Marlana Thompson facts for kids

Marlana Thompson, born in 1978, is a talented artist from the Akwesasne Mohawk community. She is a member of the Wolf clan. Marlana is known for her beautiful beadwork, for making special clothing called regalia, and for designing fashion. She lives in Akwesasne, New York. Her amazing artworks are displayed in museums and private collections across North America and Europe. These include the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Adirondack Experience. Her art helps connect her community's traditions with the wider art world.

About Marlana Thompson

Marlana Thompson was born in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, in 1978. She is part of the Akwesasne Mohawk, Wolf clan. Art runs in her family! Many of her relatives are artists, including people who make baskets and quilts.

Today, Marlana lives in Akwesasne, New York. She lives there with her husband, Wayne Baker, and their children. Wayne Baker is an actor from the Squamish Nation, Raven clan. Marlana even had a small role in an American TV show called Beyond.

Marlana's Artworks

Marlana Thompson creates a special type of art called Haudenosaunee raised beadwork. This is where tiny beads are sewn onto fabric, like velvet, to create designs that stand up and look three-dimensional. It's like making a picture pop out!

She is also skilled at making traditional regalia and moccasins. Regalia are special outfits worn for ceremonies or events like powwows. Marlana started making powwow dance regalia for her own family. Soon, other dancers saw her beautiful work and asked her to make custom regalia for them. This started in the 1990s. Eventually, she became a full-time artist. She also creates lovely beaded jewelry.

During the time of the pandemic, Marlana used her raised beadwork skills to create unique facial masks. She also included designs of important cultural plants in her work, such as sweetgrass and sage. These plants are often used for medicine or in ceremonies.

Her Artistic Career

Marlana Thompson has been beading and sewing since she was only seven years old. Her artwork has been shown in fashion shows in different places. These include Toronto, Canada (at the Sky Dome Powwow), Akwesasne (at the Akwesasne International Powwow), and Long Island, New York.

Marlana runs her own business called Okwaho Creations, which is based in Akwesasne. She made moccasins for the Manitobah Mukluks Storyboot School. This program helps Indigenous artists share their moccasin-making skills with young Indigenous people. Marlana also teaches her own beadwork classes. She even held a workshop at the Akwesasne Cultural Center.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marlana created face masks that showed her Mohawk Haudenosaunee culture. She shared how being an artist during that time made her think about her family's future. She had to change how she did her business, like how she sold her art. Her business supports her family, so she had to learn to adapt. The pandemic also helped her see what was truly important to her family, like having enough food and collecting traditional medicines and firewood.

One of her beaded facial masks, titled Ononkwashon:a / Medicinal Plants, won a special judge's choice award in an exhibition called Masked Heroes in 2020. Another mask from the same series was featured in a big exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery. This exhibition, called This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, was shown in Washington, DC, from 2022 to 2023.

Where to See Her Art

Marlana Thompson's artworks are part of the collections at these places:

• Smithsonian American Art Museum
• Adirondack Experience

See also

• Victoria Kakuktinniq