Rachel Twoteeth-Pichardo
Exhibit Year: 2023-2024
About the Artist
Rachel Twoteeth-Pichardo is a multimedia artist, traditional games instructor as well as a practitioner of the Native American flute. Rachel is enrolled in the Little Shell Chippewa tribe and developed her passion for art and beadwork at a young age under her grandma Sharon’s mentorship. Creating Ledger Art is currently Rachel’s main passion. Rachel has exhibited her ledger art at the Holter Museum of Art, Helena College, and was also featured in Lift Magazine and the In Dreams exhibition at the Myrna Loy Jailhouse Gallery. In addition to showcasing, she has also commissioned designs for WIC Montana, the Helena Indian Alliance, and the Montana Community Foundation. This last year she was a featured artist at the Tribal Heritage Center in Yellowstone National Park.
Artist Statement
I create art in numerous ways, such as beading, sewing, Native American flute music, Jingle dancing, and painting. My favorite way to create is with colored pencils and ink on ledger paper. My journey as a Ledger Artist began when I found my grandmother Sharon’s ledger accounts from her old store after she passed away. Finding those papers, I knew it was the perfect way to once again craft with my grandmother while reclaiming my indigenous roots as a storyteller. Ledger art began in the late 1800’s when Indigenous people were incarcerated. As a way for them to still tell their stories, they would find whatever paper they could and draw on them; stories of creation, tricksters, and any event they wished to commemorate. I also prefer to tell stories through art, whether be it about the joys of motherhood, the beauty of the natural world or balancing modernity with being indigenous; my designs and crafts are inspired by my culture.