**GIACON25** Introducing Marlena Myles – GIA’s 2025 Conference Artist! Marlena Myles is a self-taught Native American (enrolled Spirit Lake Dakota & also of Mohegan and Muscogee descent) artist located in St Paul, Minnesota. Her art brings modernity to Indigenous history, languages and oral traditions while using the land as a teacher. Growing up on her traditional Dakota homelands here in the Twin Cities, she enjoys using her artwork to teach Minnesotans of all backgrounds the Indigenous history of this place we call home. Learn more about Marlena's work and the selected artwork here: https://bit.ly/4msZfxV (fb)

**NEWS FROM THE FIELD** In response to steep federal cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation committed $15 million in emergency support to the Federation of State Humanities Councils. This lifeline, though modest relative to Mellon's resources, is significant for its clarity and urgency, directly linking federal shortfalls to specific philanthropic action. The funding includes unrestricted grants to councils in all U.S. states and territories, plus challenge grants to spur additional fundraising. The article argues that Mellon's response sets a pragmatic example for other funders, especially amid broader philanthropic hesitance to confront politically sensitive funding gaps. Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4kpQBOO (fb)