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 primary art centers of Africa and the Middle East - Senegal and Egypt.
Our Indigenous Artist Residency for 2026 will be held in Egypt in partnership with the Abla Art Foundation, at both the Fayoum Art Center in the oasis of Tunis-Fayoum and in Cairo.
Below is information on our first indigenous artist residency in Senegal, which was held in November of 2025.
Read "Jim Yellowhawk builds an artistic bridge of peace to West Africa"
(Reflections from Lakota artist Jim Yellowhawk about his experience in Dakar, Senegal)
INDIGENOUS ARTIST RESIDENCY - SENEGAL, WEST AFRICA
As part of our mission of employing the arts to build bridges, CARAVAN held its first cross-cultural artist residency program in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa in November of 2025, in partnership with DakArtNews and Hotel Le Djoloff.
The residency initiative consisted of a noted Native American contemporary artist invited by CARAVAN to collaborate with a Senegalese artist selected by our partner DakArtNews over the course of a month. The visiting CARAVAN artist resided as a guest of the boutique arts hotel Le Djoloff, and created work themselves and in collaboration with the Senegalese artist.
Our indigenous art residency in Senegal facilitated a unique artistic encounter between artists of different cultures and spiritual traditions (Native American and West African), enabling an unprecedented creative dialogue. The collaboration sought 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 served to introduce Native American contemporary artist and their work to the international arts scene.
The residency included 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 culminated in a joint-exhibition featuring the visiting Native American artist and the local Senegalese artist. The exhibition was co-curated by CARAVAN, and DakArtNews, and ran for several months.
The exhibition served as a catalyst for other events and programs to be held that stimulated interaction, dialogue and education around the exhibition’s theme. These included 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 was Jim Yellowhawk from the Itazipco Band of the Lakota, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the Onondaga, Iroquois Nation. The local Senegalese Sufi artist invited for this artistic collaboration was Baye Ndiaga Diouf.
EXHIBITION:
HEALING - Connecting Threads of Traditional Wisdom
Nov 29, 2025 - March 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 Senegal 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
