Dakota MacePhotographer for the Center for Design and Material Culture and Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection

I am an interdisciplinary artist who focuses on translating the language of Diné history and beliefs. I received my MA and MFA degrees in photography and textile design at UW–Madison and my BFA in photography from the Institute of American Indian Arts. As a Diné (Navajo) artist, my work draws from the history of my Diné heritage, exploring the themes of family lineage, community, and identity. In addition, my work pushes the viewer’s understanding of Diné culture through alternative photography techniques, weaving, beadwork, and papermaking.

I have also worked with numerous institutions and programs to develop dialogue on the issues of cultural appropriation and the importance of Indigenous design work. I am currently an MFA student in studio arts faculty at the Institute of American Indian Arts, visiting grad advisor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the photographer for the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection and the Center for Design and Material Culture.

My work as an artist and scholar has been exhibited nationally and internationally at various conferences, collectives, museums, and galleries. I am represented by Bruce Silverstein Gallery in New York City.