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…
Author: Jessica Ma'ilo
When art brings people together, its impact can reach far beyond the walls where it is displayed. This week, Native artists and supporters will come together for Native Art Supporting Hearts. The online auction is benefiting the Sparkle Strong Foundation, a Norman, Oklahoma-based nonprofit supporting families living in the pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU). Sparkle Strong Foundation was founded at the bedside of sweet baby Jewels, daughter of FAAM operations manager, Jessica Poolaw Ma’ilo. Today, the organization carries her legacy and loving memory forward. Sparkle Strong provides practical support and resources to families facing the uncertainty and exhaustion of…
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…
Santa Fe, NM — Obscura Gallery will host an exhibition and book signing celebrating In Light and Shadow: A Photographic History from Indigenous America, co-authored by Iñupiaq photographer Brian Adams and photographer/author Sarah Stacke. The exhibition is on view from August 14 to September 26, 2026. On Saturday, August 15, the book signing begins at 3:00 pm. and the artists’ reception will follow from 4:00–6 :00pm at Obscura Gallery with many of the artists present. The exhibition, curated by Obscura Gallery, Brian Adams, and Sarah Stacke, presents work by 20 contemporary Indigenous American photographers featured in the book who explore…
MONTCLAIR, N.J. — The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) has announced the appointment of Todd Caissie (Osage) as its executive director. Caissie was named deputy director in 2025 and interim director on January 1, 2026. He officially assumes the leadership role this month, following the retirement of Ira Wagner. Caissie’s appointment comes as the museum looks to expand its exhibitions and increase community engagement. He brings more than a decade of experience in museum leadership, arts education, and cultural heritage. As executive director, he will oversee the museum’s artistic vision, daily operations, and finances. Among his priorities are increasing fundraising, membership,…
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…
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…