Foundation 2020

ATADA Foundation Update - Letter from the President

New Year's Day Greetings from the President of the ATADA Foundation

As we start this new decade I would like to tell you about some of the notable funding opportunities that we accomplished in 2019.

  • $1,000 donation to Children's programs through the Acoma Museum and to their library for book purchases.

  • Donation of five pieces of pottery made by Acoma matriarch potters from the 1960's with a value of approximately $1,600.

  • $5,000 donation to pay for an indigenous Fijian curator at LACMA'S show "Fiji - Art and Life in the Pacific." The Prime Minister of Fiji attended the opening ceremony and thanked everyone who was involved, along with the deputy senior director publicly thanking the ATADA Foundation for its support.

  • $3,500 donation to support the upcoming "Apsaalooke Woman and Warriors" exhibition organized by the Field Museum and the Neubauer Collegium.

  • $1,500 donation to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to fund the travel of a young Fijian performer and artist, Jahra Rager, as part of the Met's "World Cultures Festival: Dance" during the closing weekend of the "Atea" exhibition.

As more problems arrive with repatriation and other issues, I believe whole heartedly that the above examples are where we can find a "middle" path with indigenous people everywhere and honor their cultural heritage.

In the spirit of goodwill, I am asking you, as members, to make a donation to the ATADA Foundation so we might continue and expand our mission in the coming year. Whether your donation is $50.00 or $5,000.00, it does make a difference.

As President of the foundation, I wish to donate the first pledge of $500 as we enter this new decade and hope to inspire others to follow.
Happy New Years!

Thank you for your continued support.

Mark Blackburn
President, ATADA Foundation
mblackburn@aol.com
808-228-3019 (m)

“God House” dance by Fijian performer Jahra Rager at the Metropolitan Museum.

LACMA presents a groundbreaking exhibit on Fijian art, displayed for the first time in the U.S.

Fijian Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, at the opening ceremonies of Fijian exhibition at LACMA.