Prayer in Motion: Indigenous Visual Artists and Spiritual Resistance as Belonging
Publication information:
Abstract
Indigenous Visual Artists and Spiritual Resistance as Belonging consists of three Indigenous artists. Izzy Mondragon (Chickasaw Nation, Purépecha, and Xicanx), Camryn Growing Thunder (Fort Peck Assiniboine Sioux) and Sol Martinez (Southern Paiute, Chicana) will cultivate spirituality through visual art. Amidst the current political climate we present our experience of spiritual resistance through artwork, addressing the ongoing erasure of Indigenous history in North America. Informed by the historical foundations of our lineages, we create to find belonging, uplift our community and amplify our voices.
Presenter Biographies
Sol Martinez is an artist and violist from Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a member of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe (Nuwu). She has a BM in Viola Performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is currently at the Institute of American Indian Arts for Studio Arts.
Izzy Mondragón (b. 2002) is a mixed-media painter and printmaker from Ventura, CA, currently studying to complete their Studio Arts BFA in 2027 at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). Their body of work explores their process of healing historical trauma through reflection as a Chickasaw, Purépecha, Xicanx artist.
Camryn Ahhaitty Growing Thunder (Fort Peck Assiniboine Sioux) is an award-winning queer artist from the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana. Growing Thunder’s work combines traditional and contemporary practices, creating unique fashion accessories and multi-media paintings. In 2025, she received her BFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts.