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Nayana LaFond is predominantly a painter and artivist who's current work "Portraits in RED, MMIWG Painting Project" is gaining attention.
Nayana serves on the board of Artist Organized Art, the Western Mass Council to re-imagine public indigenous art in Massachusetts. She is a founding member of Liberal Arts Pop Up Gallery, which began during the pandemic to provide a place for artists to exhibit their work.
Nayana does speaking engagements about Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and her project related to it in order to raise awareness about MMIWG/P. Her work can be seen in exhibitions worldwide.
Nayana serves on the board of Artist Organized Art, the Western Mass Council to re-imagine public indigenous art in Massachusetts. She is a founding member of Liberal Arts Pop Up Gallery, which began during the pandemic to provide a place for artists to exhibit their work.
Nayana does speaking engagements about Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and her project related to it in order to raise awareness about MMIWG/P. Her work can be seen in exhibitions worldwide.
Published on April 13th, 2022. Artist responses collected in months previous.
What are you currently excited about in your art practice?
The amount of healing I have experienced through my current work has given me a deeper sense of purpose that makes me excited to keep going. I have been painting victims and survivors of MMIWG/P and been working with their families to honor their memory. The often emotional interactions and gratitude I have been receiving for the work has kept me going and made me eager to produce work each day. People have been telling me that the work I have been doing is helping them heal, that their loved one's voice is being heard and that is keeping me going. This project is different then my other projects in that while it began like the others...about me processing deep personal feelings and emotions about a traumatic experience..it has become about the families and people I am painting and raising their voices up with mine. This project has given me a deeper sense of purpose in my work and over all art practice.
What were some of the challenges you faced last year as an artist? Was your work/ art practice affected by the pandemic this year, if so how?
In the last year I have had several intense and personal issues arise in my personal life which have required a lot of attention. My work has been a welcome respite from the worries, concerns and stressors. The pandemic has affected my work in that it has limited my travel abilities, but it has also opened doors online. The online community has become integral to my current project. In many ways, I think the pandemic has positively affected my work as an artist due to the nature of my current work. It began in an online community called "Social Distance Powwow" which was created because of the pandemic. My current project would not exist if it weren't for the pandemic and online community which inspired it and has fueled it. Most of the participants in my current project came through the social group online.
What does a typical day in the studio (or wherever you're making work) look like for you these days? What time of day are you at your studio, what are your studio must haves (ex: music, coffee, tools, etc), and what does your creative space look like?
I work from home mostly. So a day in the studio for me comprises me being a learning coach for my daughter, making sure her needs are met, and somewhere in there finding time to paint, respond to emails and send out prints.
Must haves are tea, a comfortable chair, music and a steady supply of fresh tiny tipped brushes.
I have an H frame easel in my living room and a drafting table in what used to be a dining room, but is now an art and music room with a fold out table when we want to have a dining room again. Usually, I will have music playing and often will livestream my painting process to the Social Distance Powwow page. I tend to paint anywhere from 1 to 10 hours in a day, depending on what is going on that day. Often I don't start working until my daughter is in bed for the night and stay up half the night working.
What resources for artists have you found helpful that may be helpful for other artists?
Online communities have proven to be much more helpful than I would have expected. Inspiration, support and sharing work and getting honest feedback has been helpful during the pandemic.
The Cafe open call website has been helpful to find shows to submit to, also Giclee Today is an excellent resource for affordable quality Giclee prints and they don't have a large minimum order.
I definitely recommend exploring online resource options and expanding into the digital exhibition space.
What in your art career are you looking forward to in the upcoming year? Do you have any specific goals or projects in mind?
Continuing my current project and seeing where it takes me. I have a limited-edition skateboard design coming out in the Spring of 2022, 3 touring shows which begin in 2022, 4 solo shows scheduled for 2022 and I'm planning a large-scale event to raise awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous People for May 2022. The last year has brought so much unexpected abundance and positive people and change that I am simply looking forward to what the next year could possibly bring. I'm excited at the possibilities and looking forward to seeing what happens next. I'm also to grateful to be able to raise awareness about this series issue with my work. Artivism has found me and I'm grateful for it and hope I can continue to work in this way.
What are you currently excited about in your art practice?
The amount of healing I have experienced through my current work has given me a deeper sense of purpose that makes me excited to keep going. I have been painting victims and survivors of MMIWG/P and been working with their families to honor their memory. The often emotional interactions and gratitude I have been receiving for the work has kept me going and made me eager to produce work each day. People have been telling me that the work I have been doing is helping them heal, that their loved one's voice is being heard and that is keeping me going. This project is different then my other projects in that while it began like the others...about me processing deep personal feelings and emotions about a traumatic experience..it has become about the families and people I am painting and raising their voices up with mine. This project has given me a deeper sense of purpose in my work and over all art practice.
What were some of the challenges you faced last year as an artist? Was your work/ art practice affected by the pandemic this year, if so how?
In the last year I have had several intense and personal issues arise in my personal life which have required a lot of attention. My work has been a welcome respite from the worries, concerns and stressors. The pandemic has affected my work in that it has limited my travel abilities, but it has also opened doors online. The online community has become integral to my current project. In many ways, I think the pandemic has positively affected my work as an artist due to the nature of my current work. It began in an online community called "Social Distance Powwow" which was created because of the pandemic. My current project would not exist if it weren't for the pandemic and online community which inspired it and has fueled it. Most of the participants in my current project came through the social group online.
What does a typical day in the studio (or wherever you're making work) look like for you these days? What time of day are you at your studio, what are your studio must haves (ex: music, coffee, tools, etc), and what does your creative space look like?
I work from home mostly. So a day in the studio for me comprises me being a learning coach for my daughter, making sure her needs are met, and somewhere in there finding time to paint, respond to emails and send out prints.
Must haves are tea, a comfortable chair, music and a steady supply of fresh tiny tipped brushes.
I have an H frame easel in my living room and a drafting table in what used to be a dining room, but is now an art and music room with a fold out table when we want to have a dining room again. Usually, I will have music playing and often will livestream my painting process to the Social Distance Powwow page. I tend to paint anywhere from 1 to 10 hours in a day, depending on what is going on that day. Often I don't start working until my daughter is in bed for the night and stay up half the night working.
What resources for artists have you found helpful that may be helpful for other artists?
Online communities have proven to be much more helpful than I would have expected. Inspiration, support and sharing work and getting honest feedback has been helpful during the pandemic.
The Cafe open call website has been helpful to find shows to submit to, also Giclee Today is an excellent resource for affordable quality Giclee prints and they don't have a large minimum order.
I definitely recommend exploring online resource options and expanding into the digital exhibition space.
What in your art career are you looking forward to in the upcoming year? Do you have any specific goals or projects in mind?
Continuing my current project and seeing where it takes me. I have a limited-edition skateboard design coming out in the Spring of 2022, 3 touring shows which begin in 2022, 4 solo shows scheduled for 2022 and I'm planning a large-scale event to raise awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous People for May 2022. The last year has brought so much unexpected abundance and positive people and change that I am simply looking forward to what the next year could possibly bring. I'm excited at the possibilities and looking forward to seeing what happens next. I'm also to grateful to be able to raise awareness about this series issue with my work. Artivism has found me and I'm grateful for it and hope I can continue to work in this way.
Find Nayana LaFond on Instagram
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