Aquinnah Cultural Center

The Aquinnah Cultural Center (ACC) operates on Martha’s Vineyard with a mission to “preserve, interpret and document the Aquinnah Wampanoag self-defined history, culture and contributions, past, present, and future.” ACC is involved in civic, business, educational and cultural affairs, with an emphasis on transmitting cultural traditions and practices and creating platforms for Native American artists. It was founded in 1998, and in 2016 provided leadership to establish the Aquinnah Circle Cultural District in collaboration with the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) & Town of Aquinnah. Led by Berta Giles Welch, the organization’s president, ACC provides one of the few platforms for Native artisans to share their work and support each other’s development of craft; organizational leaders are artists themselves, including most board members. They work on projects to educate through sharing culture and story, and to assert an accurate narrative in local and regional history telling and promotion.