Forge offers residencies to Native artists of all kinds. One is Laura Ortman, a White Mountain Apache who’s long lived and worked in New York. A musician and composer, her sonic genre bending has been heard and seen in performing arts venues and museum exhibitions.
Forge and other new initiatives, she says, are making a difference.
Laura Ortman, Musician and Composer: We could find each other for these pathways artistically, which I was missing for many decades. Something’s happened where that loneliness and isolation is disappearing.
And why is that? Because we’re making spaces for ourself. We’re taking care of our own communities and making sure it’s not silenced anymore. It’s incredible. I love that.
