Waahinhewin Williams

Waahinhewin Williams is an Indigenous, two-spirit, queer artist based in the Pacific Northwest. She works in 2D mediums, including drawing, painting, digital art and beadwork. Themes include vulnerability, community, mutual aid, everyday life, relatability, fantasy and reconnecting with her Indigenous identity. Waahinhewin aims to be a positive representation for other urban, mixed, queer, Indigenous people out there in the world. Waahinhewin earned her Associate’s in Art at North Idaho College in 2022. She is in school for her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Studio Arts and is expected to graduate in June of 2026.

This piece, Bead Soup Wings, represents my ma and me. After all the struggles we have been through, we have rebuilt our wings. My ma did the left wing, and I did the right wing. My ma is sacred to me. She taught me how to bead in 2023, after she recovered from alcoholism. With all she has given me and taught me about our culture, I am now giving back to her through beading. With the addition of bead soup, all the colors represent imperfections in life, but it can still be beautiful.