Phinney Brown is a Coeur D’Alene Tribe descendant, and an accomplished nonprofit leader with a profound love for the arts. Hailing originally from Hermiston, Oregon, she has since made Richland, Washington her home and has been a part of the local performing arts scene for many years. She is also a skilled visual artist, specializing primarily in beadwork.
As the Executive Director of Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, she is honored to lead an organization dedicated to providing a creative conduit for educational, social, and economic opportunities for Native Americans through artistic development. With a deep commitment to fostering creativity and community, Phinney is passionate about advancing the unique voices and talents of contemporary and traditional Indigenous artists alike.
Bringing a background in nonprofit arts management and marketing, she contributes a wealth of experience to the organization's mission. Her leadership is driven by a desire to bridge tradition and innovation, creating a space where Indigenous arts are not only preserved for future generations but celebrated for their genius in a contemporary context. She looks forward to expanding CSIA’s reach and impact, while remaining rooted in the community it was founded to serve and honoring its unique place in the art world as the only professional fine art printmaking studio located on reservation lands.
