At Large  November 25, 2022

9 Indigenous Art Accounts to Follow on Instagram

Created: Fri, 11/25/2022 - 09:00
Author: anna
Instagram post on @j.okuma from May 22, 2021.

This list includes Indigenous artists, groups, and galleries from across the world.

From the Australia-based Kate Owen Gallery which exclusively showcases Aboriginal Art in a traditional gallery setting to the Native American Kiowa/Choctaw visual artist and filmmaker Steven Paul Judd, this list features more than a wide range of account types.

Jamie Okuma

Jamie Okuma is Luiseno, Shoshone-Bannock, Wailaki, and Okinawan. She is also an enrolled member of the La Jolla band of Indians in Southern California. Specializing in hand-made, one-of-a-kind garments, Okuma has exhibited across the world and the US. Her artwork Horseshoes, a beaded pair of high fashion boots, currently resides in the Met's permanent collection. She also designs and sells ready-to-wear fashion.

Christi Belcourt

A Michif (Métis) visual artist, Christi Belcourt creates with her ancestors and the land in mind. She has received several awards and has many pieces in the permanent collections of world-renowned galleries. A deeply reflective creative, many of Belcourt’s projects—such as collaborations with Colonialism Skateboards and Manitobah Mukluks—blur the bounds of the traditional art world.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Jeffrey Gibson (@jeffrune)

Jeffrey Gibson

Jeffrey Gibson (Choctaw/Cherokee) creates artwork across a range of media that is both deeply historical and contemporary. The artist tends to explore the concepts of personal adornment and identity, often by fusing queer and popular culture with references to Native American history and current events.

Nicholas Galanin

Deeply thoughtful and reflective, Nicholas Galanin (Tlingit/Unangax̂) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Sitka, Alaska. Galanin was a smash hit at Desert X 2021, where his installation piece Never Forget became the most visited artwork of the show. 

Colonialism Skateboards

Founded by Micheal Langan—an Indigenous artist from Cote First Nation, Treaty 4 Territory—founded Colonialism Skateboards to highlight and have consumers engage with Indigenous culture and the colonialism of Canada. Langan’s work is clearly about more than skateboarding as he inspires young people in particular to, “learn about the history and enduring legacy of colonization, and to think about ways to address these ongoing challenges locally and globally.”

Steven Paul Judd

The award-winning Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa/Choctaw)—a filmmaker and contemporary artist—has found success in both the fine art world and the world of popular entertainment. Judd keeps busy with a range of projects including a graphic novel called The Rez Detectives and illustrative collaborations with the Indigenous-owned makeup company Prados Beauty.

Kate Owen Gallery

The afore-mentioned Australia-based Kate Owen Gallery exclusively showcases Aboriginal Art in a traditional gallery setting. Their unique Collectors Gallery specializes in “museum-quality works from Australia's leading Indigenous artists, many of whom spearheaded the Aboriginal art movement.” This includes artists like Babra Weir.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Maika'i Tubbs (@maikaitubbs)

Maika’i Tubbs

A queer and Indigenous sculptor and installation artist, Maika’i Tubbs primarily posts simple illustrations in his Instagram feed but is regularly tagged in photos of his exhibited works. Working with found detritus, Tubbs often aims to create shapes that mimic nature.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Crows Shadow (@crows_shadow)

Crow's Shadow Institute of the Arts

Based in Oregon, the Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts (CSIA) established itself with a central mission in mind, “to provide a creative conduit for educational, social and economic opportunities for Native Americans through artistic development.” Through an artist-in-residence program, CSIA conducts collaborative projects resulting in limited edition prints around three to six times a year. In many ways, this is the highlight of the CSIA Instagram and a follow will guarantee your exposure to more incredible art and artists.