Organization
Forge Project is a Native-led organization whose mandate is to cultivate and advance Indigenous leadership in arts and culture. Located on the ancestral homelands of the Moh-He-Con-Nuck, Forge is situated in two buildings designed by the renowned artist and activist Ai Weiwei on a 38-acre campus in the Mahicannituck (Hudson river) valley. Forge Project is a model for Native cultural self-determination and leadership, fusing traditional and contemporary knowledge and practices to build community, public education, and collective action.
Forge Project was launched in 2021 by Becky Gochman and Zach Feuer to provide support for current and future Indigenous leaders, to serve as a model for repair and redress in colonial institutions, and to combat inequities in Native representation in these same institutions. Forge is currently in the process to transition to full Native-led organizational oversight.
Generous seed funding for the first five years of the organization is provided entirely by Becky Gochman, to allow the time and cushion for these new Native operational models to be developed and implemented. During the transition, Forge Project is structured as an LLC. Forge Project LLC does not produce income, sell goods, or profit from the work of the organization.