Matika Wilbur

Matika Lorraine Wilbur was born in 1984, to a Tulalip father and a Swinomish mother. She is a member of both the Tulalip and Swinomish tribes.{{Cite news |date=2012-11-25 |title=Behind the lens, a knowing eye |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-behind-the-lens-a-know/166511557/ |access-date=2025-02-23 |work=The Daily Herald |pages=1}} Wilbur grew up predominantly on the Swinomish reservation in a family of commercial fishermen. She traveled to La Conner, Washington to attend high school.{{Cite news |date=2012-11-25 |title=Behind the lens, a knowing eye clip 2 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-behind-the-lens-a-know/166512750/ |access-date=2025-02-23 |work=The Daily Herald |pages=6}} She graduated from the Brooks Institute of Photography with a degree in advertising.

Her Native name is Tsa-Tsiq, meaning "She Who Teaches."{{cite news |last1=Block |first1=Melissa |title=Photographer's decade-long, 600,000-mile journey shows Indigenous life in new book |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2023/04/28/1172138168/native-american-tribes-photographs-matika-wilbur |access-date=18 September 2023 |work=The Picture Show |publisher=NPR |date=April 28, 2023}}

Before beginning her photography career, Wilbur worked as a fashion photographer is Los Angeles, but found the work unfulfilling.{{Cite news |last=Dupont |first=David |date=2013-05-17 |title=American Indian focuses camera on her heritage clip 1 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sentinel-tribune-american-indian-focuses/166512349/ |access-date=2025-02-23 |work=Sentinel Tribune |pages=1}} She also worked as a teacher at Tulalip Heritage High School.{{Cite news |last=Fiege |first=Gale |date=2015-10-23 |title=Hibulb exhibit tells stories of America's tribes |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-hibulb-exhibit-tells-st/166511835/ |access-date=2025-02-23 |work=The Daily Herald |pages=55}}

Wilbur's three initial photographic projects include We Are One People, a photograph collection of Coast Salish elders; We Emerge, a photograph collection of Native people in contemporary settings, and Save the Indian and Kill the Man, a collection of Native youth expressing their identities.{{cite news|url = http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/01/15/photographer-matika-wilburs-three-year-562-tribe-adventure-146982|title = Photographer Matika Wilbur's Three-Year, 562-Tribe Adventure|last = Walker|first = Richard|date=2013-01-15 |publisher = Indian Country Today Media Network}} Her other work includes "{{Proper name|iHuman}}", presenting images interwoven with cedar bark.{{Cite web|title = Blog - Project 562- A Photo Project by Matika Wilbur documenting Native America|url = http://www.matikawilbur.com/blog/blog/tag/the-journey-continues|website = www.matikawilbur.com|access-date = 2015-12-09}}{{cite web|title=Matika Wilbur|url=http://tacoma.emuseum.com/emuseum/view/people/asitem/W/1/displayDate-desc;jsessionid=20056C83683C8519A83B6B820ECF4297?t:state:flow=8f9432c4-6880-4947-a096-ae9193cf544c|website=tacoma.emuseum.com|access-date=10 February 2017}}

"All Alone"{{Cite web|last=Wilbur|first=Matika|title=Portfolio|url=http://www.matikawilbur.com/portfolio/}} is a 2012 project that addresses the cultural assimilation of Native Americans between the 1880–1980.

"iHuman" is a 2013 cultural project that represents the cultural dualism that Native Americans live upon.

The artist specializes in hand-tinted, black-and-white silver gelatin prints.{{cite web |last1=Glazier |first1=Garen |date=31 May 2016 |title=Matika Wilbur |url=http://northsoundlife.com/lifestyle/matika-wilbur/ |access-date=26 August 2016 |website=NSL: North Sound Life}}

{{Main|Project 562}}

Project 562 is Wilbur's fourth major project to document contemporary Indigenous peoples, with the goal of photographing members of all US tribes on their tribal lands. Wilbur started "Project 562" as a photographic series in 2012. She began traveling across the United States in November of that year; she raised over $35,000 for her expenses in a Kickstarter campaign.{{Cite web |last=Richardson |first=Whitney |date=19 February 2014 |title=Rejecting Stereotypes, Photographing 'Real' Indians |url=http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/19/rejecting-stereotypes-photographing-real-indians/ |access-date=2016-07-31}} She has since traveled 250,000 miles in her work to photograph indigenous people.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/07/native-american-photographs-matika-wilbur-project-562|title=One woman's mission to photograph every Native American tribe in the US|last=Isler|first=Hilal|date=2015-09-07|website=the Guardian|access-date=2016-07-31}}

The title of the project refers to the number of Indigenous North American tribes officially recognized by the United States at the time Wilbur began the work. That number has since changed, reflecting the ongoing legal efforts of individual tribes to regain legal status after the decimation of tribal status under the United States Termination policy. Wilbur said her grandmother came to her in a dream suggesting she do this work.{{Cite news |last=Dupont |first=David |date=2013-05-17 |title=American Indian focuses camera on her heritage |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sentinel-tribune-american-indian-focuses/166512164/ |access-date=2025-02-23 |work=Sentinel Tribune |pages=8}} She works collaboratively with tribal leaders and members to create the photographs.{{Cite book|last=Raymond|first=Claire|date=2017-04-21|title=Women Photographers and Feminist Aesthetics|doi=10.4324/9781315628912|isbn=9781315628912}} Wilbur conceived of Project 562 as an answer to Edward Curtis' photographs, a century earlier, of Indigenous Americans. Curtis took over 40,000 photographs of 80 tribes.{{cite book |last1=Egan |first1=Timothy |title=Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher |date=2013 |publisher=Mariner Books |location=Boston |isbn=978-0-618-96902-9 |page=16}}

Wilbur also hosts the All My Relations podcast with Adrienne Keene. The interview-based podcast discusses issues facing Native American communities, including indigenous food sovereignty.{{Cite web |last=Milne |first=Stefan |date=March 24, 2021 |title=10 Seattle Podcasts to Keep You Company |url=https://www.seattlemet.com/arts-and-culture/10-seattle-made-podcasts-to-keep-you-company |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411093130/https://www.seattlemet.com/arts-and-culture/10-seattle-made-podcasts-to-keep-you-company |archive-date=April 11, 2021 |access-date=December 13, 2021 |website=Seattle Metropolitan |publisher=SagaCity Media |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Madeleine |date=August 5, 2021 |title=Podcasts and Films Highlighting Indigenous Food Systems |url=https://foodtank.com/news/2021/08/podcasts-and-films-celebrating-indigenous-foodways/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805074318/https://foodtank.com/news/2021/08/podcasts-and-films-celebrating-indigenous-foodways/ |archive-date=August 5, 2021 |access-date=December 13, 2021 |website=Food Tank |language=en-US}} It has received recognition from the A.V. Club and the Toronto Star.{{Cite web |last=McNaught |first=Morgan |date=June 17, 2019 |title=The Best Podcasts of 2019 So Far |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-best-podcasts-of-2019-so-far-1835533665 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028165742/https://www.avclub.com/the-best-podcasts-of-2019-so-far-1835533665 |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |access-date=December 13, 2021 |website=The A.V. Club |publisher=G/O Media |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Kilawna |first=Kelsie |date=December 14, 2020 |title=Winter is Time for Stories: Here Are Some of Our Favourite Indigenous Podcasts |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/12/14/winter-is-time-for-stories-here-are-some-of-our-favourite-indigenous-podcasts.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215002749/https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/12/14/winter-is-time-for-stories-here-are-some-of-our-favourite-indigenous-podcasts.html |archive-date=December 15, 2020 |access-date=December 13, 2021 |work=Toronto Star |publisher=Torstar |language=en-CA |issn=0319-0781}}

• 2014: Photographic Presence and Contemporary Indians: Matika Wilbur's Project 562, Tacoma Art Museum, Washington{{cite web|title=Photographic Presence and Contemporary Indians: Matika Wilbur's Project 562|url=http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/explore/past-exhibitions/matika-wilburs-project-562/|website=Tacoma Art Museum|access-date=26 August 2016}}
• 2014–2016: As We See It: Contemporary Native American Photographers, Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, Ekaterinburg, Russia; The Fifth Biennial of Contemporary Photography; Novosibirsk State Art Museum, Novosibirsk, Russia;{{cite web|title=Tom Jones|url=https://www.joomag.com/magazine/art-department-faculty-quadrennial-exhibition-2016-january-2016/0883621001449068181?page=50|website=Art Department Faculty Quadrennial Exhibition|publisher=Chazen Museum of Art|access-date=26 August 2016|pages=34}} 516 ARTS, Albuquerque, NM{{cite web|title=As We See It: Contemporary Native American Photographers|url=http://www.516arts.org/index.php/programs-link/55-exhibition/465-as-we-see-it|website=516 ARTS|access-date=26 August 2016}}
• 2016: Seed of Culture: The Portraits and Stories of Native American Women, Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University{{cite web|title=Seeds of Culture: The Portraits and Stories of Native American Women|url=https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2016-matika-wilbur-exhibition|website=Racliffe Institute for Advanced Study|publisher=Harvard University|access-date=27 August 2016}}
• March 13 - June 13, 2021: Whatcom Museum: Seeds of Culture, Bellingham, WA{{Cite web|title=WhatCom Museum|url=https://www.whatcommuseum.org/exhibition/seeds-of-culture/}}
• October, 2018 - January, 2018: El Segundo Museum of Art Matriarchs Exhibition,{{Cite web|title=El Segundo Museum of Art|url=https://esmoa.org/}} El Segundo, CA
• November, 2018 - December, 2018: Anne Kittrell Art Gallery,{{Cite web|title=Anne Kittrell Art Gallery|url=https://www.arkansas.com/fayetteville/entertainment-nightlife/university-arkansas-anne-kittrell-art-gallery}} Project 562, Campus Collection Series, Fayetteville, AR

{{reflist|2}}

• {{official|http://www.matikawilbur.com/}}
• [http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Changing-the-Way-We-See-Native Matika Wilbur: "Changing the Way We See Native Americans"], TEDx Talk
• [http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/30/living/contemporary-native-american-images/ "What Native Americans really look like], CNN article about Matika Wilbur
• {{C-SPAN|136917}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilbur, Matika}}

Category:Living people

Category:1984 births

Category:21st-century American photographers

Category:21st-century American women photographers

Category:21st-century Native American artists

Category:21st-century Native American women

Category:Coast Salish artists

Category:Tulalip people

Category:Native American photographers

Category:People from La Conner, Washington

Category:Native American women photographers