Austin Kasto

Austin Kasto is Hunkpapa Lakota and Menominee. She grew up on the east end of the Cheyenne River Reservation on a cattle ranch with her Grandparents. Austin is a mother of four children and a wife of 10 years.

Growing up with her grandparents Austin was very fortunate to learn the traditional Lakota teachings from them. This is where she learned beadwork, her beautiful Lakota language, sewing, parfleche making, regalia making and traditional food preparation.

Boatemaa Adoawaa Han Mee Agyeman-Mensah

Boatemaa Adoawaa Han Mee Agyeman-Mensah is a GhanaianKoreanAmerican poet from Ham Lake, Minnesota. Her writing has appeared in Cellar Door, COUNTERCLOCK Journal, and the Carolina Review. Boatemaa is interested in how the interiority of poetry is fundamentally bound to things beyond the individual, such as community care and political change.

For the past three years, she has taught youth art and poetry classes in Waseca, Minnesota. She has worked with poet, Tyree Daye, to design and teach an undergraduate course at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dedicated to poetry as critical theory.

Additionally, she has held a fellowship at PEN America and the Artists at Risk Connection to defend persecuted artists worldwide. Currently, she serves as co-director of COUNTERCLOCK x PATCHWORK, an interdisciplinary poetry-film collaborative fellowship.

Markie Bear Eagle

Markie Bear Eagle is an Oglala Lakota storyteller from Wounded Knee, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota.

Markie’s love for storytelling began in his childhood with the Lakota stories his father shared. At one point being mute in his early life, Markie began writing and performing his own stories with a simple goal: to feel safe being seen.

Markie was selected for Playwrights Realm’s Inaugural Native American Artist Lab for a staged NYC reading of his play ‘IGMU kiŋ na PAHA kiŋ’. Markie was also a fellow of Native American Media Alliance’s 5th Annual Native American Animation Lab. Markie’s recent medium has been through short film media of his spoken word poems.

From being mute to spoken word poetry, acting, playwriting and a becoming professor at his tribe’s college, Markie is on a path to share his voice in every way possible.

(Follow Markie’s latest media on Instagram & YouTube @markiethemoki)

Bernadine Stevens

Bernadine Stevens is a Mandan, Hidatsa, Dakota and Oglala Lakota ceramist. Stevens is an enrolled member of Three Affiliated Tribes located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation (New Town, ND). Bernadine is a recent alumna of Minot State University, having earned a Bachelors of Art in Art, specializing in ceramics.

Bernadine creates ceramics pieces that incorporate designs from her beadwork, ledger art and culture. While working in clay is her favorite, Stevens loves all forms of art, such as printmaking, painting, Native American Ledger drawing and traditional Native American Beadwork. When Bernadine isn't creating art, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, and traveling.

Reyna Hernandez

Reyna Hernandez is a painter and muralist who feels a deep connection to her homelands and indigenous roots. Reyna grew up in southeast South Dakota and is Ihaŋktoŋwaŋ (Yankton Sioux Tribal Member). Throughout her work, Reyna utilizes mixed media to investigate cultural/identity hybridity in relation to her indigenous bloodlines and western influences. Reyna’s work examines the complexities of her relationship to culture and place and is heavily inspired by the many star quilters in her family history. Her work is an exploration of Lakota, Nakota & Dakota traditions and symbolism, and the many ways that western civilization has impacted indigenous expression.

In 2023, Reyna Hernandez, Amber Hansen, and Sonia Hernandez formed Mural On The Wall, or simply OTW. OTW is a community-based mural team from Vermillion, SD that works collaboratively with members of rural communities to create murals that capture the essence of the places they are working in. OTW provides opportunities for members of the communities with whom they work, to have a say in what goes on the wall and to take part in creative discussions about the place they call home.

Website: Reynahernandezart.com

Instagram: @mural_otw @wolvereyna

Cai Fisher

Cai Fisher is an Indigenous Trans artist, DJ, and performer from Cass Lake, Minnesota, within the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe reservation. Currently based in Bemidji, Minnesota, a town bordered by three different reservations, Cai has been a beacon of culture, identity, and resilience in a predominantly white community. With a passion for creating inclusive and safe spaces, Cai has been instrumental in fostering the growth of local artists and LGBT+ 2 Spirit communities.

Cai’s journey as a performer began with organizing Bemidji’s first consistent and prominent Drag Show collective in 2017. In 2021, she began hosting inclusive EDM-themed dance spaces. Through her self-taught artistry and event organizing, Cai has paved the way for the vibrant celebration of indigenous and LGBTQIA+ identities, ensuring that underrepresented voices are heard and appreciated. As a DJ and more recently, producer, she is combining her love for music with her commitment to cultural expression. Cai’s artistry is always expanding; encompassing graphic design, she creates distinctive posters and videos to promote her events. Using social media, she has successfully marketed these events, ensuring they reach a wider audience. Her work is more than just entertainment—it’s a powerful statement of visibility and pride for the drag, trans, and indigenous communities. The use of music and dance has always been a critical part of Cai’s work in the community; her belief in sound and movement as healing instruments is deeply rooted in her culture. Through her performances and events, she continues to provide a platform for others in her community to feel seen, safe, and celebrated.

Stay connected with Cai Fisher and follow her journey as she continues to uplift and inspire through her artistry, via Haus of DJ’s on Facebook.