a wider audience.

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