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…
Author: Jessica Ma'ilo
Santa Fe – The 104th annual Santa Fe Indian Market brings together tribal nations from across Indian Country for one of the world’s premier Native art events. The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) has worked to forge tribal partnerships that will expand programming centered on cultural preservation, Indigenous storytelling, and Native film during this year’s market. By working with tribes directly, SWAIA supports visual sovereignty. Muscogee (Creek) Nation The Muscogee (Creek) Nation joins as co–title sponsor, helping present programming focused on protecting sacred places and preserving cultural heritage. On Friday, August 14, Sacred Sites Protection: Then and Now will…
Norman, OK – The Mahsetky-Poolaw family invites the public to Wendy Mahsetky-Poolaw: Memory and Presence, a posthumous retrospective honoring the life and work of acclaimed Comanche/Kickapoo artist Wendy Amber “Numu Petas” Mahsetky-Poolaw (1969–2006). Opening July 10 at the Norman Depot, the exhibition gathers together a collection of Wendy’s mixed-media works, offering a rare opportunity to experience the depth and emotional resonance of an artist whose life and career were cut tragically short at the age of 37. Working in layered mixed-media compositions that blended abstraction, texture, movement, and personal symbolism, Mahsetky-Poolaw emerged as a powerful voice in contemporary Native art…
PHILADELPHIA – As the United States marks its semiquincentennial, the Penn Museum has commissioned multidisciplinary artist Holly Wilson (Delaware Nation/Delaware Tribe) to transform its East Entrance with a large-scale installation dedicated to Native Futurism. The mixed-media artwork will be unveiled at a public dedication and artist-led talk on Saturday, July 11, 2026, from 2:30 to 3:30 pm. The installation’s centerpiece will be a nearly 20-foot photorealistic painting depicting Wilson’s memory of her young children catching fireflies one summer evening in Mustang, Oklahoma. Their attire reveals a pattern from a bandolier bag that belonged to a family member who was the…
RAPID CITY, SD – Racing Magpie has announced the sixth round of Sinew Fund grant awards. Through a continued partnership with the Andy Warhol Foundation’s Regional Regranting program, this initiative provides a vital platform for Lakota country, offering Oglala Lakota creatives the resources to launch innovative projects rooted in place and land. For this cycle, the Sinew Fund awarded three collaborative grants of $10,000 each. Selected by an independent panel of experts, the winning projects were chosen for their creative impact, community engagement, and feasibility. These artists have one year to bring their visual arts-focused visions to fruition. The Spring…
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:…
What: Launch Party and Forty-Nine social dancing When: Sunday, February 8, 2026, 2:00–4:00 pm Where: Jacobson House Native Art Center, 609 Chautauqua Street, Norman, OK | map Why: To celebrate! “The Forty-Nine represents one of Indian Country’s richest genres of music and dance. … The Forty-Nine carries deep cultural significance that extends far beyond simple entertainment, echoing a vital connection between historical Plains Indian practices and contemporary Native community life in Oklahoma.” —Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/Ohkay Owingeh/Isanti Dakota) and Maxwell Yamane, FAAM no. 49 (Winter 2026): 26 Celebrating with community Norman, Okla. – First American Art Magazine will host a community launch…
In February 2026 Edmonia Lewis: Said in Stone, the first major retrospective devoted to the work of Edmonia Lewis, a sculptor of Afro-Caribbean and Anishinaabe descent whose career unfolded across the United States and Europe in the 19th century, will open at the Peabody Essex Museum. The exhibition brings together thirty sculptures from public and private collections, along with related works and archival material that trace Lewis’ life, community ties and artistic practice.
Vancouver, BC – For the first time in a decade, Vancouver audiences will have the opportunity to see Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Canada’s longest-running ballet company, perform repertoire outside of their annual Nutcracker performance. The company arrives February 9 and 10 with a powerhouse double bill: the modern classic Carmina Burana and the West Coast premiere of T’əl: The Wild Man of the Woods, a contemporary Indigenous-led ballet by choreographer Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe (Tla’amin). The evening opens with Carmina Burana, RWB’s high-voltage signature work. The visceral, athletic, sensuous ballet is set to Carl Orff’s iconic score and choreographed by Mauricio Wainrot.…