Artist Kwani Winder has had an interesting artistic journey, from drawing animals in elementary school, to becoming an award-winning artist who’s now involved with the Art Grows Rexburg Art Show. Winder’s art spans over 15 years, and much of that art is heavily influenced by her Native American heritage.
Winder started as a biology major in college who took a few art classes with friends. Winder quickly realized that art was what she was meant to do. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in oil painting and quickly got to work.
“So not only did I switch [my major], I went all in,” Winder said. “And you know what was really neat is the experiences I had in the science department, because I was the anatomy TA for a long time. And all of that muscle and skeletal awareness of where attachments are and how the body moves and how it’s constructed has really grown my art faster than anything else I think could have. And so, if I hadn’t spent that time as a biology major, I don’t think I would be where I am now as an artist.”
Winder’s artistic evolution is evident, being a Native American, she says she’s always been surrounded by art and creativity. She greatly credits her mom for pushing her as a child, always entering her into different art competitions, it really helped her see the value of her work. She soon started exploring her Native American heritage in her art, which she was initially hesitant to do due to market perception, but she has found great success and fulfillment in doing so with her work.
“There was a NASA space award drawing competition that I won when I was probably eight or nine. My mom was always encouraging me to enter things like that,” she said. “I think she was very instrumental in me just growing up and identifying as an artist.”
Her connection to her heritage deepened through her participation in art exhibitions, one which was in Santa Fe, where she shared a booth with her uncle who was a potter. Not only did these experiences provide her with artistic validation but also helped her create meaningful connections with her family and the Santa Clara Pueblo Native community.
Through her artwork, Winder wants to share her cultural heritage with audiences that might not be familiar with it. She specifically would like to share it with her daughters who are now young so that they can grow up being proud of their identity and their roots.
“[I want to share our heritage] with my daughter. I’ve actually painted them in their traditional clothing just to show them. I have a redheaded daughter, so really to show her ‘Hey, this is part of who you are, and you’re a registered member of this tribe. This is who you are,’” she said.
Winder’s work celebrates diverse cultural narratives and as she continues to paint and continue creating, she will keep spreading her message across to audiences everywhere. If you are interested in seeing some of her work or learning more about her, you can find her website at kwaniwinder.com.
Winder will be the guest artist at the annual Art Grown Rexburg Award Ceremony. The Art Grows Rexburg art contest is broken up into youth and adult contests. For more information about the contests go to https://artgrowsrexburg.org/.