Societal expectations for Indigenous dress, especially pan-Native stereotypes, have also been a major influence on Monkman’s practice. ‘Earlier in his career, he leaned into camp and humor to intentionally make very challenging subject matters more approachable,’ explains Lukavic. Objects poked at appropriation of Native symbols and clichés: for example, a Louis Vuitton quiver, dreamcatcher bra, and raccoon jockstrap. ‘I claim some of these tropes to comment on their meaninglessness as mass-produced tourist gifts or novelty items that simply have no significance as Indigenous cultural objects,’ says Monkman. ‘One cannot reclaim something that is already completely fake. Reducing Indigenous people to cartoon characters removes any nuance or cultural difference amongst the hundreds of varied and complex communities and linguistic groups throughout the Americas,’ he adds.

Over the last decade, Lukavic tells me, Monkman’s work has put humor aside in favor of ‘a very direct confrontation and engagement with subjects that are important to contemporary Indigenous people,’ such as generational trauma, urbanization, language loss, and LGBTQ+ representation. ‘At the same time, he’s intentionally “decolonizing sexuality,” as he describes it. It’s about showing the nude human form as normal – not something that has to be sexualized – as well as showing different body types and gender expressions as normal, to counter the imposed, puritanical Christian viewpoints that were never what most Indigenous communities believed.’

Occasionally, Monkman’s alter-ego, Miss Chief, makes an appearance on canvas. In the early 2000s, the artist conceived this time-traveling, shape-shifting performance persona to reflect the Indigenous ‘two-spirit’ tradition, which reveres a third gender and nonbinary sexuality, subverting colonial constructions of masculinity. Feathered headdresses, thigh-high boots, satin gloves, and sequined gowns typically comprise Miss Chief’s attire, though one of her most memorable ensembles is a dress resembling a tipi.

CATOOSA – On May 18, the Route 66 Native Arts Alliance will host “Art at Ol’ Blue” at the Route 66 landmark Blue Whale of Catoosa with the goal of promoting Native arts and artists.

The event is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is one of three events planned by the group for the year.

“Our mission is to create opportunity for the education, display and promotion of Native art and artisans on Route 66. So, we thought the Blue Whale is a perfect place to have a spring outdoor show,” Crystal Hanna, Route 66 Native Arts Alliance president, said. “We’re going to have some music, and we’ll have food trucks. I’m going to do a make and take. We’ll have some more activities for all ages.”

Hanna, who is a Cherokee potter, said the event will feature 20 artists who are mainly from the Claremore, Catoosa and Tulsa area.

“We’re going to have, like I do pottery, we’ll have paintings, we’ll have baskets, we’ll have beadwork, we’ll have really a variety of art for people to come and enjoy and purchase and just really have a great day there,” Hanna said.

The alliance is a 501(c)(3), non-profit and has the goal to help “Native American artists to promote and teach.” By having these types of events, Hanna hopes to encourage more people to join the alliance and help fulfill its mission.

“We’re open to getting new members, that’s part of our process to have these events, to get new members … so that we can really try to fulfill our mission to create opportunity for our local Native artists,” Hanna said.

The group meets monthly at the D.W. Correll Museum in Catoosa and is open to all tribes.

“We meet … the second Thursday of each month at 1 p.m. If any new people want to join, our membership is only $50 a year,” she said.

The festival is located at 2600 N. State Highway 66 at the Blue Whale of Catoosa.

For more information, visit rt66nativeartsalliance.org/ or join the “RT 66 Native Arts Alliance” group on Facebook.

Known to the world as the First Nations, Indigenous populations have spanned the historical timeline, maintaining their sense of culture and indigeneity despite centuries of loss and oppression. 

Indigenous peoples make up less than 2% of the total American population, and as time goes on, many are finding ways to preserve or reclaim the stories of their ancestors. 

One driving force behind this celebration of culture is art, which is evident through Indigenous artists at ASU putting their identity into their storytelling, illustrations or architecture.

Lucilla Taryole, a junior studying animation whose artwork has a “modern take,” agreed that art can be used to represent Indigenous culture, as well as to preserve cultural roots and adapt to new forms of expression.

“It’s creative visibility,” they said. “Indigenous artwork doesn’t always have to be a (specific) artwork. It can be different and doesn’t always have to be the same thing.”

Taryole, who is Kiowa and Mvskoke, works for ASU’s Center for Indian Education and Labriola National American Indian Data Center, which have provided them with experience and connections within the University’s Indigenous network. 

At the Center for Indian Education, Taryole is surrounded by graduate students, professional scholars and school offices who ask if they can create art for various research projects and events.

Inspired by Taryole’s youthful, cartoonish art style, the University’s Office of American Indian Initiatives commissioned them to create a graphic for the Doing Research in Indigenous Communities Conference, which it co-hosted at the Tempe campus in October. With Taryole’s graphic, the office aimed to show Indigenous students that graduate school is not always intimidating, but rather, can be fun and fulfilling.

“The main point was to create a visual representation of an Indigenous student,” they said.

To accomplish this, Taryole said they drew an Indigenous student with “a face that people know is Native,” long hair and Kiowa oak leaf earrings. Accompanying the student were research materials, like a laptop and binder.

Beyond the conference, Taryole and their design were also featured in a Q&A published by Turning Points Magazine, an ASU publication for Indigenous students.

No matter how modern or nontraditional their work may be, Taryole aims to dedicate their art to their Indigenous culture, such as their work “Shifting the Narrative,” a collection of illustrations showcasing Indigenous actresses Lily Gladstone and Paulina Alexis.

“It’s not traditional, but it still has a heavy tie to Indigenous presence,” Taryole said. “I would like my artwork to encourage other young Indigenous artists to know that they’re not confined to certain mediums of art.”

Language reclamation and political statements

“I’ve always felt a connection to land when writing, knowing that it is a very ancestral practice of not being separated and seeing land as one of us,” said Ayling Dominguez, an Indigenous poet, visual artist and graduate student studying creative writing. 

Dominguez comes from the Nahua people of Mexico, and they also have roots in the Mexican state of Puebla and the city of Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic. 

Through their writing, Dominguez accomplishes the work of language reclamation, a task that Indigenous peoples are constantly doing for the many Indigenous languages that are considered endangered, they said.

Dominguez said that through poetry, they are given room to feel their emotions — something “rigid” academic spaces kept them from doing. Dominguez’s work centers around historical and familial archives, and they are trying to “push” the boundaries of English and “colonial language.” 

“How can I experiment with the language and push the language a bit further to account for the experiences of being in the Indigenous diaspora and the experience that perhaps the original language didn’t account for?” Dominguez said.

In their work, they often reimagine cultural legends and myths, especially ones featuring female characters.

“The story is told from the point of view of a male or a character who is viewing that character without getting her full personality,” Dominguez said, describing how they write their poems. 

In one of the classes they took, they were expected to write one poem per week, which pushed the boundaries of what Dominguez was used to. In the end, however, it helped their growth as a writer. 

“A lot of times, I start with images in my mind and memories, especially trying to see what memories I want to make sure I never forget and are never forgotten, especially because so many Indigenous histories have been taken over in American history,” Dominguez said.

One of the main obstacles they face as a poet is the cultural barrier from their peers — not being able to give feedback or feedback not being given through a cultural lens. 

Beyond Dominguez’s poems, their artwork has been featured in ASU’s Grant Street Studios and the Phoenix Art Museum. One piece, titled “Bad Seeds,” was created by smashing and rearranging a police barricade and scattering dirt around the broken pieces, a commentary on police violence.

“People will say (a police officer) was just a bad seed,” Dominguez said. “In reality, in my opinion, and the community I come from, there are no good police. There are no bad seeds when the whole system is rotten.”

Collage art is another way they express their indigeneity. Dominguez came to the practice not thinking it would be “serious” artwork. However, once they started, they realized the work aligned with their values of building a better world. Dominguez starts their collage art process by flipping through a magazine to see what images speak to them, looking for double meanings that they can reconfigure as statements in their art. 

“You’re literally taking something that exists and you’re cutting, reconfiguring it, restructuring it to make something else out of the existing, which I think is a very political statement,” they said.

The placekeeping framework

Wanda Dalla Costa was in her 20s when she went on a backpacking journey that was “never supposed to be more than six months overseas.” However, she still found herself backpacking around the world by herself seven years and 37 countries later.

Through her travels, she witnessed many Indigenous people practice aspects of their ancestral culture and have close ties to their native land. After her adventure finally came to an end, she returned to North America and realized they were living “in these little boxes that are completely detached from (Western) culture.” 

“We are detached from all the beautiful systems that exist within our culture,” Dalla Costa said. “If people overseas and all these cultures around the world can still stay connected to their built environments through architecture, planning and landscaping, why can’t people on the mainland remain connected?”

Dalla Costa is a member of the Saddle Lake First Nation and the director of ASU’s Indigenous Design Collaborative, which aims with its projects to “increase authenticity in the field of design.” The collaborative started “informally” after Dalla Costa taught a theory course and it became more formalized over the years. IDC received positive responses from students, faculty and tribal community members.

“I guess (students’) knowledge of local cultural history is very limited,” Dalla Costa said. “I think the students appreciate the firsthand learning when you walk into an Indigenous community, and you can talk firsthand with people through their voices and a firsthand method of understanding. It becomes much more impactful than learning from a book.”

“It begins cross-cultural communication between non-Indigenous people and Indigenous people through these artifacts,” Dalla Costa said.

When she began at ASU in 2016, she saw an opportunity for students to work directly with tribal communities in an applied learning model, “Teaching Indigeneity in Architecture: Indigenous Placekeeping Framework.” The framework comes from her practice, Tawaw Architecture Collective, and has been developed over the last 30 years.

“We developed this framework when we work in a community because the way I was taught architecture integrates local community perspectives,” she said.

Dalla Costa said architects’ knowledge is limited because the way architecture is made can be “disconnected from the people, their history, norms, aspirations, culture and philosophies.”

“It’s completely devoid of all of that because architects are not taught how to work inside their community.”

Some of the IDC projects featured in ASU’s Hayden Library focused on “indigenizing ASU’s campus through design.” IDC’s Hayden Library Welcome Wall was a greeting wall aimed at creating awareness of Arizona’s Indigenous languages and welcoming Indigenous students to the Tempe campus. The design, which is driven by land recognition, language and the empowerment of Indigenous artists, and it aims to honor the 22 tribes located in Arizona and features 19 words from shared ancestral languages.

Another IDC design in Hayden Library is the Hayden Library Labriola Custom Table, a collaboration with a local Salt River Pima-Maricopa Community metal artist, Jeffrey Fulwilder, who brought his own lived experiences to provide perspective on the design. The design comes from the local O’odham tribes’ ancestral tradition of basketry designs, which derive from desert lifeways and materials. 

“We wanted to do a metal piece to commemorate (Fulwilder’s) work, but we needed an authentic narrative,” Dalla Costa said. “We sat with Jeffrey for many meetings, and he ended up sketching out a basketry design, a series of baskets that, of course, have embedded meaning.”

Taryole emphasizes the importance of Indigenous artists, including a contemporary influence on their work to represent the perseverance of Indigenous cultures in the modern age.

“We’re still alive,” Taryole said. “We’re still making moves where we’re constantly at work. We’re all different, and we’re still here.”

Edited by Camila Pedrosa, Savannah Dagupion and Madeline Nguyen.

Reach the reporter at fgabir@asu.edu and follow @FatimaGabir on X.

Like State Press Magazine on Facebook, follow @statepressmag on X and Instagram and read our releases on Issuu.

Robes and quilts will loom large during May’s First Friday as two new Alaska Native exhibits are scheduled to debut at the city and state museums while a three-day quilt show opens at Centennial Hall.

More than 45 Alaska Native artists are scheduled to participate in the opening of the exhibit “Protection: Adaptation & Resistance” at the Alaska State Museum from 4:30-7:30 p.m. The themes will be wide-ranging in material and tone, ranging from the illustrators of the comic book “Chickaloonies” offering workshops to programming focusing on the upcoming National Day of Recognition of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons on May 5.

Among the other artists at the exhibit are Louise Brady, organizer of the Herring Protector robes; Lily Wooshkindein Da.áat Hope, organizer of the Chilkat Protector mask; and Rico Worl, artist of the USPS Raven Story stamp, according to the museum. Asia Freeman, the exhibit’s curator, will moderate a discussion at 7 p.m. with artists Hope, Amber Webb, K’asheechtlaa Louise Brady and Rico Lanaat’ Worl.

Hope will also debut her exhibit “Yéil Koowú Átx’i Khaa Sháade Nákhx’i Yán Sákw Jeeyís: Ravenstail Regalia for Future Leaders” at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum at 4 p.m. The project features what’s claimed to be one of the largest collections of child-sized Ravenstail, with about 40 created by people throughout North America, which were also featured Tuesday as part of a weavers’ gathering, historical presentation and dance performance Tuesday at Centennial Hall.

The Capital City Quilters Guild will open their annual three-day show at noon on Friday. Works will be exhibited in three of the convention center’s ballrooms and be judged in multiple categories by Nancy Fuka, a nationally certified quilt judge. There will also be quilt demonstrations and other activities at the event which continues until 7 p.m. Friday, and from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

People observe images of space while laying on the floor at the Marie Drake Planetarium. (Marie Drake Planetarium photo)

The full calendar of this month’s First Friday events, as provided by the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council:

Rebecca Hsieh, “Bite Sized,” Juneau Arts & Culture Center, 350 Whittier St., 4-7 p.m.

The Juneau Arts & Humanities Council presents “Bite Sized,” an immersive, interactive art exhibit by Rebecca Hsieh that explores the artist’s relationship with food. From traditional Cantonese dishes cooked by her family and favorite street foods, to traditional American foods she was exposed to as she immigrated to the United States — this exhibit illustrates the comfort, respite, and joy that food brings to the artist’s life. Visitors can interacting with these “bite-sized” pieces. Please be sure to have clean hands before touching the pieces and to please place them back to their original state.

Exhibit up through the month.

Alaska State Museum: “Protection: Adaptation and Resistance,” 395 Whittier Street, APK Building, 4:30-7 p.m.

New exhibit presents the work of more than 45 Alaska Native artists who explore the climate crisis, social justice, strengthening communities through ancestral knowledge and imagining a thriving future. A lecture follows the First Friday Opening at 7 p.m. Exhibit curator Asia Freeman will lead a discussion with artists Amber Webb, K’asheechtlaa Louise Brady, Lily Wooshkindein Da.aat, and Rico Lanaat’ Worl.

Exhibit up through the month.

Celebrate 50 years of KTOO broadcasting, KTOO Public Media, 360 Egan Drive, 4 – 6 p.m.

Join KTOO in celebrating a half-century of broadcasting during First Friday. Tune in from 2 to 4 p.m. on KTOO 104.3 and 91.7 or online for a special two-hour edition of Juneau Afternoon, featuring guests from KTOO’s past and present and live music. Open house at the station starts at 4 p.m. Light refreshments, tour the studios, and see photos and items from KTOO’s 50-year history on display. More information at https://www.ktoo.org/2024/04/29/celebrate-50-years-of-ktoo-broadcasting-on-first-friday.

First Friday opening only.

Capital City Quilters: 2024 Quilt Show, 101 Egan Drive, Centennial Hall, noon-7 p.m.

Free, professionally juried quilt show. There will be live quilting demonstrations, special exhibit ”Today’s Quilts — an Alaskan Perspective,” vendor and gift sales, and a silent auction. Continues Saturday and Sunday.

Exhibit up through the weekend.

Juneau Arts & Humanities Council: “Juneau Wildlife Portraits — Paintings and Photographs,” 101 Egan Drive, The Davis Gallery in Centennial Hall, 4-7 p.m.

Exhibit by Susan Watson and Christopher Grau includes nine of Susan’s acrylic paintings of Juneau wildlife (from Chris’s photographs), and 12 of Chris’s photographs of Juneau wildlife. The paintings are all 10×8”, the photographs are all 13×19”.

Exhibit up through the month.

Juneau Douglas City Museum: “Yéil Koowú Átx’i Khaa Sháade Nákhx’i Yán Sákw Jeeyís: Ravenstail Regalia for Future Leaders,” 114 W. 4th St., 4-7 p.m.

Ravenstail weaving known in Tlingit language as Yéil Koowú originates on the Northwest Coast of Alaska and Canada. The oldest known robe dates back to the 1700’s. Historic pieces have been preserved in museums across the world. This artform fell out of practice for 100 years until researcher Cheryl Samuel “woke” it up. It has largely been carried by Cheryl and one of her students, Kay Parker, who have both taught with historical pattern integrity intact. For this exhibition, weaver and Artist Lily Hope led a cohort of weavers to create child size robes with the intent that every student is training toward creating adult size ceremonial Yéil Koowú regalia. On display through Oct. 19.

Exhibit up through the month.

Marie Drake Planetarium: Open House, 1415 Glacier Ave., 5:30-7 p.m.

Explore the universe with our new digital projector and share some short full-dome movies on 30-foot dome. Suitable for all ages. No sign up needed.

First Friday opening only.

Sealaska Heritage Institute: SHI First Friday Mini-Market, metal artist Rudy Isturis, Arts Campus open, and student exhibit “Cameras Speak,” 105 Heritage Way, 4:30-7 p.m.

Walter Soboleff Building will feature mini-market and metal artist Rudy Isturis, who will showcase chasing and repoussé techniques. The Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus will feature wood artists and metal artists, and a “Camera Speak” student exhibit. “Cameras Speak” brings digital cameras and professional photographers to teach techniques to students in grades 6-12.

First Friday opening only.

Annie Kaill’s Gallery: Louise Kuntz-Tadda, ceramicist and Moondance Alaska by Colleen Goldrich, jeweler, 124 Seward St., 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Show with ceramicist Louise Kuntz-Tadda and jeweler Colleen Goldrich of Moondance Alaska.

First Friday opening only.

Willow + Luna: Alaskan Me- Made Line, 117 Seward St., 4-7 p.m.

Alaskan Mermaid Linx will be in the shop offering custom fitted jewelry that can be permanent or put together with a clap.

First Friday opening only.

Barnaby Brewing Company: Lanie McCarry, 165 Shattuck Way, 3-8 p.m.

Lanie’s art show this month focuses on creativity and her love of mountainscapes.

Exhibit up through the month.

Rainforest Yoga: Pam Garcia, Yoga Teacher, 171 Shattuck Way, 5-6 p.m.

Spring-themed poses like lotus, butterfly, sunflower, sunbird, boat…

First Friday opening only.

Rainbow Foods: New oil paintings by Page Bridges, 4th and Gold streets, 4:30-7 p.m.

Year two anniversary show on the peach wall above the baked goods. The new paintings are for sale. About 70 painting from 35 years will be on display throughout store.

Exhibit up through the month.

Alaska Robotics Gallery: Alec Dye, Illustrator, 134 N. Franklin St., 4-7 p.m.

Dye’s latest series “Crab” is an expressive and stylized exploration of Alaska’s favorite crustaceans through ink and watercolor.

Exhibit up through the month.

Spice Cafe & Art Gallery: Featuring artists Crystal Jackson, Hollis Kitchin, Christine Kleinhenz, 116 N. Franklin St., 4-10 p.m.

Artists featured in the gallery, with live music by the Gypsy Jazz Quartet featuring local musicians John Unzicker, Ben Higdon, Ceann Murphy and Bob Banghart.

Exhibit up through the month.

Devil’s Club Brewing: Jacqui Tingey, 100 N. Franklin St., 4:30-8 p.m.

Jacqui Tingey is a self.taught artist based in Juneau, where she gathers inspiration and explores with her husband and daughters. Her newest body of work focuses on the seascapes and ocean life featured in Southeast Alaska. These pieces are based on personal photos and memories of summer days spent on islands, rocky beaches, and fishing on the boat.

Exhibit up through the month.

Aunt Claudia’s Dolls, A Museum: Soft re-opening, 114 S. Franklin St., Triangle Building, 4:30-7 p.m.

“Long time, no see” new displays for the Northern Indigenous Collection. Artist’s studio with new conservation area and display/mount work space. Portrait doll carver Mary Ellen Frank docents the newly conserved works housed in renovated displays.

Exhibit up through the month.

Kindred Post: Kelsey Riker and Taylor Vidic, 145 S. Franklin St., 4:30-7 p.m.

Taylor Dallas Vidic and Kelsey Bryce Riker, known collectively as “Roommates,” perform original tunes and covers. By day, Vidic lends their expertise to the arts scene as an esteemed organizer within the Juneau community, while Riker is recognized as the astute manager of Kindred Post. Mail services are not available during special events.

First Friday opening only.

Harbor Tea & Spice: Ice Cave Blue Tea & Other in house blends, 175 S. Franklin St., Ste. 105, Senate Building, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Tasting of in-house blend paired with ginger cookies.

First Friday opening only.

Juneau Artists Gallery: Mallory Reid, Photographer, 175 S. Franklin St., Ste. 111, Senate Building, 4:30-7 p.m.

Mallory Reid is May’s featured artist at the Juneau Artists Gallery. Reid joined the gallery last spring, developing a love of nature and photography while she was growing up in the mountains of Montana. She turned her passion of taking photographs into a business venture. First with family photography, which later expanded into landscapes and wildlife after she moved to Juneau in 2018. Mallory has developed a particular fondness for the Alaska Coastal Brown Bear.

Exhibit up through the month.

Caribou Crossings: Karla Moreira, wildlife watercolor mixed media painter, 387 S. Franklin St., 4-8 p.m.

In honor of kicking off the 26th year at Caribou Crossings, showcases are being featured from two popular artists, Karla Morreira and Lisa McCormick, who have been involved since the beginning. Karla will be coming down from Chugiak wildlife watercolors to launch new releases, sign prints and framed work, and share stories and inspirations. Lisa is sending her entire winter’s work — just in time for Mother’s Day. Also featuring works from more than 60 Alaska artists.

Exhibit up through the month.

“Native America: In Translation” at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, in Chicago: Arts Intel Report

Skip to Content