Ataumbi Metals

Raised on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, Keri Ataumbi was exposed to both traditional Native American aesthetics and contemporary art theory and practice from an early age. Ataumbi attended Rhode Island School of Design before moving to Santa Fe in 1990. After moving to Santa Fe she worked as a landscape designer while attending the Institute of American Indian Arts. She eventually received a BFA in painting with a minor in art history from the College of Santa Fe. Ataumbi currently lives and works in the Cerrillos Hills outside Santa Fe.I am interested in making work that acts to change the current platform of contemporary Native adornment defined by objects that conform to material choices and/or an aesthetic that is considered “traditional.” I am interested in making wearable pieces that transmute the philosophical and ceremonial continuums that are the backbone of our identities as Native Americans. I am also interested in the value systems that different cultures put upon materials and objects.