jarica walsh Walsh strives to make art that provides healing and progress, and that examines our relationship with ourselves, our planet, and our universe. She has created various series of art work. “My sculptural ceramic artwork intends to strike a balance of strength and vulnerability,” Walsh said. “The Star Series is a connection to cosmic bodies. Inspired by a night sky and the notion that we are all made of star stuff, but beyond that, this work honors my Wahzhazhe ancestors and our origin in the stars. These nonfunctional vessels are infused with positivity and blessings to be shared with those who hold them, functioning as talismans. I believe in the ability of these objects to hold meaning, transfer energy, and to heal.” “The Self-Portrait series uses red clay showing the direct human connection to the earth, in contrast to the bright white porcelain of my other ceramics,” Walsh said. “Some works take human form, others are more abstract.” arica Walsh is a multidisciplinary artist motivated by optimism and an appreciation of nature. A Jnative of Pawhuska, she is a member of the Osage Nation. Walsh earned her BFA in Media Arts at the University of Oklahoma with an emphasis in 昀椀lmmaking. While completing her degree, she studied sculpture and ceramics. Walsh’s art now focuses primarily on the mediums of ceramics and cyanotypes, an alternative photographic process. “Art has been part of who I am for as long as I can remember,” Walsh said. “Expressing myself creatively came naturally. I engaged in dance, theater, and visual art as a YOU ARE MY SUN child. I come from a family of artists. My grandmother Jarica Walsh was a painter and a 昀椀ber artist. Her brother, my great- YOU ARE MY MOON uncle, was also a painter. My father explored photography Jarica Walsh during my childhood. We had some of my great-uncle’s paintings in our home when I was growing up, and those paintings in昀氀uenced my understanding of arts. My artistic practice is informed by and re昀氀ects the Wahzhazhe (Osage) origin story, and our long history of connection with plant relatives. My upbringing wasn’t rooted in Osage culture, so I didn’t learn until adulthood how my values intersected with my ancestors. I spent my formative years perched in a magnolia tree, and that early communion is fundamental to who I am. I am inspired by the power of plants, and the magic of being born from stardust.” 12