Brave Heart Fellowship
Champions for Change
CA Native Youth Collective
Remembering Our Sisters
Building Communities of Hope
Creative Native
Democracy is Indigenous
The Creative Native Call for Art by the Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) celebrates a cornerstone of Indigenous culture by providing space and support for Indigenous artists, ages 5-24, to showcase their talents.
In 2024, CNAY asked Native youth to submit art inspired by the following prompt: Who or what is the Moon? What does the Moon mean to you? Do you or your community have a special relationship with or stories that can be shared about the Moon? All interpretations were welcomed!
All artists are featured in the Creative Native Gallery and have the opportunity to receive national recognition. One winner is chosen from each age group to receive a categorical award of $300. One artist (15-24) is also recognized as the grand prize winner, and receives $1,000.
5-9 Years Old: Margaret C, Age 7, Navajo
About the Artist: Margaret is a vibrant and talented 7-year-old who has a love for her heritage and an insatiable curiosity for the world around her. Margaret is on a mission to share her Navajo culture through art. She expresses herself in powwow dancing, painting, drawing and crafting. With dreams and aspirations as colorful as her regalia and artwork, Margaret is a shining example of youthful exuberance and cultural pride.
About the Art: This is a true story of me. I have a dream to work for NASA. I love STEM. I have been inspired to learn about outer space. I read a lot of books about the solar system, constellations, the moon and influential people in STEM careers. I want more girls and Native Americans to have big dreams and shoot for the moon!
10-14 Years Old: Noelle C-Z, Age 14, Gun Lake Potawatomi
About the Artist: I am a young artist who wants to inspire many generations to aspire to become an artist. I never could afford good quality supplies but did the best I could with what little I had. I still try my hardest to become the best I can at my craft. I want to become a digital artist and animator, but I can’t afford the expensive equipment and recently broke my phone. Thank you for reading my story.
About the Art: The moon to me has always been a portal to childhood memories. I wanted to show you how I see the moon and the memories that come with it, surrounded by cotton candy clouds and hundreds of glowing fireflies. The moon to me takes me to happy nights filled with laughter, family and friends. I wanted to remind everyone and myself of the memorizing world right out of our windowsill, especially in the eyes of a child.
15-19 Years Old: Nasbah Carl, Age 18, Navajo
About the Artist: My artist name is Nasbah and I try to tell a story through my artwork. I mainly work with colored pencil but I also enjoy doing digital works. I have aspirations of building a studio back home on the rez with any money I earn from my artwork.
About the Art: The moon changes constantly just like how we as people do whether that be our personifies, relationships or something as simple as aging. I see it as a privilege to be able to change and continue on through the cycle of life. Being able to see how time changes you through different phases is something I find very beautiful and I hope I conveyed that feeling through my art.
20-24 Years Old: Saira Coye-Huhn, Age 23, Yucatec Maya
About the Artist: Saira Coye-Huhn is an artist, Indigenous rights advocate, proud Belizean American and recent NYU grad. Saira creates her art and poetry for herself and her ancestors as a therapeutic way to connect with them and her culture and as a form of resistance. They recently published their first poem, “Grandmother,” in the book Harmonizing Latina Visions and Voices.
About the Art: The Moon means everything to me. Ix Chel is the Maya Moon goddess who is very dear to me. I don’t see her as a “goddess” like people see Greek gods. She is a natural force/energy connecting me to my Indigenous roots in Belize. I look to Ix Chel (Lady Rainbow) for guidance, hope, and light. She reminds me of who I am, my ancestors, and my life’s beauty. The drawing is my girlfriend, with the Moon’s rainbow crown lighting up her hair, done in colored pencils, tea, silver leaf and fire, inspired by the codices lost to the Inquisition.
Grand Prize Winner: Aiyana Beaulieu, Age 18, Red Lake Band of Chippewa
About the Artist: As an Anishinaabe interdisciplinary artist, as well as self proclaimed dreamer and storyteller, I weave deep meanings in my comics and paintings. Often reflecting Indigenous identities and cultures, I seek to authentically represent Native people in spaces where we’ve been historically misrepresented. I see storytelling as a way to heal and come together. I hope to empower and inspire others, especially youth, through my work. And lastly, I hope to make sense of seeming chaos by creating peace where I can and causing just enough disturbance where needed.
About the Art: “The Trees Reaching up Towards Grandmother Moon,” Gouache. I often find myself gazing at the moon in the different seasons. The inspiration came from an evening where I found myself observing the sky and noticed the silhouette of a tree where it looked like the branches were arms reaching up. I thought about depicting the moon’s relationship with the stars, the sun, or the water, but this moment inspired me to explore the relationship between the moon and the trees. I’ve illustrated this enchanting moment when the moon’s light stretches down and hits the tips of the leaves just so.
