2025

Indigenous

Gulf Stream

Kinship

is the theme of the 2025 Indigenous Gulf Stream (More Inspo Here).

Over the next five months, Bvlancha Public Access is commissioning Gulf South Indigenous artists, creators, and thinkers to contribute content considering this topic through three open calls (View Open Calls).

About the Stream

The Indigenous Gulf Stream is a New Media biennial which celebrates contemporary Indigenous content in the Gulf South by licensing relevant and innovative interviews, art, and media to be shown in the stream (View Open Calls).

The commissioned content is assembled into a 24-hour public live stream. The stream will begin at midnight, and continue for the duration of Sunday, Nov 9th 2025. The event is free and can be accessed by anyone online. (Watch the Stream Here).

The project is nothing without the audience. We encourage you to consider tuning in at some point during that day to listen to the voices and stories. We really encourage you to do something you truly enjoy while listening - that could be making art, going for a walk, having a party, or hanging around with those you enjoy. We would love for you or your organizations to self-organize watch parties (Hosting a Watch Party).

"Gulf South Indigenous"

The event commissions members of Indigenous Gulf South communities (living locally or globally) and members of Turtle Island Indigenous communities currently living in and having a relation with the Gulf South to share art, music, sound, and media which celebrates their experiences, emotions, worldviews, interests, and thoughts.

"Content"

This content can be generally anything. We encourage experiments. The final submission format needs to be in a video format that can be easily added to a live stream queue. The content can something fresh that is created in response to this call, or it can also be any content which has been created since the last Indigenous Gulf Stream in November of 2023.

Open Calls

Over the next few months we will be seeking content in a few different formats for the stream. In addition to their work being licensed and featured on the 2025 stream, each contributor will have the option to have a profile on Meet the Stream.

Here's more on the three calls for content, and how to apply.

Cougar Goodbear Interviewed for the 2021 Indigenous Gulf Stream (Link to Interview)

Recognized Stories

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO APRIL 20

Recognized Stories projects have until June 1, 2025 to complete submissions. Through this open call, eight groups of interviewers, elders, and thought leaders self-organize to produce a 1-3 hour publicly accessible interview. Interview teams will be selected in mid-April, and will have until June to turn in their works. Teams will be paid when the completed work is turned in. Teams will receive $500 in funds.

If you are creating new work that includes other people, the final content must be open access. We also require that you use the Uke’ Contracting System as a consent form method to ensure copyright for the interview stays with the interviewee.

To apply for Recognized Stories, email a 1-5 minute selfie video of you explaining your project (See Application Instructions). Include "Recognized Stories" in the subject line, and submit by by Sunday, April 13th at 2pm

Jean-Luc Pierite painting in reaction to Collette Pinchon Battle's Interview (Link to Video)

Stories for the Making

Applications Due Sunday, May 17th

Stories for the Making projects have between June 8, 2025 and August 1 to complete submissions. Through this open call, eight Indigenous artists (or artist teams) are commissioned to listen to one of the commissioned interviews and create an artistic response within any medium. The Bvlbancha Public Access team then works with the artists to present their art as a video content. Artists retain copyright of their work, but license the video content for use on the stream. The call for artists will open in May, artists will be selected in and assigned interviews in June. All art must be completed by August. Artists will be paid when the completed work is turned in. Artists shall receive $400 in funds.

To apply for Stories for the Making, email a 1-5 minute selfie video of you explaining your project (See Application Instructions). Include "Stories for the Making" in the subject line, and submit by by Sunday, May 17th at 2pm

Brittany Jimenez-Verdin and family's TikTok Short (Link to Video)

Additional Commissions

Applications Due Sunday, August 17th

We are seeking additional commissions from today until August 15th. Through this open call,Throughout August and September we will looking for neat stuff that doesn’t neatly fit into any flow. This could be existing artworks, social media content, or generally stuff that it relevant to the moment or connects to the theme. The open call for additional work will open in August and run until September. BPA may also reach out to people directly to request content. We have a collective pool of $2,000 available to commission this kind of stuff (generally, we pay $50 per license).

To send in content for this pool, email a 1-5 minute selfie video of you explaining your project (See Application Instructions). Include "Gulf Stream Content Call" in the subject line, and submit by by Sunday, August 17th at 2pm

How to Apply

This year, we are taking ALL applications via video or short text.

To apply, you will need to create a 1-5 minute selfie video or a short written description explaining your stuff. The piece should cover the following topics:

Who are you, and who are your Gulf South Indigenous community(ies)? How are you related to the Gulf South?
What brings you to this project? What is your experience within your chosen format?
What content would you like to submit? When did you create it, or why would you like to create? Why is this content important?
How does this work relate to the theme of kinship?
What format can we expect (length, medium, camera setup, place, tone)?
Let us know if you can receive funds, and confirm that you accept the terms as listed in the call.
If you are creating new work that includes other people. Confirm that the final content will be open access, and that that you will use the Uke’ Contracting System as a consent form method to ensure copyright for the interview stays with the interviewee.

Send the file or a URL via email to bvlbanchapublicaccess@gmail.com

Host a Watch Party

The stream is free to watch and streamed online. This year, we would like to partner with physical locations along the Gulf South and beyond who will commit to screening portions or all of the stream within their location for the public to access.

We want to work with museums, libraries, community centers, non-profits, businesses, schools, institutions, and welcoming house parties.

We want to make a map of all the locations that people can watch the stream, and publish the map on this site to help people find places to watch.

We encourage screening locations to incorporate the stream into their daily activities in ways that are creative but natural to their mission and audience. We would love to co-advertize your screening locations, times, and para-programming.

If you are interested in partnering and putting your program on the map, reach out to us at bvlbanchapublicaccess@gmail.com with the subject line "Watch Party."