Education

  • Graduating the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a BFA in Studio Arts. 

Awards

  • This was awarded to me in my acceptance letter to the School of The Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)

Event / Workshops

  • During my spring semester of my first year in undergrad, I re-founded the Indigenous Students Association at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Since April 2024, I’ve been organizing, facilitating and hosting different events.

  • I collaborated with directly with a small group of people to host an Indigenous Student Group Mixer with special guest, Frank Waln.

  • For Native American Heritage month in 2024, my co-leader and I worked in collaboration with the Cultural Oasis and the DEI office to bring the university a month worth of catered film screenings highlighting different Native directors and actors.

  • We organized a field trip gicing students the opportunity to visit the Newberry Library, an independent research library thats been open since 1887. There we got to look at some special collections material, new and old. We also got a guided tour of there past exhibition, Indigenous Chicago.

  • My co-leader and I work directly with each artist to plan a studio visit to their studio. We have visited with Suni Song Vizcarra Wood (03.25), Chelsea Bighorn, (03.26) and Crystal Drake, (04.26).

  • We organized a visit to the Textile Resource Center, a space within School of The Art Institute that gives students the opportunity to be hands on with materials that are contemporary but also dated back to pre-Columbian times.

  • We worked directly with the Center for Native Futures and Art Therapist and Artist, Crystal Drake to facilitate a workshop that gave students the opportunity to start or touch up on their resumes and CV.

  • I worked directly with a small group of people, The Center for Native Futures and artist, Noelle Garcia to organize a catered beading workshop with the provided supplies available for each participant.

  • I helped organize a student art market during the conference.

  • My co-leader and I worked directly with the library to highlight accurate resources on Orange Shirt Day, a Canadian holiday that recognizes the multi-generational effects and atrocities of what boarding schools were.

  • Over a four-month time period, I partnered with the Bring Them Home team to help coordinate and help with the event production for the Chicago stop of the Iinnii tour. I helped with the event logistics and planning. I supported the team by connecting them with other people and organizations in the Chicagoland area helping develop partnerships further. I also connected the Bring Them Home team with the Onöhsagwë:de Cultural Center in Salamanca, New York. I helped with the graphic design and marketing, creating the event poster and helping with promotion. I curated a post-event mini art market featuring Chicago-based Native students and artists that was apart of the after the film event at the Center for Native Futures,

Lectures (by invitation)

  • Saturn Dougherty and I, co-leaders of the Indigenous Students Association had the opportunity to speak to a group of people, in person and online about our art practice.

  • I had the opportunity to speak to a Humanities class about my community work.

Exhibitions

  • I exhibited my piece blossoming and a handcrafted hat adorned with beadwork at the annual Sweetest Seasons, at the Goodman Theater.

  • Saturn and I worked directly with the John M. Flaxman library and the special collection at the School of the Art Institute to highlight artworks that depicted “Indigenous Knowledge”. Books were choose in response to the artists selected works. 

Performances

  • Good Medicine Gang performed 2 Muskogee Creek songs apart of Wampum / ᎠᏕᎳ ᏗᎦᎫᏗ with Elisa Harkins at the MCA Chicago. 

Professional Experience

  • I got hands-on learning experience on what the operations of a short film look like, I assisted the team by running errands and got a better understanding of what is needed for a short film to come into fruition.

  • I assisted models and designers backstage as well as helping the hair and makeup team with different looks for the runway.

  • I had the opportunity to shoot BTS and runway photos of different top models and designers throughout NDN country at the annual First Peoples Fashion Show in Estes Park, Colorado.

  • I’m getting hands-on experience of what goes on BTS of a non-profit arts organization. I’m assisting senior management with day to day tasks, help during events and learn how to properly organize my own! 

Art Markets