50 States of Wonder featuring Ka'ila

Ka'ila in her studio at current IAIA Artist-In-Residence in Santa Fe, NM. Click the photo to link to the article.

"Native American Artist Ka'ila Farrell-Smith Bridges Indigenous and Western Cultures"

By Andrew Salomone

Article feature and interview with Ka'ila Farrell-Smith on Creators website at Vice. Click the Photo to link to the article! Photograph by Jason S. Ordaz, Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), 2017.

The Oregon artist celebrates her multicultural Pacific Northwest upbringing through her art.

Family plays a profound role in the work of Oregon artist Ka'ila Farrell-Smith. As the daughter of Al Smith, a member of the Klamath Native American Nation, and Jane Farrell, who is of European descent, Farrell-Smith's work reflects her cultural heritage as well as the impact that her parents have had on her as individuals. "I grew up in a family that encourages the creative process as a life practice. My mother and father both studied art and deeply valued free, open-ended creative expression, through access to mixed-media," Farrell-Smith tells Creators.

Raised in Oregon, Farrell-Smith was exposed to both Indigenous and Western influences throughout her childhood. As a result, her work often combines techniques and imagery from both cultural backgrounds. "Art has always been made from people from different times, cultures, and places spanning human history. To fully grasp the images I make and exhibit, the viewer also needs to do the work of standing on the bridge between Western and Indigenous cultures," the artist says.

To read more, go to this link to the Feature: https://creators.vice.com/en_us/article/native-american-artist-kaila-farrell-smith-bridges-indigenous-and-western-cultures-or-50statesofart?utm_source=tcpfbus