DOvie Thomason

SUMMARY: 

For over two decades, my work has been exclusively in the preservation and continuation of Native cultural arts, utilizing the art form of traditional Native storytelling.  I have developed a wide variety of programs for all ages, with the intent of sharing an indigenous perspective on Native cultures, stories and concerns.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING:

The education and training of a storyteller is, in my experience, more a matter of elder mentors and teachers,   coupled with a lifetime of independent research, than it is a matter of “formal” academic instruction.  I have learned from older relatives of my own family (Lakota and Kiowa Apache Nations), as well as gifted teachers from the Iroquois, various Algonquian, Cherokee, Pueblo and other Native nations in both the U.S. and Canada for much of my adult life.  “Formally”, I have undergraduate and graduate work from:

·         Rockford College, Rockford, Illinois and Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio

·         Member, National Storytelling Network, USA (formerly National Assoc. for Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling

ARTIST RESIDENCIES AND ARTIST-IN-EDUCATION:

Supported by grants from state arts organizations and the National Endowment for the Arts, I have been an artist-in-residence in schools nationwide.  The following are a representative sample, not an inclusive list:

·         Independent School District, Lower Sioux Indian Agency, Minnesota

·         Mandaree Schools, Ft. Berthold Reservation, North Dakota

·         Aneth Community School (BIA/Navajo Boarding School), Montezuma Creek, Utah

·         Verbal Arts Centre School Outreach Project, Derry, Northern Ireland

UNIVERSITIES AND CONFERENCES:

I have presented performances, keynotes and workshops about traditional Native storytelling at these locations, among others:

·         Yale University, Wesleyan University, Harvard University, Trinity College, Penn State, Columbia Teachers College, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, Johns Hopkins University, Parsons New School

·         Society for Storytelling Gathering, Manchester, England

·         National Storytelling Network Conference, San Diego, California

SPECIAL PROJECTS:

·         The Lewis and Clark Museum Tour, National Park Service, 2003, narration for audio for national exhibit

·         “The Call of Story”, Utah, 2001, aired on PBS in Fall, 2002

·         “The Lore Keepers”, Success for All Foundation, Baltimore, 2001

·         W5 Centre for Experiential Learning Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland

·         The Right to Hope Project, Corrymeela Conflict Resolution Centre, Northern Ireland

·         The “My Century” Project of the BBC World Service, London, England

·         Memorial Benefit Concert and Community Support, Omagh, Northern Ireland

FESTIVALS and SPECIAL APPEARANCES:

            Featured nationally at Indian Powwows and Festivals since 1980’s.

Featured at most major national storytelling festivals, often presenting workshops about cultural stories and issues of ethics of cultural integrity, preservation and storytelling.  Highlights of those performances are:

·         The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.

·         Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Vienna, Virginia

·         The Smithsonian Museum, Discovery Theater and NMAI, Washington, D.C.

·         The National Storytelling Festival, Jonesborough, Tennessee

·         The Sidmouth International Folk Arts Festival, Sidmouth, England

·         The Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival, County Cork, Ireland

·         The California Indian Storytelling Festival and Storytellers’ Retreat, Bay Area, California

AWARDS AND HONORS:

·         1986 -  Master Teaching Artist, Connecticut Commission on the Arts

·         1988 -  Master Traditional Artist, National Endowment for the Arts

·         1992 -  Parents’ Choice Gold Award for recording, Wopila: A Giveaway

·         1994 -  Master Traditional Arts Mentor, New England Foundation for the Arts

·         1996 -  ALA Notable Recording Award for Lessons from the Animal People

·         1998 -  ALA/Booklist Editor’s Choice Award for Lessons from the Animal People

·         1998 -  Audiofile Earphones and  Storytelling World Awards for Lessons from the Animal People

·         2002 -   ALA Notable Recording Award for Fireside Tales: More Lessons from the Animal People