Wóokiye wiŋ is Sisseton Wahpeton Dakhóta. She has received a Bachelor of Arts in American Indian Studies with a Language Track from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. She has taught pre-school and high school in Saint Paul MN, as a Dakota Language instructor. Her mentor for the Dakota language was the respected elder Caroline Schommer of Upper Sioux Community. Currently Wóokiye wiŋ is a teacher and free-lance artist making jewelry, illustrating books, paintings and Dakota language curriculum. Her current hide painted earrings are featured at Indigenous First gallery in Duluth, MN. She is a 2023 poetry contest winner for Public Art Saint Paul Sidewalk Poetry. She uses both her Dakota and Ojibway background to influence her designs in her art. Much of her young life was spent on her mother’s reservation, Fond du Lac Reservation in northern Minnesota before her family moved to her fathers Reservation at Upper Sioux Community in southwest Minnesota. Wóokiye wiŋ lives in Saint Paul with her husband and children. Both her parents are artists, and she continues the artist tradition of her family.

Forecast has been offering early-career artist grants supported by Jerome Foundation since 1989. In addition to funding, Forecast is dedicated to providing professional development and learning opportunities designed to assist emerging artists as they experiment/ hone their practices, and cultivate careers in the field. Forecast mid- and early-career grants are designed to support independent projects, leadership development, professional development, risk-taking, multidisciplinary approaches, and collaborative problem-solving in the field of public art.