Artist Free Membership Application

Free IACC Artist Membership

Welcome to the Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada. This is a free service for Indigenous artists. We are a non profit organization with the mandate to empower Indigenous artists. We are Indigenous women led and based in Canada.

Please review the sections above to take advantage of the benefits that the IACC has to offer Indigenous artists. Fill out the form below to the best of your ability and remember that membership acceptance relies upon preserving the integrity of Indigenous arts and cultures. Can't wait to e-meet you!

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IACC Membership Criteria

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IACC Membership Application
Many of us carry traditional names or more than one name due to displacement. If there are other names that you identify with, please feel free to let us know.
Please be specific. These categories will determine your placement in our directory. For example: moccasins, beadwork, dream catchers, jewelry, etc.
The Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada (IndigenARTSY) retains the right to reject membership and vendor application based on the evidence that an artist submits regarding identity. While we cannot define who identifies as Indigenous, we ask that artists belong to, or have a connection to a certain Indigenous territory or community. In some cases, we will reach out to Indigenous communities to confirm these connections. This non profit organization is for Indigenous artists only. We commit our resources to Indigenous artists only, and are very proud of our large artist membership. Additionally, the funding we are granted is specifically for Indigenous people and must be spent on the terms it was granted. Can you confirm that you are related by blood to living Indigenous people? Are you connected to an Indigenous reserve/community/nation by blood?
We are proud to support Indigenous artists. If you retain an Indian Status card, band card, Inuit or Métis card please upload a photo here. We will never use or share this information with anyone/any business/any organization.
If you have no identification that shows your Indigenous connection(s), tell us here how you are related to living Indigenous persons or an Indigenous community.
Please let us know what work you're interested in and we can help to get your name out there!
Please describe your workshop here.
This will be public so customers can reach you.

Below type URLs (links) where people can contact you or see your work! Like Facebook, Etsy, Ebay, etc. We’ll add them to your page.

Are you in a Powwow circuit or have certain art shows or markets that you sell at regularly? List the dates and gatherings where you will sell your work so people can visit you.

To have a membership page, photos are mandatory. Upload one profile photo of yourself and additional photos of your work.

Indigenous arts are defined by stories, techniques and origins of your work; it can be both contemporary and traditional but must be rooted in family, community and Indigenous ways of knowing. Where did you learn your skills? Who are your teachers? Write a short history about you and your work; how your work represents your Indigenous culture. This bio will be published on your page.
I give full permission for the IACC to create my membership listing on the website https://www.passthefeather.org. All of the information that I have provided in this form can be published on the website, marketing and social media connections. It is my responsibility to contact the IACC should any of my contact information change.
For security verification, please enter any random two digit number. For example: 88

IACC Membership Criteria

IACC Membership and Identification

If you can answer the following questions with an honest ‘yes’, you are very likely to be accepted for IACC membership:

  1. Are you Indigenous?
  2. Can you confirm that you are related by blood to living Indigenous people?
  3. Are you connected to an Indigenous reserve/community/nation by blood?
  4. Did you learn your art form from family or community?
  5. Do you think it’s important to pass Indigenous knowledge to the next generations of Indigenous artists?

The Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada (IndigenARTSY) retains the right to reject membership and vendor application based on the evidence that an artist submits regarding identity as well as the history and integrity of their art form(s). This non profit organization is for Indigenous artists only. We commit our resources to Indigenous artists only, and are very proud to present authentic, Indigenous arts and artists.

Identification

The IACC prides itself in offering membership to diverse Indigenous nations. We put forth every effort to represent Indigenous nations equally and structure our membership so that there are an equal number of individuals representing as many nations as possible.

Approval in the ‘Verification’ section of your vendor dashboard is mandatory for selling at IndigenARTSY.  You will be required to upload a photo of a recognized identification card (Status Card, Band Card). Artists identifying as Métis must be connected to a  Métis organization such as Manitoba Metis Federation, Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, Métis Nation of Alberta, Métis Nation British Columbia, Métis Nation of Ontario. Inuit identification is various and widely accepted. More about identity guidelines can be researched here.

Can you confidently say yes to the questions in section ‘IACC Mandate and Membership Criteria?

*The funding we are granted is specifically for Indigenous people and must be spent on the terms it was granted.

We have seen and acknowledge that many people claim Indigenous identity and/or hold it in high regard but these identities are not up for debate and membership applications will be rejected.

While we cannot define who identifies as Indigenous, we ask that artists belong to, or have a connection to a certain Indigenous territory or community. In some cases, we will reach out to Indigenous communities to confirm these connections.

Our Mandate

In taking inspiration from the Haudenosaunee Seventh Generation Principle, Iehstóseranon:ha Dawn Setford (Mary Francis Whiteman), founded the Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada in 2012 to preserve and revitalize endangered Indigenous art forms and enrich lives through Indigenous arts and culture. In safe and inclusive spaces, through community based learning, the organization engages, [re]connects and empowers Indigenous women by promoting the transfer and conservation of cultural knowledge; securing the capacity for the next seven generations to retain and cultivate intrinsic cultural connections.

Membership acceptance to the Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada (IndigenARTSY) is based strictly on:

  • Contribution to the protection and development of endangered Indigenous art forms,
  • Maintaining the integrity and history of traditional Indigenous art forms,
  • Contributing to the transmission of Indigenous knowledge within our families and sovereign nations.
  • To be accepted into IACC membership, Indigenous artists must demonstrate the following:
  • A firm understanding of the origins of the Indigenous art forms that they choose to create,
  • A story of learning their art form from Indigenous people via family and/or community,
  • Incentive to teach the next generations of Indigenous artists,
  • Promotion each other equally and fairly - demonstrating respect and gratitude for others.

Who does NOT quality for membership?

  • People who have gained Indigenous status/ identity because they married an Indigenous person.
  • Non-Indigenous people whose art forms and practices have been learned from, or are similar to Indigenous art forms.
  • Indigenous people that do not respect the value of traditional art forms and sacred items.

We appreciate your respect of our Indigenous cultures and ask that you allow us to maintain our strong and important cultural identities.

IACC Membership and Identification

If you can answer the following questions with an honest ‘yes’, you are very likely to be accepted for IACC membership:

  1. Are you Indigenous?
  2. Can you confirm that you are related by blood to living Indigenous people?
  3. Are you connected to an Indigenous reserve/community/nation by blood?
  4. Did you learn your art form from family or community?
  5. Do you think it’s important to pass Indigenous knowledge to the next generations of Indigenous artists?

The Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada (IndigenARTSY) retains the right to reject membership and vendor application based on the evidence that an artist submits regarding identity as well as the history and integrity of their art form(s). This non profit organization is for Indigenous artists only. We commit our resources to Indigenous artists only, and are very proud to present authentic, Indigenous arts and artists.

Identification

The IACC prides itself in offering membership to diverse Indigenous nations. We put forth every effort to represent Indigenous nations equally and structure our membership so that there are an equal number of individuals representing as many nations as possible.

Approval in the ‘Verification’ section of your vendor dashboard is mandatory for selling at IndigenARTSY.  You will be required to upload a photo of a recognized identification card (Status Card, Band Card). Artists identifying as Métis must be connected to a  Métis organization such as Manitoba Metis Federation, Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, Métis Nation of Alberta, Métis Nation British Columbia, Métis Nation of Ontario. Inuit identification is various and widely accepted. More about identity guidelines can be researched here.

Can you confidently say yes to the questions in section ‘IACC Mandate and Membership Criteria?

*The funding we are granted is specifically for Indigenous people and must be spent on the terms it was granted.

We have seen and acknowledge that many people claim Indigenous identity and/or hold it in high regard but these identities are not up for debate and membership applications will be rejected.

While we cannot define who identifies as Indigenous, we ask that artists belong to, or have a connection to a certain Indigenous territory or community. In some cases, we will reach out to Indigenous communities to confirm these connections.