Carmen Selam
Ancestry: Confederated Tribes & Bands of the Yakama Nation
Based In: Wapato, WA
Email: carmenselam@gmail.com
Social Media: @yakamanche
Website: carmenlauraselam.com
About the Art
This piece is meant to be a reflection on the responsibility that we, as Indigenous peoples, have to our communities. The ability to adapt so that we may continue to thrive, which in the time of Covid, means wearing a mask. Caring for ourselves and our people is ancestral. I created this piece using contemporary tools on my iPad, the program Procreate.
About the Artist
Carmen Selam was born and raised on the Yakama Reservation located in Washington State. She is an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation and is also of Comanche descent. Selam attended the Oregon College of Art and Craft located in Portland, Oregon prior to graduating with her BFA in studio arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM. Selam is a multi-disciplinary artist who creates paintings, prints, and installations. Her work has been shown at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe Community College Visual Arts Gallery, Balzer Contemporary Edge Gallery, Portland State University Native Center, Oregon College of Art and Craft and the Yakama Nation Heritage Center. Selam is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. Selam currently lives and works in Wapato, Washington.
