A Conversation with Jordan Craig
This Northern Cheyenne artist draws inspiration from traditional Native beadwork
Jordan Craig is a Northern Cheyenne artist born and raised in California’s East Bay. She recently moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, after completing a year-long fellowship at the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Foundation.
Right before she finished the program, I caught up with Jordan about a project she did with the outdoor brand, Rumpl. I also featured her in this SNEWS story about Indigenous designers working in the outdoor industry. Read on to learn more about how she finances her studio time, her studies of Cheyenne beadwork and designs, and the difference between appropriation and appreciation of Native artwork.
What’s your craft?
I am a painter and a printmaker. I studied studio art and psychology in college. Since then, I’ve been pursuing the arts. My paintings nowadays are very … well, they’re kind of complicated to describe. They’re abstract and pattern-based. They’re very meticulous, whether that’s because I’m stamping thousands of dots across an entire surface or making extremely clean edges. Recently, I started studying Cheyenne beadwork for inspiration to create my own abstract patterns and shapes.
What do your studies entail?
I’m typically looking at different collections to create my own work. Currently the Plains Indian Museum in Cody, Wyoming, is one of my favorite resources. The Denver Art Museum and the Smithsonian are also my favorites because they have really incredible online resources. I can look up collections and get as much information as possible on the object itself. They include pretty good photographs, too. I look at the designs on moccasins, baby carriers, knife pouches, leggings, or other objects.
How did you get started down this path?
I was super, super shy growing up and I didn’t talk unless it was to my own family. But I’ve always been creative. My sisters and I were always drawing and painting, making dollhouses and extravagant forts, and utilizing our creativity to explore the world. My parents also provided me with additional art classes outside my schooling. When it came to college, I went into Dartmouth College undeclared. I had no idea what I wanted to do. I luckily got switched into an art class the morning of my first day of school. I took a collage course and my professor made me think about art completely differently. I immediately loved my art classes. I took one maybe every term but one. Then, I was one of five hired as an art intern for one year after college. That really helped me because I had a studio practice, I was in an academic setting, and I was not having to study. I could just make work.
It hasn’t been an intentional decision like, “I’m going to be an artist.” I’ve found opportunities like fellowships that have allowed me to continue pursuing art. I don’t have any family members who are artists or at least any that we know of directly. It’s been a lot of self-learning, paving my own path, and relying on my peers and my mentors.
(Jordan created two designs with Rumpl. Pictured here is her Woven Daydream design.)
You recently partnered with Rumpl, an outdoor brand that makes blankets. Tell me about that project.
Right now, I’m predominantly a painter and I’m making everything on canvas. But before I do any painting, I design everything digitally. I can predict what the painting and print will look like down to every detail and color. When it came to working with Rumpl, it was really natural because I have those digital design skills and I could predict what the blanket could look like because there wasn’t too much lost in translation. Instead of making it into a painting, it was made into a blanket. I had a really amazing experience collaborating with Rumpl. Even before contacting me, they made a huge effort to educate themselves on what it would be like to work directly with Indigenous artists. The outdoor industry has a messy history in appropriation because the tribal design is so trendy and popular.
Do you think that brands and consumers are becoming more mindful of the origins of their fashion, art, etc.? And in what ways can they better support Native creators?
I think it’s a difficult question because my group of friends and peers—Native and non-Native—are very aware and they want to support Native artists directly. I would say that maybe in the greater population, it’s still not talked about and not educated on. Through our school system, our Native American history is not told factually. Some people don’t even think that real Native Americans exist anymore or they don’t even know what a contemporary Native person looks like. Social media has helped educate people. I have a lot of peers I follow on social media who are showing what Native design looks like in the modern day. I think there are movements to improve, but we still have a long way to go in the outdoor and fashion industries.
I do know that more people are being hired in these spaces. A full-time Native curator was just hired at the Met. There’s now a Native writer for Vogue Magazine who is highlighting Indigenous fashion and the arts. So there are people in these places who are amplifying voices in the Native community and arts. I think we need more of that. Rumpl was able to share two Native stories, but I’m hoping this project grows even more and they can share more artists so people can enjoy the products and the designs.
See more of Jordan’s work on her website. Interested in a piece or a handmade print? Ask her for a price list.
Can you talk a little bit more about cultural appreciation vs. appropriation?
I had a friend who said she felt weird wearing Native jewelry because she’s not Native. I hope to explain to not only her, but to other people, that supporting artists directly—whether or not your are Native American or Indigenous—is really important. If you know a person’s origins and story and you support their work, that means a lot. You are not appropriating and you are not stealing and you are not doing anything bad. You’re actually doing a lot of good. This friend was concerned that people would look at her and see her jewelry and think that she is wearing something she shouldn’t. Often, you’ll get compliments and you can tell them the artist’s name and share their tribe. Everyone should not feel discouraged from buying Native because it is a really beautiful thing, and by doing so you’re supporting so many people and their dreams.
Why did you choose residencies over jumping into an art career on your own? How does that impact your workflow?
I chose the residency route to begin my career because it provided me space and time to make art. I couldn’t have done that if I dove straight into a 9-to-5 job. You can find paid programs, you can find places with homes and stipends and honorariums that supplement your income. Therefore, I haven’t had to rely on selling my own art to put food on the table. I’ve gotten funding to travel. I’ve gotten fellowships that put me up in an apartment in Venice and Amsterdam and all sorts of places. I’ve been thrifty and it's allowed me to make art in really cool places. I’ve been very rigorous in applying to programs. That’s my biggest advice. In one year, I think I applied to 15. I was able to create a schedule with the opportunities that said yes. A lot of my other artist friends are bartenders and have other jobs, but because I’ve had fellowships the last four years, I could just focus on myself and making art.
The amount of pieces I make is totally dependent on the program and the kind of work. For instance, I spent a month and a half creating one really big artist book with 60-plus full-size prints, hand bound by me. That was a really big project. In a five-week period last April at my other fellowship, I made 11 or 12 paintings. Some of them were very substantial and large. It depends on where I am and if I’m inspired. I’ll have a month and not make anything. The turnout of my work is never based on money. I’m very lucky to base how much I make on how inspired I am and what I want to make. In this year-long fellowship, I wanted to paint bigger, I wanted to paint less, I wanted each painting to be meticulous and special and specific. I have 11 paintings in my show and five or six others went to Europe already. I also sell my paintings, and I work with a gallery in London called October Gallery. I should have a solo show there next year as long as I can get into the country and make some work over there.
You’re also in the fashion industry. What are you currently working on?
My sister, Madison, and I are launching a Kickstarter this year to create our lingerie line called Shy Native. It’s looking like she will be able to move in with me in Santa Fe. We’ve been working on it since 2017, but this will be the first time we’re really actually together for an extended period of time so we can focus and make that her full-time job. So it’s really exciting. I’m able to also put my designs onto the lingerie.
(Jordan’s acrylic paints on display. She says,“Everyone should not feel discouraged from buying Native because it is a really beautiful thing.”
What gets you in the mood to create? Do you have a certain routine or ritual?
I don’t really have a routine and I really want one. I think that would help me. Sometimes I make work until 4 in the morning. Other times I get up early and start. Sometimes I just go thrifting. I think the first time I’ve had a routine is since getting my dog, Daisy, because she has a very strict food schedule and she has to go out. That’s the only thing that keeps me on some sort of schedule. Most of the time, I don’t know the day of the week or the time of day and I’m just in my own little bubble.
I do have a lot of energy that I need to burn otherwise I don’t sleep. That’s why my work is pretty intense and rigorous because I can focus for hours on end. Sometimes a painting will take me 18 hours of pure work. I’ll take breaks of course. I do have a lot of patience for my work, but maybe not in life in general. I try to have a lot of moments of silence. I don’t listen to music too much. But I do have my favorite true crime podcasts that I listen to regularly.
What do you want people to think or feel when they see your work?
Everybody sees it a little bit differently. One person recently said my work is cold. The other person said they felt stable. Another person said it put them at ease. Someone else said it made them feel anxious. I just try to put whatever design I want onto canvas and each of them tells my own story. But once it’s out of my hands and it’s on the wall, that’s totally up to the viewer. I do want people to find the work interesting and beautiful, and I want them to think more critically about what they’re looking at.
*Please note: Next week, I’m skipping a send for Election Day. Remember to vote!*
Before you go…
Print yourself a new bookmark—for free! (The House That Lars Built)
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