A List of Indigenous Artists in a Variety of Mediums
Kent Monkman’s Resurgence of the People (2019), Acrylic on canvas.
Art comes in various forms, and is widely celebrated throughout all cultures. It has the power to bring people together, and tell a story that is not felt the same through words. In celebration of American Indian Heritage Month, Jejune wants to showcase some amazing indigenous artists who are telling the stories of their heritage through a variety of mediums. Within the article, you can find painters, musicians, dancers, film and television directors, and photographers; all bringing their native magic to their art. With Thanksgiving just behind us, it is our hope that you may also commemorate the people who were here before us, and acknowledge that they are still here with a very powerful voice.
Who Are They: Kent Monkman is a member of Fisher River Cree Nation in Treaty 5 Territory (Manitoba). He lives and works in Dish With One Spoon Territory in Toronto, Canada. Best known for his interventions in Western European and American art history, Monkman often explores themes of colonization and sexualitywithin his paintings, drawings, instillations, and performances. Monkman’s gender-fluid alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, is often seen as a time traveler throughout his paintings and seeks to challenge colonial perspectives on indigenous people.
Piece of Work: Honour Dance (2020), Acrylic on Canvas.
Fun Fact: Monkman's work has been shown at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal; Musée d’artcontemporain de Montréal; and The National Gallery of Canada, among others. A full list of current and upcoming exhibitions can be found on his website.
Who Are They: Mo Thunder (they/them/theirs) is Onkwehonwe (Onyota’a:ka with family ties to Oneida Nation of the Thames x Aamjiwnaang First Nation) . They are currently based in One Dish One Spoon Territory x T’karonto (Toronto, Canada). Mo has been creating solo and organizaed murals since high school, but also creates art through a variety of multidisciplinary art practices; including: painting, collaging, beading, journaling, poetry and textiles.
Piece of Work: Concept design created for Women Paint 2021. Portrait of Janelle and Rocco.
Fun Fact: Mo’s artwork is mainly inspired by intergenerational connections, community, ancestors, healing and personal/collective empowerment. You can shop their art and services on their website.
Who Are They: Del Curfman is a painter of Apsaalooke (Crow Tribe of Montana) heritage. He is now located in Santa FE, New Mexico and works through Crow Colors Studio, where he contributes to Native American history through oil paintings and community based projects. Curfman uses impressionism to depict nature in motion and investigates heritage, tradition, and humanity through his art.
Piece of Work: “Carrying the Future”
Fun Fact: Curfman’s paintings are made using palette knife backgrounds and a variety of bold colors to create a sense of movement. The paintings are meant to appear as a photograph, fading with time. Color is intentionally blended throughout the figure and the background to give the impression that the Apsáalooke and Indigenous peoples are moving into the future.
Who Are They: Jeffrey Gibson is a Mississippi Choctaw/Cherokee painter and sculptor who currently lives and works in New York. His resume is extensive, including his solo and group exhibitions and collections. His paintings, prints and sculptures stem from Native American art. Gibson is known for his hanging textiles and embellished Everlast punching bags. His art often includes intricate beadwork, tassels, charms and stones in a rainbow of colors. His hanging textiles contain text to songs, poems, and quotes; while his paintings are largely abstract.
Piece of Work: LOOK HOW FAR WE’VE COME! (2016), Ink on paper.
Fun Fact: Gibson's work has been shown from coast to coast. His art has been on exhibition in the Brooklyn Museum, the Denver Art Museum, and the National Gallery of Canada, among many others.
Who Are They: Jayli Wolf is an indigenous artist from British Columbia. Wolf grew up in a doomsday cult while living with her maternal grandmother. She did not know her culture nor did she grow up close with her father. Eventually breaking free from the cult, Wolf is now connecting with her found family and embracing her sexuality. Her debut EP 'Wild Whisper,' is an autobiographical piece of work. Within the EP she recounts post-traumatic growth, reclaiming her indigenous heritage, leaving the doomsday cult she was raised in, embracing her bisexuality, and her father's experience in the Sixties Scoop (a time in the 1950s through the 1990s, where the Canadian Government and the Catholic Church were responsible for taking, or "scooping" more than 20,000 First Nation, Métis, and Inuit children from their families and communities).
Piece of Work: ‘Child Of The Government’, single off of debut EP ‘Wild Whispers'.
Fun Fact: Both Wolf's sound and motifs throughout the album are haunting, but her hope is that this album will raise more awareness on the topics covered. The album also has a series of music videos that depict the situations she has lived through and includes more information on the Sixties Scoop.
Who Are They: Sebastian Gaskin is a R&B singer-songwriter from Winnipeg, Canada. He grew up in Tataskweyak Cree Nation, or Split Lake. Gaskin writes and self produces his music. His smooth vocals and upbeat tunes are accredited to his taste in R&B, Hip Hop, Metal,and Punk. His new single "Snakehold" presents a new sound but has the same feel good lyrics and vocals that he is known for.
Piece of Work: ‘Snakehold’ single by Sebastian Gaskin
Fun Fact: With the release of his debut EP, “Contradictions," Gaskin headlined a cross-Canada club tour, and made appearances at a variety of festivals, including Festival du voyageur, Canadian Music Week, Interstellar Rodeo, and Calgary Stampede. He has also supported artists like Common, T-Pain, and Buffy Sainte-Marie.
Who Are They: Liv the Artist is of Comanche and Dtoe heritage and is a multi-instrumentalist and producer. Her music blends together alternative, R&B, neo-soul, and indie-electronic. She is sponsored by Keeley Guitar Effects Pedals and is a Platinum Producer of Timbaland's Beat Club, a place that connects the music producer community with record labels, music publishers, content creators, and more.
Piece of Work: A link to her Spotify can be found through her website.
Fun Fact: Liv is also a mentor and instrumental teacher. She currently teaches violin, cello, piano, and guitar., particularly specializing in neo-soul style guitar. She uses the ear-training method and specializes her curriculum towards the individual.
Who Are They: ShanDien LaRance is a Native American Hoop Dancer originating from the Hopi/ Assiniboine on her paternal side and Tewa/Navajo People on her maternal side. She currently lives on the Tewa Reservation of Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico. ShanDien was taught the art of hoop dancing by her brother at merely eight years old. When she was eighteen, ShanDien joined the Cirque Du Soleil’s Big Top show “TOTEM,” where she toured the world for 8 years. ShanDien is also currently pursuing a career in film, television and modeling.
Piece of Work: A video of Social Distance Pow Wow 2020, One Hoop Dance can be found on her website.
Fun Fact: Hoop Dance originated in Taos, New Mexico. While growing up, ShanDien was taught that Hoop Dancing was originally part of a Healing Ceremony and usually performed only by medicine men. They would dance this sacred ritual to help heal people if they were feeling physically, mentally, or spiritually unwell. Videos of ShanDien's Hoop Dance can be found on her website.
Image by IMDb
Who Are They: Maya Rose Dittloff (ǔkkayǔ”kwīyinnimǎakii/Many Pipes Woman) is Mandan, Hidatsa, and Amskapi Pikuni (Blackfeet) from the Starr School region of the Blackfeet Reservation located in Montana. Maya is a television and film director and screenwriter. She is currently a writer, director and producer for several films that are in production. As a queer BIPOC women Maya particularly loves stories with strong female leads and different point of views, and mainly works in drama with a twist of genres.
Piece of Work: A full list of works that she has directed and written can be found on her website, linked in the title above.
Fun Fact: Maya is greatly involved with the Native American community. She serves as an ambassador to the American Indian College Fund and as a scholar for the American Indian Business Leaders. She also advocates for indigenous roles in the entertainment industry through her role as a Junior Board Member for Young Entertainment Activists and as a member of the Panavision + Made In Her Image inaugural Catalyst Cohort.
Who Are They: Kali Spitzer is a photographer who lives and works on Traditional Unceded Lands of the Tsleil-Waututh, Skxwú7mesh and Musqueam peoples. She is Kaska Dena from Daylu (British Columbia) on her paternal side and Translyvanian Jewish on her maternal side. Kali's photography embraces BIPOC, Trans, and Queer bodies as she focuses on cultural rebirth through her various art forms. In addition to photography, Kali also works with ceramics, tanning hides, and hunting.
Piece of Work: Tin Types. Photograph by Kali Spitzer.
Fun Fact: Kali Spitzer has worked with film, as well as wet plate collodion process. Some of her portraits are also printed on tin types. She mainly photographs people, ceremonies and culture. Kali's work has been included in international exhibitions, including the National Geographic Museum and the Heard Museum.
Who Are They: Cara Romero is a contemporary fine art photographer and an enrolled citizen of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe. Romero currently lives and works between Santa Fe and the Chemehuevi Valley Indian Reservation. Through her work, she strives to represent indigenous and non-indigenous culture and history from a female Native American perspective. Romero's photographs are influenced by the modernity of Native American people and highlights indigenous world views.
Piece of Work: TV INDIANS (Color) (2017) by Cara Romero.
Fun Fact: Romero regularly participates in Native American art shows and panels. In her artist statement, Romero writes that she actively collaborates with her models in order to tell a story that they are both comfortable with, which combats the exploitation of Native Americans in past photography.
For more information or artwork from each artist, click the link embedded in their name or photo. It will take you to their personal website or portfolio. From our team here at Jejune, we hope that you learn from and enjoy each artist as much as we do.
