Rick Love
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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot
MEDIUM: Diverse Arts
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J.J. Otero
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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Navajo
MEDIUM: Diverse Arts, Jewelry
BIOGRAPHY
JJ worked in IT for 25 years before moving into the art world full-time. Outside of a short stint painting, with some success, in 2010, JJ focused diligently on his musical craft, a true passion. JJ’s life was shaken up, and in 2016, he found himself moving back to the Navajo reservation, searching for a means to make a living. During this time of resetting, chores around the family home required JJ to be resourceful with materials such as wood, metal, and tools. His father, Chester, worked on a rickety table, barely holding up his chainsaws and chain sharpening equipment. JJ set out to find old 2x4’s and some screws and cobbled together a work bench and seat that his dad still uses today. More than a year and various woodworking projects later, his sister Cleo asked if he could make a cradleboard for her coming grandchild. That first cradleboard was the beginning of JJ’s career in the arts. JJ’s philosophy guides all things in his life: This moment is perfect and there’s nothing lacking. With this deep abiding fire, JJ continues to admire the texture and beauty of wood grain and continues to be amazed by the smell of freshly sawn wood. In addition, JJ’s unique stamping and texturing styles make his silverwork stand out, a newer passion in his ever-growing career!
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Lokotah Sanborn
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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Penobscot Descendant
MEDIUM: Diverse Arts
ARTIST STATEMENT
I utilize a variety of mediums in my work to challenge the colonial gaze that denies Wabanaki modernity. Through archival documents, photo, video, and audio I showcase Wabanaki history, contextualize Wabanaki present, and inspire our futurisms. My work exposes the byproducts of capitalist systems through themes of alienation and the surreal, foregrounded by the continued perseverance, hope, and adaptation of the Wabanaki people.
BIOGRAPHY
Lokotah Sanborn is an interdisciplinary artist of Penobscot descent. His art, which spans film, music, graphic design, and photography, celebrates the perseverance and power of the Wabanaki people amid ongoing resistance. Lokotah's art is informed by years of community organizing for Wabanaki land return, cultural continuity, and Tribal sovereignty.
Lokotah works for Sunlight Media Collective, an organization of indigenous and non-indigenous media makers documenting stories at the intersection of Wabanaki rights and environmental justice.
He is a Tribally-certified artisan by the Penobscot Nation under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.
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Dawn Spears
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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Narragansett/Choctaw
MEDIUM: Clothing, Diverse Arts, Painting/Illustration
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work reflects all facets of life. My mother Diosa Summers, Choctaw was an artist and educator who inspired and encouraged creativity in me and my siblings at an early age. I grew up being exposed to many forms of artmaking, assisting her was my introduction to art. It was inevitable that I would end up with similar interests. I am a mother of three, a wife of thirty-six years to Cassius and a grandmother of seven, I find as an artist, that being able to create original art that has elements of my culture and tradition, is my best form of expression, I use symbolism and the rich colors of our natural world as inspiration for my abstract paintings and designs.
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Jannette Vanderhoop
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TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Aquinnah Wampanoag
MEDIUM: Diverse Arts, Jewelry
BIOGRAPHY
Jannette Vanderhoop is from the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe (Gay Head) on Martha’s Vineyard. Her modus operandi is to “educate people to respect nature through art” and so, she produces her work as a form of environmental expression. By utilizing random parts of the natural world, including found and reconstituted materials, there is no lack of inspiration or originality. She has mastered concepts of color, shape and design experimenting with materials and techniques.
Using locally sourced wampum shells from the rugged coastline of Martha’s Vineyard, Jannette’s organic, colorful jewelry is appreciated for both its eccentricity and it’s simplicity. Meant to inspire both the wearer and the viewer and connect them to the essence of the sea. Each colorful piece she makes is a wearable art object that nods to her culture and the history of her tribe while also celebrating her connection to the land.
