Showcasing Indigenous Artist and Studios
Digital Art Features
Native Artist Margaret Nazon: Saturn Beaded Work
Margaret Nazon, the visionary artist behind Nomad Designs, transforms the mysteries of the cosmos into intricate beadwork that bridges Indigenous tradition and contemporary art. Based in Tsiigehtchic, Northwest Territories, Nazon began her creative journey as a seamstress before evolving into a textile artist.
Native Artist Margaret Nazon: Milky Way Starry Night Beaded Work
Nazon's artwork is characterized by its abstract, whimsical, and beautiful nature, often sparking conversations about our limited understanding of the universe. Her piece "Night Sky," also known as "Milky Way, Starry Night #2," exemplifies the constellations of Ursa Major, Cassiopeia, and Orion, along with black holes, auroras, and a comet.
Navajo Crystal Storm Pattern Rug with Valero Stars, c. 1930s
This 10'1" x 6'2.5" tightly woven rug from the Crystal trading post area features classic Storm Pattern design with hand-spun wool. Natural gray and cream tones contrast with aniline-dyed blacks, browns, and reds. Notable details include a symbolic red warp yarn (representing rain) and a spirit line.
Native Artist Christine McHorse: Wolves Courting at Full Moon
Christine McHorse blends tradition and innovation in this mica clay bowl, crafted from earth near Taos Pueblo. Departing from Navajo norms, she fires her work in an electric kiln and adds imagery like the crow—symbol of the supernatural—and the wolf, a figure of wisdom. Embracing her own path, McHorse creates new traditions while honoring her cultural roots.
Native Artist Gerald Dawavendewa: Earth Bundle
This historic 6” canvas print is a tribute to Hopi cosmology. Created on buckskin and flown aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994, Dawavendewa’s artwork centers Taawa, the Sun, surrounded by the Earth, Moon, Milky Way, and four corn plants—symbols of life. Encircled by a rainbow, representing water, the piece honors both the celestial and the sacred.
Native Artist Oscar Ramirez: Star Seed Pot
This handcrafted seed pot by artist Oscar Ramirez highlights a rich cultural heritage. Inspired by ancient Native American traditions of storing seeds for survival, modern seed pots have become decorative treasures. This large, round pot features a star-shaped opening and intricate polychrome designs including a sgraffito butterfly, mesh, and geometric patterns.
Native Artist Fred Cruz: Horse & Rider – A Woven Tribute
This piece highlights the extraordinary craftsmanship of Tohono O’odham artist Fred Cruz. Handwoven from native Sonoran Desert plants—such as Beargrass, Soaptree Yucca, and Devil’s Claw—and accented with leather, this 10-inch sculpture blends tradition, storytelling, and natural materials into a striking three-dimensional form.
Native Artist Gerald Dawavendewa: Hisatsinom Migration
Crafted on handmade Amate bark paper with mineral pigments and acrylics, Hisatsinom Migration honors the ancestral journeys of the Hopi people across the Southwest. Inspired by ancient pottery shards left behind along migration routes, the piece serves as a visual map of history—each fragment symbolizing clouds, animals, ceremonies, and the natural world.
Native Artist Ruby Manuelito (Diné): Nightway Chant Tapestry
This sandpainting weaving by Navajo artist Ruby Manuelito depicts figures from the sacred Nightway Chant, including Holy People and Whirling Logs. Measuring just over 3 feet square, the tapestry continues a powerful legacy of spiritual storytelling through textile art. Born into a lineage of master weavers and connected to the legendary Hastiin Klah.
Native Artist Lehuauakea: Mele O Nā Kaukani Wai (Song of a Thousand Waters)
Spanning 11 by 8 feet, Mele O Nā Kaukani Wai is a striking textile installation by Lehuauakea, a Native Hawaiian interdisciplinary artist and kapa-maker from Pāpaʻikou, Hawaiʻi. Rooted in the rich traditions of Hawaiian barkcloth (kapa), natural dyeing, and ʻohe kāpala (bamboo stamping), the work is both ancestral and contemporary—a tactile song honoring water as a life-giving force and spiritual lineage.