Grounded Creating With Land In Contemporary Native American Art

Leo Migdal

-Dec 14, 2025, 8:52 AM

grounded creating with land in contemporary native american art

Due to the loss of NEH funding, we need your support now more than ever. Can we think of a 21st century Arizona through expressions of place inherent in Arizona’s Indigenous arts? In this presentation, I focus on the representation of place that Indigenous artists in Arizona are making in their art. From jewelry, to weaving, to photography, the lived landscape features prominently in Indigenous art. These expressions signify place, culture, tradition, and national aspirations. As a Diné jeweler with decades of experience in Native art spaces, I will demonstrate how the stones and materials connect us to our national homelands in Diné bikeyah and are also a representation...

I will show how corn – represented in culture and art – is also a product of trade, and how Diné rugs are intimately linked to the land, including the wool and dye that... These are all examples of placemaking in Native Arizona. Ultimately, Native space is not limited to today’s boundaries but are expressions of kinship and reciprocity to the land and non-human entities that also inhabit it. Indigenous art in Arizona confounds our understanding of Arizona. Art is not just a reflection of what is there, but an imagined sense of what is possible. Nanibaa Beck is a 2nd generation Dine’ (Navajo) jeweler.

Since 2013, her work reflects Native creative expressions and the growth of an Dine’ ‘Asdzaa (Navajo woman) as a designer and maker. Being intricately connected to the creative process at an early age motivated Beck to become more knowledgeable about the multifaceted areas surrounding Native American Art. Her anthropology background includes work and fellowships with renowned museums, including the Heard Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Peabody Essex Museum and the Field Museum. “Let every step you take upon the earth be as a prayer.” —Black Elk, Oglala Lakota holy man THE WORK OF CARAVAN—an international arts nonprofit/NGO that is recognized as a leader in using the arts to transform our world—is no stranger to The Culturium. Founded and curated by Rev.

Canon Paul G. Chandler, their seminal exhibition focusing on the work of Middle Eastern artists drawing inspiration from Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet is one of the most popular pieces on the site. The current Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Wyoming, USA, Paul-Gordon has now taken lead from the artists of the Great Plains by bringing together an exhibition in a partnership between CARAVAN and ArtSpirit,... Grounded in a love of the natural world, 15 contemporary artists have paid homage to their cultural roots by evoking the creative spirit of their ancestors, bestowing sacred reverence to animals, birds, rivers, the... Humans, too, are exalted, with equal veneration given to both men and women as reflecting the image of Creator. In a time period when our collective past is being wholly re-examined in light of the lessons and insights it has to offer us, ArtSpirit and CARAVAN’s initiative couldn’t be more timely.

GROUNDED is an artistic exploration in partnership with ArtSpirit that brings together 15 premier and emerging contemporary artists from eight Indigenous American tribes traditionally based in and around the Great Plains region of the... “Let every step you take upon the earth be as a prayer” GROUNDED was an artistic exploration that brought together 15 premier and emerging contemporary artists from Indigenous American tribes traditionally based in and around the Great Plains region of the USA, seeking to inspire our... It is critical for the health and survival of our planet, that we acknowledge and honor our intricate connection to the earth as our sustainer, to the wisdom of our ancestors, and to humanity’s... Our world itself is calling for a realignment of a sacred harmony and an awareness of a new balance between ourselves and the earth, and with all of life upon it. We have much to learn from the Indigenous cultures of our Native American sisters and brothers about being grounded in the interconnectedness of the sacred, the natural world, and one another.

Native American traditional beliefs see everything on the earth as living in relationship. Seeing the interconnectedness of all things, they understand today’s environmental and humanitarian crises as affecting everyone and everything - geologically, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The artistic practice of the inspiring group of 15 Native American artists is a unique blend of their heritage and creative expression. Their work serves as a visual representation of the worldview, wisdom and learnings of their forebears which is urgently needed today as we reimagine the way we live in order to heal our world. Their spiritual wisdom is therefore essential toward developing a “sacred harmony” between all peoples and with the earth. This unique contemporary art exhibition seeks to enable them to share their culture, heritage and sacred traditions to help us restore our world and foster wholeness among all peoples.

Exhibition artists discuss the history of Plains narrative art and the inspirations behind their contemporary work during the 2024 Folklife Festival. Fellow fiber artists Velma Kee Craig (Diné) and Helena Hernmarck join Begay to discuss Indigenous weaving traditions and the diversity of textile arts. Follow the journey of Lily Gladstone and her porcupine-quill–adorned gowns from the red carpet to the NMAI. In her Jemez Pueblo home studio, artist Kathleen Wall creates imaginative ceramic figures and paintings that depict a jubilant look into everyday life. The exhibition juxtaposes historical hides, muslins, and ledger books with more than 50 commissioned contemporary works to explore narrative art among Native nations of the Great Plains. Artists have ways of shedding light onto histories and truths in ways that leave lasting impressions.

From forced relocation to the generational traumas of residential schools to internal strength and self-awareness, Indigenous contemporary artists add to our understanding of such histories, truths, and lived experiences. The Denver Art Museum was one of the first art museums in the United States to collect Indigenous arts from North America. Today, the museum has over 18,000 works by artists from over 250 Indigenous nations that encapsulate multiple artistic traditions from these cultures, and range from ancestral times to the present. Because of the early commitment to collecting and preserving Indigenous arts, the Denver Art Museum today has one of the strongest and most comprehensive collections of Indigenous arts from North America in the world. The depth of our collection allows visitors to explore the visual diversity and excellence of Indigenous arts as well as to consider the contributions that Native artists have made to artistic conversations throughout time. These works also illuminate themes such as identity, history, survivance, land, place, and community.

Farewell to the Smokies (Trail of Tears) (2007) by Kay WalkingStickDenver Art Museum Cherokee, born 1935Kay WalkingStick’s career spans several decades and mediums, including paintings, drawings, small sculptures, notebooks, and diptychs. Her work focuses on the American Landscape and it’s metaphorical significances not only to Native Americans but also to all citizenry. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, she depicits monumental landscapes and Native places with the intention to glorify our land and honor those who first lived upon it. Her work expresses her own Native heritage as well as the non-native identity and mutual recognition of humanity we share as human beings. Farewell to the Smokies (Trail of Tears) (2007) by Kay WalkingStickDenver Art Museum

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The term “grounded” is used to describe something or someone that is well-balanced and realistic. To the 15 contemporary Native American artists featured in the “Grounded” art exhibition, the word represents an intimate and important relationship between the earth and its inhabitants. Their colorful and unique depictions of what it means to be grounded are on display at the Wyoming State Museum from March 31 to May 20. The touring exhibition is organized by ArtSpirit, the arts initiative of the Episcopal Church in Wyoming, and Caravan, a global arts nonprofit. “[‘Grounded’] is an exhibition of creative expressions nurturing that sacred connection towards groundedness and more intentional and responsible living,” said Paul-Gordon Chandler, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming and founder of Caravan.

Discover the vibrant world of contemporary Native American artists as they merge age-old traditions with modern expression. These artists are at the vanguard, reshaping perceptions of Indigenous art by addressing themes of identity, resistance, and autonomy. Through various mediums, they offer a window into the Indigenous narrative, challenging conventions and inviting a deeper understanding of their cultural heritage. I’ve always been captivated by the vivid expressions and poignant storytelling in the artwork of contemporary Native American artists. Their creations are more than just visually stunning; they’re a dynamic fusion of tradition and modernity. Definition: A modern art form that reflects the current experiences and social issues of Native Americans, incorporating traditional themes and aesthetics.

Contemporary Native American art encompasses a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, and performance art. Bold and innovative, these artists often challenge perceptions and offer a unique lens through which to view the world. Their works speak of identity, resilience, and the complexity of Native American life in the 21st century. Let’s start with my favorite contemporary native american artists! A distinctly Indigenous form of landscape representation is emerging in the creations of contemporary Indigenous artists from North America. For centuries, landscape painting in European art typically used representational strategies such as single-point perspective to lure viewers—and settlers—into the territories of the old and new worlds.

In the twentieth century, abstract expressionism transformed painting to encompass something beyond the visual world, and later, minimalism and the Land Art movement broadened the genre of landscape art to include sculptural forms and... In Shifting Grounds, art historian Kate Morris argues that Indigenous artists are expanding, reconceptualizing, and remaking the forms of the genre still further, expressing Indigenous attitudes toward land and belonging even as they draw... The resulting works are rarely if ever primarily visual representations, but instead evoke all five senses: from the overt sensuality of Kay WalkingStick’s tactile paintings to the eerie soundscapes of Alan Michelson’s videos and... In the works of these and many other Native artists, Shifting Grounds explores themes of presence and absence, connection and dislocation, survival and vulnerability, memory and commemoration, and power and resistance, illuminating the artists’... Kate Morris is an associate professor of art history at Santa Clara University. She earned her MA in art history from the University of New Mexico, and her PhD in art history from Columbia University.

Grounded Creating With Land In Contemporary Native American Art

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