Marisol Tlelo

I am a 19 year old self-taught Native American artist. I have participated in a small number of events and competitions where my art was displayed. I use art to show my pride of being Native and to show we are still here. I am able to bring forth and express the traumas or communities from the past/present. Art is my voice; it is also the voice of many before me.

This piece represents the Pinoleville Pomo dancing grounds within a basket. It symbolized the place where they hold ceremonies and is one of the most sacred places to them. It represents the home grounds to the tribe and the dancers in the painting. Although I am a northern Native, I grew up surrounded by the Pomo Tribes and was taken in as one of their own. They provided me with many opportunities, and I consider them family. This is a piece that shows dancing, woman, men, and basket making coming together where it was once banned.