Chelsea Bighorn (b.1989) was born and raised in Tempe, Arizona, and is Lakota, Dakota and Shoshone – Paiute. She is a textile artist that works in finding the beauty in her rich mixed Native American and Irish American heritage. Finding great inspiration in the history of traditional dance, Bighorn works to celebrate her memories of attending Powwows with her grandmother through her large-scale textile pieces.
Bighorn has a BFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Fiber Material Studies. Her work has been shown at the Museum of Contemporary Native Art, SITE Santa Fe, EXPO Chicago and Center for Native Futures.
Image: Chelsea Bighorn, Vertebrae, 2024, Canvas, MX dye, artificial sinew, glass beads, 64" x 68"
Headshot: Lillian Heredia
CAC Residency
![](https://chicagoartistscoalition.org//images/_contentImageMedium/bighorn_image-4-Chelsea-Bighorn.jpg)