Learn more about the SFCC Artist-in-Residence Program
When kʷaɁowišč tyee (Inanna McCarty) arrived in Spokane this spring, she brought with her a deeply rooted legacy of art, activism, and cultural preservation. A member of the Makah Tribe, whose lands are centered around Neah Bay on the Olympic Peninsula, Inanna was selected as the inaugural participant in Spokane Falls Community College’s new sƛ̓x̣etkʷ Artist-in-Residence Program created specifically to support emerging Native artists.
For Inanna, the three-month residency was a transformational experience. “This was the first time I had ever applied for a residency,” she said. “I didn’t think I’d be selected. I was nervous, but this experience has really felt like a kind of a launching point.”
Inanna’s time at SFCC coincided with major milestones: the opening of the college’s new sƛ̓x̣etkʷ Fine and Applied Arts building and the launch of the program itself. She had access to fully equipped studios for printmaking, metalwork, sculpture, and more—spaces that supported her multidisciplinary practice rooted in Indigenous storytelling and design.
The culminating piece of her residency, titled “A Promise to the Generations,” focuses on the importance of salmon and the urgency of the fight for their renewal. Inspired by a Mesopotamian cylinder seal and traditional salmon stories of the Pacific Northwest, the work honors both cultural memory and environmental stewardship. “I thought about how people say that the rivers would run black with the backs of salmon,” Inanna said. “And that a work with that theme would be an important one to donate to the college.”
Inanna’s emotional connection to salmon restoration was deepened during the Government-to-Government Natural Resource Summit, which she attended as part of her residency. “When I heard Warren Seyler from the Spokane Tribe of Indians speak about bringing the first Chinook back home, I was overwhelmed. It’s different for tribes like mine on the coast. Both here and on the west side, people are working to ensure there are salmon for future generations—but the interior has been affected more than coast.”
In addition to working in the studio, Inanna engaged in artist talks, critiques, and public events during her residency—experiences that helped her grow not just as an artist, but as a professional. “I finally built a website. I got business cards made. I even created certificates of authenticity for my prints,” she said. “I’ve been doing art for years, mostly in community, with family. This was the first time I had to speak publicly about my work and present it in an academic setting.”
That crossover—between community practice and academic art spaces—is a key focus of the residency program. Designed specifically for emerging Native artists, the program includes a stipend, housing, and travel reimbursement, along with mentorship from SFCC faculty and staff. Artists retain the proceeds of any work sold during their public exhibition.
Inanna’s story is one of many that the program hopes to nurture. “Being an Indian in the modern world is not easy,” she said. “It’s important to be able to tie these issues and movements into art, and regardless of what your politics are, being an Indian is a political statement.”
Inanna’s residency is already opening new doors. With her professional portfolio in hand and renewed momentum, she plans to continue building her career as an artist—something she once considered a side pursuit to her original path in geography and geopolitics. “COVID shifted a lot,” she said. “I fell back on art during that time, and now I see it as my calling. It’s not just something pretty to look at. It carries generations of meaning.”
Reflecting on her time in Spokane, Inanna emphasized the importance of creating space for Tribal voices in all areas of art and education. “It’s something they tried to erase and stamp out of existence—that didn’t happen and it won’t happen.”
As the SFCC Artist-in-Residence Program prepares to welcome its next participant in Winter 2026, Inanna’s legacy sets the tone: one of courage, connection, and commitment to the generations still to come.
Inanna’s artwork, A Promise to the Generations, will be on display and available for purchase at a group exhibition and auction planned for winter quarter at the SFCC Fine Art Gallery. All proceeds from sold artworks will be donated in support of Round 2, sƛ̓x̣etkʷ Artist-in-Residence Program.
Learn more about the sƛ̓x̣etkʷ Artist-in-Residence Program and how it supports emerging Native artists. Applications for the next residency cycle open June 20 and close September 20, 2025.
Round 1 of the sƛ̓x̣etkʷ Artist-in-Residence Program was made possible due to the generosity and support from a Spokane Arts SAGA Grant, Ruby Hospitality, and the Sahlin Foundation.