Identity in Our Fashion: Four Native Women Artists on Creativity and Cultural Knowledge

Wearable art and culture have always been at the center of Native American life, from ceremonial robes to traditional dress to contemporary looks. These garments express identities, honor family legacies, and increasingly earn praise for their artistic mastery and modern innovation. Join us for a lively panel discussion featuring four award-winning Native artists from the Pacific Northwest, Southwest, and Upper Midwest. These women are drawing upon their cultural heritage and knowledge to push the boundaries of creative expression in art, fashion, and photography, bringing new generations of emerging artists along the way.

TahNibaa Naataanii (Navajo) is the recipient of a 2017 NACF Mentor Artist Fellowship. An award-winning artist, Naataanii draws upon her families’ weaving traditions, songs, and stories to create unique contemporary textiles and clothing.

Cara Romero (Chemehuevi) is a visual storyteller whose dynamic photographs challenge preconceived notions of Native art, culture, and peoples. In 2017, Romero received a NACF Mentor Artist Fellowship to further explore native representation, knowledge, and identity through photography.

Lisa Telford (Git’ans Git’anee Haida), a 2018 NACF Mentor Artist Fellow, is a weaver who creates contemporary garments, shoes, and other objects using Northwest Coast–style weaving techniques. Her work serves as a commentary on Native identity, stereotypes, and fashion.

Delina White (Anishinaabe) is devoted to Anishinaabe Inendamowin (thought/ways of thinking) and keeps her Anishinaabe woodland designs and history alive through her artwork. She received a fellowship through the 2017 NACF Mentor Artists Fellowship Program.

Moderators: Jill Ahlberg Yohe, assistant curator of Native American Art, and Dakota Hoska (Oglala Lakota), research assistant in Native American Art at Mia.

5:30–6:30PM Panel Discussion

6:30–8PM Meet the Artists reception with light refreshments

Sponsored by the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation and Minneapolis Institute of Art

Free but ticketed. Reserve ticket online or call 612.870.6322.