Artwork
Christiana Becker, MFA
Artic Char are a native Maine fish. Christiana's hand-painted woodblock carving was crafted just for Little Fish.
Maine based intermedial artist, Christiana Becker, is a first generation descendant of the Penobscot tribe. The research that shapes the creation of her art practice explores the history, culture, language and folklore of North American Indigenous identity, and then translates that discovery into art. Some places Becker's work has been exhibited at are Lord Hall Gallery, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Phoenix Art Museum, and Harlow Gallery. During the year of Becker's undergraduate Studio Capstone show, Ghosts of Carnegie Hall, she was interviewed by multiple people about the cultural meanings and ideas that go into her artwork. These interviews were published by Bangor Daily News, written by Julia Bayly, the Maine Journal and Dawnland Voices Issue 3, written by Virginia McLaurin.
Christiana just completed her Master's of Fine Arts degree in Intermedia at The University of Maine. Christiana received a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art with a concentration in printmaking from The University of Maine as well as a Bachelors of Arts degree in Art Education.
What Christiana says about her art and her process:
As an intermedial artist, the art I create explores the intersections between growing up with Western European and North American Indigenous culture. It is the exploration of the interconnections of being a woman, artist, educator, and native person that drives the research and creation of my art practice. As an artist that also holds an art education degree, the drive and aim for my artwork is to be a beacon of awareness for others. Until 2018, my artistry mainly utilized drawing, painting, photography, and printmaking processes.
Since 2018, techniques such as quilting, glassblowing, paper-making, embroidery, beading, and bookmaking have been learned and incorporated in my most recent works. Yet still, the focus of my research, that continues to drive my art practice is North American Indigenous folklore, culture, identity and sociopolitical issues. Through creating art related to societal problems I hope to promote awareness where we can learn from our past mistakes and facilitate a dialogue where people can talk about what we can do to improve society for future generations.