28-01-2025
Grand Forks artist, area organizations to receive 2025 Governor's Awards for the Arts
Jan. 27—GRAND FORKS — The Arts for Vets organization, Ijjo John Stephen of Grand Forks, and a Belcourt, North Dakota-based behavioral healing clinic have been selected to receive the 2025 Governor's Award for the Arts.
Along with four other statewide recipients, they will be recognized by Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Feb. 6 during a reception at the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum. The free event, which begins with a social at 5 p.m., is open to the public, but space is limited. Reservations are required by Thursday, Jan. 30; call (701) 328-7590 or go to
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Arts for Vets, which operates the Grand Forks Art Center at 213 N. Third St., will receive the Nonprofit Arts Organizations Award; Stephen will receive the Champion for the Arts Award; and the Indigenized Behavioral Healing clinic will receive the For-Profit Arts Organization Award. Altogether, seven awards will be presented.
In a public statement released earlier this month, Armstrong congratulated the recipients for "their impressive works and impactful contributions to the arts and cultural heritage of the state of North Dakota. Their efforts illustrate how the arts can enhance our communities and quality of life, making North Dakota an even more attractive place to live, work and raise a family."
Established in 1977, the North Dakota Governor's Awards for the Arts is a biennial program of the Governor's Office and the North Dakota Council on the Arts. The program aims to recognize organizations and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the arts in the state.
Recipients are chosen for their efforts to expand arts opportunities to reach new audiences, create an appreciation for North Dakota's cultural heritage, make the arts more central to education, and incorporate arts as an integral part of community life. The nominee's length of service within the state is also a factor.
Founded in 2015, the Arts for Vets organization focuses on participation, recognition and promotion of the creativity of veterans, active-duty personnel and their family members, and other community members.
It hosts events, classes, productions and workshops "to highlight artistic expression and excellence and confidence, foster friendships and community engagement and camaraderie, all in a warm, engaging and supportive environment," Wilson said.
In 2024, the organization drew more than 1,000 participants to its classes, workshops and offerings at the downtown gallery, she said.
Stephen, executive director of the nonprofit Nyeri Ma'di Cultural Group, came to North Dakota 30 years ago with the earliest wave of refugees from South Sudan. In 1995, he established the Achikadidi Adunga Band. The group has made instruments, trained many artists and performed in several North Dakota communities as well as in Minnesota, Iowa, Tennessee and Nebraska.
According to Troyd Geist, folklorist with the North Dakota Council on the Arts, "Despite the huge challenges of coming from a war-torn country, separation from family as a child, and living in a refugee camp, (Stephen has built) a new and successful life in North Dakota. (He) has quietly and steadfastly represented and championed the value of arts as essential to life."
Stephen, who earned a degree in electrical engineering from NDSU, works with his cultural group to educate the community in financial literacy, handling stress and empowering the youth.
At the Indigenized Behavioral Healing clinic in Belcourt, founder and CEO Tami Jollie-Trottier merges Western psychological practices with traditional Indigenous healing.
An enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Jollie-Trottier draws from her healing journey which inspired her to blend Western therapeutic approaches with the sacred teaching of her Anishinaabe Wisdom Keepers, leading to the development of the trademarked Turtle Medicine, a unique framework for self-healing rooted in creativity, culture and holistic well-being.
She created the trademarked GenerationArt, a program designed to mobilize tribal communities by strengthening Anishinaabe cultural identity, resilience and leadership through expressive art training, workshops and clinical practice.
Other recipients of the 2025 Governor's Award for the Arts are: Bismarck State College Theatre — Arts in Education; Marie Snavely, Bowman — Individual Achievement; Denise Joyce Kitson, Bismarck — Individual Cultural Heritage; and the Minot Symphony Orchestra — Nonprofit Arts Organization.
