On Being Indigenous

Project Antelope Presents Keri Mitchell

Keri Mitchell started selling her beadwork in 2019 after a lifetime of hobby crafting. She is inspired by nature and often uses leaves in her designs, as well as imagery that aligns with the more whimsical aspects of her personality. Among her signature pieces are bats and crescent moons, all made from the highest quality materials. She works primarily with size-15 seed beads, as well as larger stones, shells, and crystals that she anchors with a peyote stitch. Keri collaborates with artists who carve the wampum, stone, and glass featured in her jewelry.
Keri lives on the Mohawk reserve of Akwesasne, bordering Ontario, Quebec, and New York State. She grew up surrounded by art and artists. A single mother of three currently staying at home with her youngest child, Keri is trying to make a living as a full-time artist. She values the many Indigenous artists she’s met through social media as well as the vibrant creative community of Akwesasne.

Project Antelope Presents Roberta Begaye

Roberta Begaye

 

Roberta is a self-taught artist who hails from the Navajo Nation, born in Fort Defiance, Arizona, and raised in Kayenta, Arizona; with a 26-year career in Fire/EMS. She is a descendant of medicine people and traditional rug weavers, both maternal and paternal grand and great-grandparents. Inspired by her grandmother's Wide Ruins textile patterns, she also creates imagery with that classic geometry to honor her. Woven together, her Diné traditional and cultural upbringing is brought to life with her brushes. Roberta's grandmother continues to weave, as she continues to paint. She has also created an organization, Compassion Uprising, that embodies the spirit of her grandmother’s teachings and love. 

Project Antelope Presents Glenn Hill Jr.

Glenn Hill Jr. (Akwesasne Mohawk) builds custom hollow body guitars by hand, tailored for modern performers and inspired by vintage construction honed by luthiers over centuries. Glenn considers building guitars an intimate experience in which the wood reveals its sonic possibilities as he goes through the process of carving and sanding. His guitars are included in the permanent collections of the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum and the Adirondack Experience.

Project Antelope Presents Priscilla Bell Lamberty

As an artist, Priscilla Bell Lamberty looks towards her family, surroundings, and cultural heritages for guidance and inspiration. She continues to explore the issues that mean the most to her, including Parenthood, Environmental Justice, the centering and uplifting of Black and Brown voices, and Indigenous/Native/Indigenous Caribbean visibility.