Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hosts listening session for Indian Arts and Crafts Act

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Monday, April 24, 2023

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The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is hosting a virtual listening session to discuss proposed updates to the Indian Arts and Crafts Act (IACA).

The session takes place on Wednesday afternoon. The committee is soliciting input on the discussion draft of the Amendments to Respect Traditional Indigenous Skill and Talent (ARTIST) Act of 2023. [PDF: ARTIST Act]

“The ARTIST Act would update the Indian Arts and Crafts Act to support creative economies and strengthen enforcement of current law and protections against counterfeit competition for Native artists and their works,” the committee said in a media advisory on Friday.

“Comments will inform the legislative process and serve as a resource for future discussions on updating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act,” the advisory states.

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Interested participants can register for the session at senate.webex.com. To provide oral comments, select “Yes” where the online form reads: “I would like to provide oral comments to the Committee.”

“Because we’ve had an overwhelming response to this listening session and we want to hear from as many people as possible – we’re asking that you tailor your comments to 3 minutes,” the registration page states.

In addition to announcing the listening session, the committee released a one-page explanation of the ARTIST Act. The document outlines the major provisions that would be made to the IACA should a bill be introduced in the 118th Congress.

“Congress has only amended the law three times: in 1990, 2000, and 2010,” the explainer states.

The IACA makes it a crime to market, sell or promote an item as “Indian” unless it was created by a citizen of a state or federally recognized tribe or by an artisan certified by a tribe. The law was written to prevent the historical and ongoing misrepresentation of Native arts by non-Native entities.

Amendments to Respect Traditional Indigenous Skill and Talent (ARTIST) Act of 2023

SenateCommitteeonIndianAffairs-ARTISTAct-OnePager

ARTISTActDiscussionDraft

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notice

A Listening Session on “The ARTIST Act: Updating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.” (April 26, 2023)