Heid E. Erdrich Named 2025 Camille J. Gage Fellow
Fellowship Honors Minnesota-Based Artists at Intersection of Art and Activism
YWCA Minneapolis is proud to announce Heid E. Erdrich as the 2025 recipient of the Camille J. Gage Fellowship. The fellowship recognizes Minnesota-based artists whose creative work is rooted in community impact and activism.
The fellowship honors the legacy of Camille Joy Gage, a visionary artist and activist for climate change, women’s reproductive rights, racial justice and housing justice. Her artwork lives on in collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Art and Weisman Art Museum.
“We are honored to recognize such a distinguished artist with this fellowship,” said Shelley Carthen Watson, YWCA Minneapolis president and CEO. “Heid’s work as the first Poet Laureate of Minneapolis, commissioning 20 poems from Native communities, leading dozens of free workshops and readings and weaving hundreds of voices into a crowd-sourced poem demonstrates how art fosters connections and is a reflection of Camille’s enduring legacy.”
Heid E. Erdrich is the author of multiple acclaimed poetry collections and the recipient of two Minnesota Book Awards. Her career spans decades as a writer, professor, mentor, filmmaker and curator. Her cross-disciplinary approach, particularly in visual poetics and ekphrasis, has shaped dozens of exhibitions showcasing Native American art.
“I loved and admired Camille Gage. She encouraged me and included me. When I became Poet Laureate, she was the person I most wished to talk to,” Erdrich said. “She was a tremendous force for good, especially in the American Indian community. Imagine if our public art helped us all understand the deep cultural and ecological connections between our neighborhoods and waterways. That’s the kind of impact Camille envisioned.”
Erdrich will use the Fellowship to collaborate with YWCA Minneapolis, along with other poets and artists, throughout the year to elevate the role of art in advancing justice.
About Heid E. Erdrich
Author of nine books of poetry and prose Heid E. Erdrich is a curator and teacher. Erdrich edited the anthology New Poets of Native Nations and co-edited the newly published Boundless: Abundance in Native American Art and Literature. She served as the 2024 Minneapolis Poet Laureate. Erdrich held the 2025 James Welch Distinguished Visiting position at University of Montana Missoula. Erdrich’s on-going project is Poetry Service Announcement (PoeS.A.) which promotes poetry as public art. She serves her communities through formal and informal mentorship, poetry interventions and in activating collaborative response between communities.
About the Camille J. Gage Fellowship
The Camille J. Gage Fellowship honors Minnesota artists who have demonstrated a legacy of service through their art and activism. The fellowship was created in memory of Camille Joy Gage—a fierce advocate, collaborator and artist—whose creative work inspired movements for justice and collective healing.
The one-year fellowship is administered by YWCA Minneapolis, an organization whose mission to eliminate racism and empower women aligns with Camille Gage’s lifelong activism.
About YWCA Minneapolis
YWCA Minneapolis is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women and girls. For more than 130 years, YWCA Minneapolis has led initiatives to challenge social injustices, particularly at the intersections of race and gender. Each year, the organization serves more than 15,000 people through high-quality programs and advocacy focused on racial justice, early learning, youth development and wellness.