Skye Tafoya

Rhiannon ‘Skye’ Tafoya (Eastern Band Cherokee and Santa Clara Pueblo) from Cherokee, North Carolina employs letterpress printmaking, screen-printing, digital design, and basketry techniques in creating her books, prints, and paper weavings. Both of her Tribal heritages, cultures, and lineages are manifested in her two- and three-dimensional artworks that range in size from a few inches to a few feet. She is inspired by her family history of basketry and observing her father and maternal grandmother weave baskets from red willow, honeysuckle vine, and white oak. While her inspiration comes, in part, from Tribal traditions, her artworks are decidedly contemporary, featuring sharp lines and bold colors. Skye creates with the intention to combat erasure by sharing personal and familial stories, her own cultural learnings along with sporadic and intentional usage of the Cherokee language.