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Basketball star endorses project to show support for Native health, coverage

Atlanta Dream shooting guard Shoni Schimmel will visit the digital projection and meet the artist of "Little Cheyenne Girl," a new symbol for efforts to improve Native American health through affordable insurance, after her 7:30 game on Friday, Sept 11. The painting by Native artist J. Nicole Nahmi-A-Piah (Hatfield) can be seen on the Georgia World Congress Center from 9-11:30 p.m. each night from September 9 to 12.

Schimmel, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is endorsing the project because she supports healthy lifestyles and efforts to improve American Indian and Alaska Native health. The event after the game will also be celebrated with a performance by the Silver Ridge Singers, an American Indian drum group from Lawrenceville, GA.

The digital projection is part of #NativeArt4Health--a national project designed to feature artwork that portrays the importance of Native American health and the advantages of enrolling in healthcare coverage.

Twenty-eight percent of tribal people report poor health, compared with just 16% of the overall U.S. population. Even so, around 30% are uninsured. In Atlanta, there are nearly 45,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives, 29% of whom are uninsured.

The public is invited to all #NativeArt4Health Atlanta events and encouraged to get creative and show what health means to them by decorating a "Little Cheyenne Girl" coloring book page and sharing it on social media with the hashtag #NativeArt4Health.

Schedule:

Friday, Sept. 11, after 7:30 p.m. Atlanta Dream home game

Artist J. Nicole Nahmi-A-Piah (Hatfield)

American Indian drumming and dancing by the Silver Ridge Singers

Sept. 11 Honor Song

WNBA Atlanta Dream Player Shoni Schimmel

Sept. 9-12 Artwork projection from 9 to 11 p.m. each evening

Where:

Georgia World Congress Center

285 Andrew Young International Blvd., NW

Contact

Josephine Keefe, Kauffman & Associates, Inc. (project staff)

509-319-1070, josephine.keefe@kauffmaninc.com

Tyra Wittenborn, Kauffman & Associates, Inc. (project staff)

301-717-3690, tyra.wittenborn@kauffmaninc.com

J. Nicole Nahmi-A-Piah (Hatfield) (artist)

405-815-0205, guesswho1220@yahoo.com

Website: http://www.nativeart4health.org

Shoni Schimmel, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, is a star shooting guard for the WNBA Atlanta Dream. A healthy lifestyle is an essential component of Schimmel's professional basketball career, and she supports efforts to improve American Indian and Alaska Native health.

J. Nicole Nahmi-A-Piah (Hatfield) is a Native Oklahoman who draws her inspiration from historical photographs of proud tribal women. She frequently incorporates tribal language into her paintings to teach Native languages while keeping them alive. She feels the selected painting embodies the theme of "Stay well, get covered for my future."

"Little Cheyenne Girl"

was selected after a national call for entries. It is painted in blues, greens, reds, and oranges across a blackened canvas. Together, the vivid and contrasting colors shape an image meant to resonate with urban Native populations.

Kauffman & Associates, Inc., is a Native-owned, woman-owned firm working to conduct outreach regarding the Affordable Care Act to American Indians and Alaska Natives living in urban areas. The goal is to encourage American Indians and Alaska Natives to sign up for healthcare coverage.

Website:

http://www.nativeart4health.org

 

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