Release: Iyana Esters receives 2025 Nevada Heritage Fellowship
Iyana Esters, a folk and traditional visual artist from Reno, has been selected as the recipient of the Nevada Arts Council’s Nevada Heritage Fellowship for fiscal year 2025.
Esters, also known as Iyana E., is a self-taught photographer and artist whose visual storytelling captures the human connection with nature, focusing on themes of gender, ancestry, and the Afrodiaspora. She continues the traditions of storytelling by using different photographic processes.
“This award is more than a recognition; it’s a powerful reminder of the importance of preserving and celebrating Black history and culture through art,” Esters said. “For me, visual storytelling isn’t just about capturing moments—it’s about igniting imagination, nurturing self-worth through culture, and sparking a deeper look within. Nevada holds a rich tapestry of Black history that deserves to be seen and celebrated, and I’m grateful to contribute to that legacy.”
The fellowship recognizes tradition bearers living in Nevada whose work has contributed to Nevada’s traditional arts heritage. The Nevada Heritage Fellow is awarded an honorarium of $5,000. Fellows must demonstrate the artist’s excellence within their tradition, that what they contribute is significant and present evidence of artistic impact or contribution to living cultural heritage.
Esters’ work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions, including collaborations with Minnesotan photographer Wing Young Huie, as well as displays at the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, the Social Documentary Network, Reno City Hall, the Lilley Museum of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno, the Coleman Center for the Arts (an initiative of the Andy Warhol Foundation), the Wedekind Road Art Project, and Nevada Humanities – Las Vegas. She is a 2024 Nikon grant recipient of the Black Women Photographers. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Community Health Sciences from the University of Nevada, Reno and a Master of Public Health in Behavioral, Social, and Community Health from Indiana University. She incorporates her practice of Afro and Indigenous ancestral healing with photography to deepen the understanding of folk herbalism and environmental health.
“Bringing her Southern influences and Nevada roots to her arts creates a catalog of work that engages her community and educates others about a little-known part of Nevada history,” said Brad McMullen, Nevada Arts Council folklife specialist. “This fellowship recognizes how her photographic work documents and celebrates the traditional knowledge and practices present in Black culture. Iyana has dedicated herself to her communities’ traditions and sharing those traditions with Nevadans around the state.”
Nevada’s master folk and traditional artists have the highest level of excellence and authenticity, he said. They carry forward the folk traditions of their families and communities through practice and teaching.
The award was recommended by a group of panelists, which included Rebecca Snetselaar, retired Nevada Arts Council folklife specialist; Peter Laufer, James N. Wallace Chair of Journalism at the University of Oregon; and Taylor Burby, folk and traditional arts specialist at the Montana Arts Council, and approved by the Nevada Arts Council Board
“My artwork celebrates and preserves Black heritage in Nevada and throughout the Afrodiaspora,” Esters said. “Through photography, textiles, and natural plant materials, I share lesser-known histories and ancestral practices. By weaving narratives that honor Black culture, my work fosters a sense of community and cultural awareness, offering educational storytelling that gives back to the community and provides healing and wellness. These visual stories inspire reflection and remembrance, bridging generations from our elders to our children.”
To see more of Esters’ work, “Birthed from the soil”, a photo exhibition will open in Las Vegas at the Nevada Humanities Gallery in the Arts District, from Dec. 5 to Jan. 22, 2025. The exhibit will be open Monday through Friday from 1–5 p.m., bringing a unique Nevada twist to the theme.
About: The Nevada Heritage Fellowship celebrates the vitality of Nevada’s folk and traditional arts. It recognizes artists living in Nevada who actively preserve and pass on their communities’ traditions and traditional artistic practices, learning their communities’ traditions through active engagement and practicing their traditions primarily within their community for other members. Folk arts are maintained within communities defined by cultural connections such as a common ethnic heritage, language, religion, occupation, or geographic area. They include traditional hand-crafted objects, ceremonial costumes, music, dance, rituals/celebrations, and verbal activities.
