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In countries with such official support,
there are still unspoken guidelines to
observe. Lido Pimienta, a Colombian-
born multimedia artist of mixed
Afro-Colombian and Wayuu descent
(and a SXSW 2020 performer), is
based in Toronto. Her Polaris Prize-
winning 2016 album, La Papessa,
was made with a $6,000 grant from
the Ontario Arts Council — but a
general arts grant, not one targeted
to Indigenous artists. "Canada has
general public grants and grants
specifically for Indigenous people. We
don't apply for Indigenous funding
unless it specifies benefits for art-
ists indigenous to South America or
Canada." Pimienta says.
Back in Australia, Alice Skye
recently picked up a $3,000 state
grant from Creative Victoria to
help fund her travel to play the
2020 Folk Alliance International
Conference in New Orleans. Skye's
manager, Logan, says they'll keep
applying for grants and support as
Skye's career progresses.
"Funding in Australia is extremely
strong for Indigenous artists and has
increased enormously in the past 15
years," Logan says. "There's been
recognition by the government and
arts community of the importance
of Indigenous voices in the arts. The
Canadian government has also been
incredibly supportive of its Indigenous
artists with grants, and it's of great
benefit to the community. As we
know, the arts are a great leveler and
certainly help create greater under-
standing and acceptance and love."
For more information on SXSW
2020 Conference sessions and
Music Festival showcases, see
schedule.sxsw.com.
Alice Skye. Photo by Michelle Grace Hunder Alice Skye. Photo by Michelle Grace Hunder
"Indigenous music is not a genre …"
