One of the best parts of First American Art Magazine is connecting with the people who read it. Our readers are part of the FAAMily! We want to see where your FAAM has been: the places you call home, the places you visit, and all the stops in between. Whether you’re reading at a museum, perusing at a powwow, visiting an artist’s studio, traveling abroad, or relaxing at your kitchen table, we want to see FAAM out in the world with you. Share your photos on social media using #WhereHasYourFAAMBeen. Don’t forget to tag FAAM! Not sure how to post?…
Author: Jessica Ma'ilo
Jace Laxton has been making and showing art since elementary school. Now at 17, the Chickasaw artist from Sulphur, Oklahoma, works primarily with fused glass. He makes vases, platters and coasters while continuing to explore photography, pottery and other creative mediums. Like Father, Like Son Laxton learned how to work with glass from his father, Jay Laxton. The two now work side by side, trading ideas and techniques as they challenge each other to make the “coolest” piece. That relationship has also created one of Laxton’s biggest challenges as an artist. Developing a style of his own while working in…
There are artists whose work causes you to slow down and sit with it for a while. Marla Allison’s paintings have that kind of pull. A Laguna Pueblo artist originally from New Mexico, Allison grew up surrounded by the lifeways of her ancestral community. These continue to influence Allison. Her work brings together Pueblo pottery designs, as well as Cubism and Futurism. Additionally, they also reflect the places she has lived, traveled, and worked. From New Mexico to California and from Europe to the Middle East, Allison has spent years traveling and connecting with artists around the world. Adding to…
Jaycie Ward has already explored an impressive range of creative pursuits at 15 years old. A citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation with Yuchi heritage, Ward creates through drawing, painting, beading, sewing, and paper crafts. She works traditionally and digitally. She also plays multiple instruments, sings, and writes music. For Ward, creativity is not limited to one discipline. “I’ve always wanted to create,” she says. Creating from Within Ward’s inspiration comes from within. She describes her art as a way to show part of herself and how she sees the world. Traditional drawing is her favorite visual medium. She especially…
At 19, Karuk artist Harrison Gage Spinks is already thinking beyond the page. A Tulsa native, Spinks has spent years drawing and developing a growing interest in digital media and animation. Currently studying at Tulsa Technology Center, he is learning to bring his artwork into motion while continuing to build the skills he hopes will take him into the animation industry. Drawing has been part of Spinks’ life for as long as he can remember. His older brother, Garrett, is also an artist who loves to draw. When Harrison was little, he would sit beside him and draw too. That…
Art has always been more than creative expression. It is a way to sustain culture, strengthen identity, and carry our stories forward. Across Native communities, young artists are honoring their people while bringing fresh perspectives and new voices to Indigenous art. At First American Art Magazine, we believe these emerging artists—and the people and programs supporting them—deserve to be celebrated. We’re now accepting nominations for Indigenous youth artists (ages 20 and under) as well as Native youth arts programs, schools, workshops, camps, scholarships, contests, exhibitions, mentorships, and other opportunities that inspire and nurture the next generation of Native creatives. They…
Sometimes the people we meet in the everyday moments of life have stories far beyond what we see on the surface. I first met Natalie Miller at the baseball fields, where our sons played together as Mavericks for a couple of seasons. Like many sports moms, our conversations often centered around schedules, practices, and cheering from the sidelines, but I quickly became fascinated by the artist and storyteller behind the mom I knew there. An enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, Natalie’s journey from graphic designer and arts manager to full-time artist has been shaped by a lifelong relationship with…
Jeremy Thompson (Seminole Nation) does not work in isolation, and it shows. Much of what defines his practice today is built alongside his brother, Chris Thompson (Seminole Nation), through their shared venture, Semurai Designs. Based in Tulsa, the brothers have spent two decades developing a collaborative approach to their custom sneaker empire. Thompson painted his first pair of shoes more than twenty years ago, using leftover paint and a “beater” pair. What began with simple camouflage patterns has expanded into hundreds of custom pairs, including several for celebrities, Indigenous and otherwise. Jeremy Thompson in front of his painting “Roots” Photo:…