Chelsea Bighorn<\/strong> was born and raised in Tempe, Arizona, her tribal affiliations are the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux tribes from Montana and the Shoshone-Paiute from Northern Nevada. Bighorn’s hand cut paper artwork is the result of her combining traditional Native American design elements with elements from her Irish American heritage. Using this process, she tells her personal history through her designs. Bighorn has shown her work at the Museum of Contemporary Native Art, SITE Santa Fe, and The Balzar Gallery. She graduated with honors from The Institute of American Indian Arts in 2021 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts. Bighorn currently resides in Chicago, Illinois where she is attending the School of The Art Institute of Chicago to get her Master of Fine Arts in Fiber and Material Studies. https:\/\/chelseabighorn.com\/home.html<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Artist Statement<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I explore art and design in a way that merges natural and geometric elements through a variety of mediums, including fiber arts and cut paper works. The subject matter varies from abstract to realistically illustrative depending on the concept and series. My most recent series of works are hand-cut paper patterns that resemble screens or stained-glass windows, which were the original inspiration. In addition to the inspiration drawn from my Catholic roots, I incorporate traditional beading and weaving patterns from my Native American heritage into my design work. I bring together disparate elements into a design that demonstrates balance and harmony.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n