I create art that engages with the natural world through a variety of mediums. Through ceramics, sculpture, and drawing, my work has a thematic focus on the environment. In addition to this environmental emphasis, I also incorporate elements of my cultural identity into my art. As an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe, my indigenous heritage deeply impacts the work I create. The Ojibwe Nation has many large communities throughout the northern United States and Canada and is part of the Algonquin language family. Ojibwe values of indinawemaaganidog (interconnectedness), dabaadenendiziwin (humility), and gwayakwaadiziwin (honesty) are incorporated into everything I produce.
This past year, I have created many sculptural pieces which vary in scale and medium. One of the works I am most proud of is a dreamcatcher made from found natural materials. With wood sourced from around my home in Minneapolis and feathers donated by Cowling Arboretum, I constructed a three-foot-wide dreamcatcher. The Ojibwe people are considered the first nation to start the dreamcatcher tradition which are viewed as a symbol of protection. In our language, the word for dreamcatcher is Asabikeshiinh, meaning spider. Using waxed coated string, I taught myself to weave the dreamcatcher, mimicking a spider’s web on a tree. As I continue my art practice, my goal is to create work that connects to Ojibwe traditions and reflects my own presentation of identity.