INDIGENOUS
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
CARAVAN works to facilitate exchanges between artists of diverse cultures, ethnicities and spiritual traditions with the purpose of furthering understanding and building relationships. In addition to serving as a catalyst for CARAVAN’s participating artists to open doors into artist residency programs around the world, CARAVAN hosts our own residencies for indigenous contemporary artists in the primary art centers of Africa and the Middle East - Senegal, West Africa and Egypt.
Below is information on our indigenous artist residency in Senegal.
INDIGENOUS ARTIST RESIDENCY - SENEGAL, WEST AFRICA
As part of our mission of employing the arts to build bridges, CARAVAN holds a cross-cultural artist residency program in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa, in partnership with DakArtNews.
The residency initiative consists of a noted Native American contemporary artist invited by CARAVAN to collaborate with a Senegalese artist invited by our partner DakArtNews over the course of several weeks. The visiting CARAVAN artist resides as a guest of the boutique arts hotel Le Djoloff, and creates work themselves and in collaboration with the Senegalese artist.
Our indigenous art residency in Senegal facilitates a unique artistic encounter between artists of different cultures and spiritual traditions (Native American and West African), enabling an unprecedented creative dialogue. The collaboration seeks to reveal the richness of each other’s diverse cultures, as well as their shared visions and values. The residency and a culminating exhibition also serve to introduce Native American contemporary artists and their work to the international arts scene.
The residency will include cultural immersion experiences, creative collaboration with local Senegalese artists, opportunities to share about their own art and culture with the Senegalese, and tailored activities to encourage the visiting Native American artist to draw inspiration from the Senegalese people and culture.
CULMINATING EXHIBITION
The residency culminates in a joint-exhibition featuring the visiting Native American artist and the local Senegalese artist held at Hotel Le Djoloff. The exhibition is co-curated by Paul G. Chandler, president of CARAVAN, and Rémy Mallet, founder of DakArtNews, and runs for two months.
The exhibition serves as a catalyst for other events and programs to be held that stimulate interaction, dialogue and education around the exhibition’s theme. These may include artist talks, lectures, forums, workshops, dance and performance art, musical events, educational activities, etc., all with the goal of to enhance the cultural engagement with the larger community.
Artists
November 2025
The visiting CARAVAN indigenous artist selected for the 2025 artist residency during the month of November is Jim Yellowhawk from the Itazipco Band of the Lakota, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the Onondaga, Iroquois Nation. The local Senegalese artist invited for this artistic collaboration is Baye Ndiaga Diouf.
EXHIBIITON:
HEALING - Connecting Threads of Traditional Wisdom
Nov 29, 2025 - January 31, 2026
Jim Yellowhawk & Baye Ndiaga Diouf
DakArtNews exists to promote contemporary African art by showcasing contemporary African artists from Senegal and West Africa. DakArtNews firmly believes in the ability of art to unite people and act as a powerful catalyst for intercultural dialogue, bridging diverse cultures and fostering cross-cultural understanding on an international scale. DakArtNews operates in English to reach a global audience. For more information: www.dakartnews.com
CARAVAN’s Residency Partners
Hotel Le Djoloff is considered one of the most aesthetically unique boutique hotels in Dakar, Senegal. It is truly an architectural pearl combining tradition with modernity, with its West African-inspired design, and artwork and furniture created by noted Senegalese artists. This unique place, with its terrace overlooking Dakar’s Soumbédioune Bay, offers an experience that combines elegance and comfort with an ethical and ecological approach, including buildings made of compressed earth bricks and an environmentally-friendly air conditioning system. In addition to the visual arts, it has become known for its musical reputation due to its soulful jazz club. As a result, Le Djoloff hosts a vibrant mix of artistically oriented travelers and renowned artists, offering a welcoming ambiance that is intimate and creative. With this artistic foundation, Le Djoloff is recognized as a primary “arts hotel” within Dakar. For more information: www.hoteldjoloff.fr
