Headlands Center for the Arts

Artist Statement

I take photographs as a way to record evidence of my Indigenous Siletz identity. By working with these pictures I take from my iphone I use mapping technology to draw a gridded plan for beaded works that regenerate these images. Once the picture has been pixelated through the software’s filter, I hand-bead the resulting pattern. Beading from the digital patterns becomes a visual metaphor for how cultural knowledge travels across generations which is distorted, filtered and has shifted.

Through this process, my beadwork is coded to reveal and obscure my experiences of kinship within my family. Each bead is a meditative step toward reconnecting with my ancestors and myself. The resolution of the image created by the beads becomes a tool for questioning what is unseen—what has been erased or forgotten in the fabric of my Siletz identity.

While at Headlands

While at Headlands, I hope to explore a new body of work that continues to expand my understanding of what Indigenous identity can look like through my practice. I want to use this time to experiment with new materials, challenge my usual ways of making, and take risks. Inspired by the coastal landscape, the Pacific Ocean, and my own connection to the Oregon coast, I plan to create work that responds directly to the surrounding environment. I also hope to spend more time weaving, slowing down, and embracing a more intuitive process. The changing light at Headlands is something I’m especially excited to explore, and I want to play with how natural light, shadow, and atmosphere can become part of my practice.