Meet the Artists of the Radical Imagination HeARTbeat of Turtle Island

Indigenous Artists, Storytellers and Culture-Bearers are coming to Three Fires Territory, AKA Chicago! NDN Collective and our Radical Imagination Artists are in Odawa, Ojibwe and Potawatomi homelands to host a FREE art event and exhibition at the American Indian Center of Chicago.

This public event will feature visual and performance-based art, including an exhibition, live performances, and more! As part of NDN Collective’s 2022-2024 Radical Imagination Artist Cohort, attending artists will share their work, motivations, as well as how each of them connects to themselves and their culture through creativity. Relatives are invited to attend, celebrate, and be in community with NDN Collective as we host this powerful showcase.

Please read more about the artists and storytellers who will be attending the HeARTbeat of Turtle Island in Chicago below:

Daniel Cespedes

Daniel is a multidisciplinary storyteller of music, film, and visual art. Daniel’s work is centered around Chamoru and Celtic futurism. Their songs are from the heart of personal experience, the nature of the mixed heritage in the Chamoru community, the precarious resilience of our communities in the face of military pollution and resource poisoning, to the multiplicity of our many social identities, and more.

To learn more about Daniel, visit: ndnco.cc/DanielCespedes

Chad Martin

Chad is a Graphic Designer, Illustrator, and Animator. He creates 2D and 3D digital media with Adobe Creative Cloud, Procreate, and Blender In addition to hand-drawn illustrations and painting.

To learn more about Chad, visit: www.instagram.com/ka_wai_a_kane

Josué Rivas

Josué is an Indigenous Futurist, creative director, visual storyteller, and educator working at the intersection of art, technology, journalism, and decolonization. His work aims to challenge the mainstream narrative about Indigenous Peoples, co-create with the community, and serve as a vehicle for collective healing.

To learn about Josué, visit: www.josuerivasfoto.com

Hubert Martínez Calleja

Hubert’s work focuses on the rescue and defense of Mè’phàà culture through writing poetry, essays, chronicles, and short stories in the Mè’phàà and Spanish, in addition to the collective work of organizing literary creation activities with children and the youth of the Montaña region through the cultural project “Gusanos de la Memoria”.

To learn more about Hubert, visit: https://gusanosdelamemoria.org

Larry McNeil

Larry creates art that is a visual manifestation of the provocative times we live in. McNeil’s art is about the intersection of cultures, American mythology, irony, and satire, and embodies a distinctive sense of Indigenous identity. He often uses Raven as a mythological creature who does visual discussions about global catastrophic heat and a rapidly changing ecosystem.

To learn more about Larry, visit: www.larrymcneil.com

Marques Hanalei Marzan

Marques is a fiber knowledge holder who perpetuates and teaches customary forms and techniques, while also innovating new forms that bring the relevance of cultural knowledge and history into a modern context. He regularly combines his visual arts practice with his training in Hawaiian dance and ceremonial protocols, creating moments of experiential artistry.

To learn more about Marques, visit: www.marquesmarzan.com

Cesar Hernandez Andres

Cesar Hernandez Andres is a Chocholteca musician and composer, all his work is inspired and dedicated to the Chocholteca culture. Cesar’s art covers various genres of commercial and popular music, as well as traditional music, jazz, blues, and world music. One of Caesar’s most important projects is “RRU TUNUE” where he rescues the instrumental formation of the traditional string groups of the Ngigua Chocholteca region, as well as having two record productions.

To learn more about Cesar, visit: www.facebook.com/cesarhernandezandres.music1

Gabriela Spears-Rico

Gabriela is a Mexican Indigenous poet. Her poetry is rooted in the migrant insurgent indigeneity she learned while being taught to stand up for the unfair advantages of colonialism and to march on the bosses (rebel against capitalist exploitation) in migrant farmworker spaces. She hopes her work can bring light to the experiences of transnational displaced Indigenous Peoples and the multiple violence experienced by Indigenous women and children on the continent.

To learn more about Gabriela, visit: www.instagram.com/erandi_es.tu.diosa

Hāwane Rios

Hāwane is a Kiaʻi (protector), chanter, dancer, singer, songwriter, musician, resource educator, and cultural practitioner. Her work is centered around protecting the earth, sacred places, Indigenous Peoples and their lifeways and all living beings. The music she shares reflects her deep love and commitment to Mauna Kea and honors the solidarity that the mountain has bridged with many other movements around the world that are centered on protecting the rights of this beautiful earth. In addition to music, she is currently focusing her work and energy on healing trauma through chant and re-establishing traditional rites of passage for Kanaka Maoli women of all ages.

To learn more about Hāwane, visit: www.hawanerios.com

Miguel Ventura

Miguel Ventura is a Film director, filmmaker, and film producer from Mérida Yuctán Mexico.

To learn more about Miguel, visit: www.facebook.com/cinejanal

Guest Performer & Artist:

Mic Jordan

Mic Jordan is a hip-hop artist and enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe Tribe in Belcourt, North Dakota. Music played a significant role in shaping his childhood, and today, he channels that influence into his unique sound. By blending traditional values with modern hip-hop, Mic tells his story with raw honesty, using the genre to reflect the positive aspects of his culture.

Through his work, Mic addresses tough issues like alcoholism and suicide, using his journey as an example of how music can be a powerful tool for healing and resilience. His mission is to Indigenize hip-hop, creating a space where the next generation can feel connected to their roots while forging their path.

To learn more about Mic Jordan, visit: www.instagram.com/micjordanmusic

Radical Imagination Artist Grant

The NDN Radical Imagination Artist Grant is a two-year grant of $100,000 USD awarded to ten Indigenous artists, artist collectives, or small nonprofits who are deeply engaged with their communities to develop alternative visions that inspire the Indigenous movement towards a new future and just world for all people and Mother Earth.

Visit the Radical Imagination Artist Grant Webpage to Learn More

Watch our Full Radical Imagination Playlist on YouTube