Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Creative Jessica Swann (Piscataway Conoy), 35, of LaPlata, Maryland, is actively engaged in preserving and sharing her tribe’s cultural traditions, particularly through regalia-making, community education, and youth engagement.
“My artistic practice is deeply tied to service, with a focus on accessibility and participation rather than individual recognition,” said Jessica in her grant application.
For her Dreamstarter Creative project, Jessica is working with leather as the central medium to teach others to make their own moccasins.
“This project will expand an existing cultural education initiative by offering a series of moccasin-making workshops centered on the traditional ‘pucker toe’ center seam style,” she explained.
“Guided by tribal knowledge keepers, participants will engage in a hands-on learning process that reflects the values championed by Chief Jesse James Swann Jr.: community-led teaching, intergenerational knowledge sharing, and cultural responsibility.”
Workshop components include the cultural context and significance of moccasins within Piscataway regalia; ethical and traditional approaches to material use; patterning, cutting, and sewing techniques specific to center seam construction; and finishing methods and regalia care.
“Participants will complete their own pair of moccasins, creating a tangible connection to their heritage while gaining skills they can share with others,” said Jessica.
She told us that previously, “I have contributed to and supported community workshops and cultural initiatives that center intergenerational learning, where tribal members come together to engage in traditional arts.
“Through these efforts, I have helped create spaces where youth and adults can learn directly from knowledge keepers, strengthening both cultural identity and community connection.
“My artistic practice is deeply tied to service, with a focus on accessibility and participation rather than individual recognition.
With her $2,500 grant, Jessica will purchase materials, including leather, sinew, needles, tools, pattern supplies, and other workshop supplies, and provide instructor honoraria to tribal artisans and knowledge keepers.
“This combination of materials supports both the technical skill-building and the cultural storytelling that are essential to the project, ensuring that participants not only learn how to make regalia, but understand its meaning within Piscataway Conoy traditions.”
She projects to provide 15-25 tribal members with the opportunity to complete a pair of traditional moccasins and participate in cultural education programs that will help to strengthen their cultural identities and pride.
“This grant and project will have a meaningful and lasting impact on both the Piscataway Conoy community and on me personally,” said Jessica.
“At the community level, expanding moccasin-making workshops creates direct access to cultural knowledge that has too often been limited or interrupted.
“By teaching tribal members how to make ‘pucker toe’ center seam moccasins, we are not only sharing a skill—we are restoring a practice that strengthens identity, pride, and connection to our ancestors.
“Participants will leave with something they created themselves, but more importantly, with knowledge they can carry forward and pass on to others, helping to rebuild intergenerational pathways of learning.”
She also noted that the project reinforces community cohesion.
“Bringing together youth, adults, and elders in a shared learning space fosters relationships, mentorship and a stronger sense of belonging.
“It creates opportunities for cultural exchange within our own community, ensuring that traditions are not held by only a few, but are accessible and lived by many.”
Additionally, she sees this work as part of her community’s commitment to learning, preserving, and sharing their traditions.
“Each piece created is more than decorative; it holds meaning, teaches lessons, and connects us to who we are as a people.
“For me, art is a way of continuing that connection and honoring those who came before us.”
