Meet Megan Sekulich, a Myaamia student who is currently a Junior at Miami University. Megan is studying Fine Arts with a concentration in print making and also has a minor in Fashion Design. Art has been at the center of our connection to Megan since the first moment that she stepped onto campus–she was recruited into helping with a letterpress print making project before classes even started in her first-year here. Megan has continually connected with the Myaamia Center around how to connect her Myaamia identity to her artwork, and she has even started working at the Myaamia Center as a student worker where she makes imagery for our educational initiatives, such as this blog post where she helped us to visually depict frost.
We asked Megan to share a little bit about herself, her artwork, and how she incorporates her Myaamia identity into her art.
How would you describe yourself as an artist? What is your aesthetic? What are your favorite mediums to work in?
I’m an artist who works in multiple mediums. I like to create things that feel interesting and when looking at it, a viewer can tell that I made it. While this may seem understandably confusing, I’d describe my art as clean, precise, eclectic, and whimsical. I love drawing, classic pen on paper and all that jazz. I also make collages combining my drawings with other found images/objects. My absolute favorite though is printmaking, woodcut relief printing specifically.
Upside Down. 11in x 14in, acrylic on canvas.
I really enjoy making things with intense perspective. This guy was inspired by my friend’s checker print Vans.
Sketchbook pg 36-37. 10in x 14in, ink and mixed media/collage.
These are 2 pages from my collage sketchbook that I’ve been working in since 2015, these are more recent. The feeling I get from this piece is melancholy nostalgia, very dramatic.
How has your view of yourself as an artist changed during your time in the Myaamia Heritage Program?
I feel more comfortable thinking of myself as a Native artist and making art as a Myaamia person. I’m more connected to my identity which allows me to express that in the art I create.
Traveling Pink Chameleon. 9in x 12in, color reduction woodcut print
This was a project in one of my printmaking classes to work on the color reduction technique. I’d like to imagine this little chameleon is on an adventure through the jungle.
How do you incorporate Myaamia imagery into your work?
I use a lot of ribbonwork-inspired shapes and designs. The crisp, geometric shapes fit so well into my personal style that making art from a Myaamia perspective feels like a natural progression. I’ve used these repeating diamonds in paintings, drawings, prints, digital works, and more. Normally I’ll keep the Myaamia imagery in Myaamia-centered art, but as I make more personal work or art for my classes it’s been a goal of mine to sprinkle it in here and there.
ciinkwia neehi lenispinšia. 48in x 18in, woodcut on textile.
The first time I heard a winter story with ciinkwia and lenipinšia I was so intrigued by these beings. I loved how strong yet ambiguously they were described. After seeing other art depicting them and re-reading their stories, this is how I envision them (very yin yang).
What has the experience of working in the Myaamia Center creating imagery for our work been like?
It’s been a learning experience first and foremost. I’ve only recently begun digital art and now that’s the main medium I work in for the Myaamia Center. I’ve been able to improve my design skills as well as my Myaamiataweenki speaking and spelling. It’s also a very comfortable work environment, I really enjoy getting new projects and hearing feedback as I create things. I think it’s the combination of being a professional space as well as a family space that makes it so nice (lol sounds cheesy).
teekwahkahki. digital (Procreate on iPad)
This is one of the first projects I did working at the Myaamia Center. It depicts the changing of the seasons and teekwahkahki (the Killing Frost) with a common milkweed.
What else do you want people to know about you and your artwork?
A lot of my art comes from emotions I’ve had, experiences that have affected me, and different aspects of my identity. That being said, I also make lots of art about things that I like or look cool just because I want to.
tag urself im princess worm. digital (Procreate on iPad)
I really like filling up pages with doodles of random, often mildly off-putting, creatures and objects. Some of my favorite reoccurring characters are swords, reptiles, teeth, and bubbles.
Look at the reflection of the lemon in the teapot. 24in x 36 in, oil paint on canvas.
This was the final project in a painting class, it’s a photorealism piece. I gave this to my mom for Christmas and named it that because its one of the parts I’m most proud of.
Aacimotaatiiyankwi 