Rhode Island NRCS selected Dawn’s artwork titled “To All Our Relations” for this year’s National American Indian/ Alaska Native (AIAN) Heritage Month poster. The theme for this year’s poster was, “Facing East, Where Land Meets Water,” selected to honor the indigenous peoples whose homelands and ancestral territories reside in the coastal northeast.

“This painting depicts the beauty of the first relationships established across landscapes and waters of the Narragansett people,” explained Mrs. Spears. “My work reflects my culture and our relationship with mother earth and father sky. I use the symbols from nature, deconstructing every image from land, sea and sky. the lines, curves and contrasts are where I gain my inspiration. I like creating work that is subjective, bright and thought provoking.”

Dawn is a member of the Narragansett Indian Tribe and the Director of the Northeast Indigenous Arts Alliance (NIAA). She and her husband, Cassius Spears, Sr., formed the Narragansett Food Sovereignty Initiative in 2014, a farm-based organization devoted to reclaiming food and cultural ways for Narragansett people, and currently own and operate Ashawaug Farm in Ashaway, RI.

“We are delighted an honored to have been given the opportunity to create this year’s national NRCS American Indian/ Alaska Native Heritage Month Poster showcasing Dawn’s work,” added Phou Vongkhamdy, NRCS Rhode Island State Conservationist. “We felt that Dawn’s piece best reflected all aspects of our theme, while also portraying the interconnectedness of the people, land and sea.”

NRCS creates a poster every year from the artwork of an American Indian or Alaska Native artist to celebrate American Indian/ Alaska Native Heritage Month. American Indian/ Alaska Native Heritage Month is observed from November 1 through November 30 each year to recognize intertribal cultures and to educate the public about the heritage, history, art, and traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives. We honor the rights of tribes and work to protect and enhance tribal resources.

NRCS also supports conservation efforts on working lands by providing one-on-one assistance to producers and communities. We are taking steps to ensure our conservation solutions integrate Tribal Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous Stewardship Methods. Native Americans are this land’s original conservationists, and we want to make sure that NRCS is listening to tribes to help shape conservation programs and practices.

Posters can be downloaded or ordered from the NRCS Distribution Center website.

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