Honoring Emerging Native Voices
Art + Place Exhibit at NoBo Library
NoBo Art District, in association with Thunder Wolf Native Arts & Culture, is proud to announce a special six-month exhibition featuring the work of emerging Native American artists. The collection will be on display at the NoBo Library from March through August 2026 as a part of NoBo Art District’s Art + Place program.
This exhibition serves as a vital platform for Indigenous visibility in Boulder—a landscape that has been stewarded by Native peoples since time immemorial. By bringing these contemporary voices into a public space like the NoBo Library, the residency honors that enduring history while celebrating the living, evolving nature of Native art.
“It is essential that Indigenous art remains visible and vibrant in our community,” says Tom Myer (Cayuga/Ngäbe-Buglé), the curator of the show and executive director of Thunder Wolf Native Arts and Culture. “Showcasing the perspectives of these artists not only honors the ancestors who walked this land before us but also ensures that the next generation of Native creators is recognized and supported today.”
The public is invited to visit the NoBo Library during regular hours to view the collection. All featured artworks are available for purchase, directly supporting the career growth of these artists.
About the Artists
Maxx Wapasha Lake (aka Apashee Arts) is an incredibly powerful Apache/Diné artist with a solid mastery of colors and composition. Her two pieces in the show are marvelous landscapes – one of which I had previously commissioned as a poster for one of our Niwot native art markets. It’s hard to believe that she only recently turned 18. We’re all going to say “we knew her when” one day.
Brooke Howton is Muscogee/Scots-Irish/Norwegian whose illustrations and water colors just feel like they could dance off the page. The delicate beauty of her brush strokes underscore the sheer restfulness and contemplation of the figures she captures – her series of women in ribbon dresses is just spectacular.
Skye Little Cloud is Yankton/Sāmoan/Kickapú and lives in Colorado but studies in New York. Her powerful mythological pieces use vibrant hues and nature scenes imbued with a balance of energy and stillness that meld together to show just how long Native peoples have been here in the Americas – since time immemorial.
Keelie Mijares-Vallie is a Cherokee/Lakota Sioux painter who has become a perennial favorite of our Native art markets along with Maxx. Her portraits feature the power and resilience of Native women – the one we picked for the show is a prime example of how the painted gaze of a subject can make you almost look over your shoulder to see what she’s looking at.
Tom Myer (Cayuga/Ngäbe-Buglé) – Tom Myer is the curator and lives in Gunbarrel. He is Cayuga (one of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois) on his dad’s side and Ngäbe-Buglé (the tribe in Panama that ended Columbus’ fourth voyage to the New World) on his mom’s side. He paints digitally and uses a contemporary color palette to retell traditional stories.
Exhibition Dates
On View at the Boulder Public Library: NoBo: March – August, 2026.
Exhibition Events
Stay tuned for reception and event dates.