Dyana DeCoteau-Dyess

“My mouth was open for like ten minutes. I told my husband, oh my God, oh, my God. I think I just got an artist grant.”

Dyana DeCoteau-Dyess is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. She is a photographer, painter, and printmaker, now pursuing a BFA at Minot State University in North Dakota, where she is the art club president and the vice president of the Native American Culture Club.

Dyana says that art talent is inherent in her indigenous community, and she is grateful for that legacy. Because both her grandmother and mother are resident school survivors, she wasn’t taught her own culture and sometimes feels some “imposter syndrome” as a Native artist. Making art has become Dyana’s way of reconnecting. 

While one of her biggest barriers is money, applying for funding is challenging. “Applying for a grant, the jargon is confusing. I struggle with the correct terminology to use, and a lot of times, I just give up. For folks who have always done it themselves, it’s hard to ask for help. I’m hoping with this grant, I can showcase that we can work a job, and we can also do our art and make that our career.”  

Representation matters. Dyana says, “There might not be room for me, but I’m going to slowly move myself in. I want to show other folks the potential that they have. This kind of stuff never happens to us; I never thought I would be where I’m at right now. This is everything I always wanted. ”

See more of Dyana’s work as a photographer here.