Evelyn Mikayla Martin (Itsooaakii) [Blackfeet Nation of Montana, Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, and Squamish Nation of Vancouver Canada] graduated with honors from the University of Washington’s Bachelor of Arts Program in American Indian Studies with a minor in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies. Mikayla was named to the University of Washington Dean’s List, a member of the National Collegiate Scholars Honor Society and a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success.
Mikayla curated the first all Blackfoot art exhibition to take place in Calgary, Alberta. Her curatorial project titled Ii’pait’aapiiyisinn: Art in the Contemporary and Ancient Blackfoot Way of Life debuted at Stride Gallery in March 2023.
Mikayla is an art educator who works with Indigenous women, girls, and youth in her workshops to encourage participants to center their cultural identities and healing through visual arts. She creates acclaimed, vibrant self-portraits, billboards, and projects of reclamation.
Mikayla’s paintings have been installed in numerous exhibitions put on by the Seattle Art Museum (Seattle, WA), Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA), Arts Commons Window Galleries: Portraits of a Piikani Woman (Calgary, Alberta), Loft 112 (Calgary, Alberta), and C Space Studio C (Calgary, Alberta).
Mikayla was selected to be one of the keynote speakers of the Women’s March Seattle (January 2019). During the march, Mikayla spoke about immediately initiating an action plan for all people to join forces to end the global crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and and Two Spirit people.