Today we’d like to introduce you to Keri Ataumbi.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Raised on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, Keri Ataumbi was exposed to both traditional Native American aesthetics and contemporary art theory and practice from an early age. Ataumbi attended Rhode Island School of Design before moving to Santa Fe in 1990. After moving to Santa Fe, she worked as a landscape designer while attending the Institute of American Indian Arts and eventually received a BFA in painting with a minor in art history from the College of Santa Fe. She currently lives and works in the Cerrillos Hills outside Santa Fe.
Please tell us about your art.
My jewelry falls into the category of wearable art as it has a conceptual narrative exploration at its core. I am Native American. I use traditional Kiowa imagery and materials in contemporary form. Informed by materials and the value systems different cultures put on those materials as well as my personal aesthetic, my goal is to create work that strives to embrace contemporary jewelry making strategies by applying artistic methodologies that are different from traditional design processes. Different in that their dynamic comes from a content-based inquiry rather than tried and true design, marketability or a traditional form.
Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
No…the position of the artist in society has always been to bring awareness to areas that we as humans beings need to pay attention to in order to evolve, and I believe this is cross-cultural.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can see my work at my website: www.ataumbi.com as well as on Instagram (ataumbimetals). My work is also showcased in gallery exhibitions and permanent collections of various museums in the U.S. and abroad, most notably at The National Museum of Scotland, The Museum of Art and Design in New York, the Minneapolis Museum of Art, and Shiprock Santa Fe, among others. I also show annually at the Heard Market in Phoenix and SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market.
Contact Info:
- Address: Keri Ataumbi
Ataumbi Metals
25 Laughing Raven Rd
Santa Fe, NM 87508 - Website: www.ataumbi.com
- Email: keri@ataumbi.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ataumbimetals/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AtaumbiMetals/
Image Credit:
Raechel Running
Underexposed Studios
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