Native on a Daily Basis

My recent work titled “Native on Daily Basis” was created to showcase the many issues Native Americans face today on the reservations and around the country. I made this project during my first semester at Parsons School of Design. Since arriving at the school, I had noticed very little Indigenous representation around campus and found that other students did not know much about the disparities that Native Peoples face on a daily basis. Problems such as food insecurity, disease, land rights, and many others put Natives, as individuals and as tribal nations, far behind the majority of Americans in their socioeconomic status. I chose to display six key issues each with its own color from the rainbow in order to introduce them in a way similar to how children learn their colors. I incorporated traditional arts handmade by myself, found imagery, and props such as moccasins and common foods eaten in Indian country like Spam to provoke dialogues around Indigenous issues. This project was personally motivated by experiences I’ve had with my family and feels very close to my heart. I hope to continue to expand it, including more issues such as alcoholism, substance abuse, and more.