Evelyn Mikayla Martin (Itsooaakii)

Evelyn Mikayla Martin (Itsooaakii) [Blackfeet Tribe of Montana] graduated with honors with her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington (Seattle, WA) in American Indian Studies with a minor in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies. Mikayla was named to the University of Washington Dean’s List, a member of the National Collegiate Scholars Honor Society and a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Mikayla is an art educator who works with Indigenous women, girls, and youth in her workshops that encourage participants to center their cultural identities and healing through visual arts. She creates acclaimed vibrant self-portraits, billboards, and projects of reclamation.

In 2022 Mikayla partnered with Nordstrom Canada and was the first Indigenous Visual Artist to sell her artwork in-store and collaborate with the Nordstrom Company.

Mikayla was commissioned by The Bows artist-run centre and had her work displayed on a billboard in Calgary, Alberta. This work encouraged the greater community to locate themselves and acknowledge that they are on Blackfoot traditional territory.

Mikayla has had her paintings installed in three different exhibitions put on by Arts Commons Window Galleries: Portraits of a Piikani Woman, Loft 112, and C Space Studio C all located in Calgary, Alberta.

Mikayla was selected to be one of the keynote speakers of the Women’s March Seattle (January 2019). During the march, Mikayla spoke about immediately initiating an action plan for all people to join forces to end the global crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Mikayla has worked as an Art Teacher where she has developed culturally-relevant arts education curricula and teaches kindergarten through 4th grade Native American students. In 2015, Mikayla was selected by the National Art Education Association as the National Artist of the Year: Rising Stars Program.