my hands remind me of yours 

This talk will explore Skye Tafoya’s relationship to basket-weaving and motherhood, and how it informs the way they approach their art research and practice. 

Rhiannon ‘Skye’ Tafoya (Eastern Band Cherokee and Santa Clara Pueblo) employs printmaking, digital design, and basketry techniques in creating her artist’s 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 Cherokee 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, and her cultural learnings along with her usage of the Cherokee language. She has held many artist-in-residency positions and will complete four others in the Fall of 2023 at Halden Bookworks (Tistedal, Norway), University of Iowa Center for the Book (Iowa City, Iowa), Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts (Pendleton, Oregon) and Township10 (Marshall, North Carolina). Her work is housed in many special collections, including the U.S. Library of Congress, the Met library, the Museum of the Cherokee Indians, and Self-Help Graphics.  

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Kathleen Tandy in advance at 319-335-0447 or center-for-the-book@uiowa.edu