Zoë Marieh Urness facts for kids
Zoë Marieh Urness (born in 1984) is a talented photographer. She has Tlingit and Cherokee Native American family roots. Zoë takes pictures of modern Indigenous people. She shows them in traditional clothing and settings.
Contents
Growing Up and Finding Photography
Zoë Urness was born in Washington. She was adopted at age four. Her great-great uncle and aunt raised her. They made sure she learned about tribal arts and history. She went to the Alaskan Native Cultural Heritage Association in Seattle. This was from kindergarten through high school.
While other kids played sports, Zoë and her twin sister learned about their culture. They met with other Tlingit youth and elders. They wore their traditional clothes. They learned and practiced their songs and dances. Zoë traveled across Washington, the United States, and Europe. She shared her tribe's stories as a cultural ambassador. This experience greatly shaped her future photography.
When she was seven, Zoë got her first camera. Her grandmother gave it to her. Photography quickly became her passion. She went to college to study art. She earned degrees from Skagit Valley College and the Brooks Institute of Photography.
Her Photography Journey
After college in 2008, Zoë wanted to be a magazine photographer. She started working freelance in Santa Barbara and Seattle. She took pictures for magazines like Outside and Trend.
Early in her career, she studied Edward S. Curtis's work. He was a famous photographer. He documented Indigenous people a long time ago. His black-and-white photos showed Native subjects in traditional clothes. Zoë saw her own family in Curtis's pictures. She decided to photograph current Native peoples and cultures. She wanted to tell their stories visually.
Capturing Modern Native Life
In 2014, Zoë started her first big photo project. It was called 'Native Americans: Keeping the Traditions Alive'. She used a Kickstarter campaign to fund it. The project aimed to show endangered languages. She used both videos and still photos.
For this project, she photographed tribes across the U.S. She visited the Havasupai in the Grand Canyon. She also went to the Hopi at Second Mesa. She photographed the Apache Crown Dancers at Monument Valley. She also visited Alaskan natives at celebrations in Juneau. Zoë wanted to show how each tribe expresses its culture. She focused on their connection to their ancestral lands.
Major Achievements
Zoë Urness has shown her work around the world. Her photos have been in major magazines. Museums have bought her work. She has displayed her art in galleries in the U.S. and other countries. She also takes part in many Native art shows.
She has won many awards at art markets. She showed her Alaskan work at the Indigenous Fine Art Market. She also showed it at the Santa Fe Indian Market. She won "Best in Division" and "Best in Category" multiple times there. The Autry Museum of the American West and the Heard Museum have also recognized her work.
Her photograph "December 5th, 2016: No Spiritual Surrender" was bought by two museums. These were the Autry Museum of the American West and the Birmingham Museum of Art. Her photos are also part of the Tia Collection in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
A Photo Nominated for a Big Award
One of her most famous photos is "Dec. 5, 2016: No Spiritual Surrender". It was taken at the Dakota Access Pipeline Protests. This photo was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. This is a very important award for photography. The photo also appeared on the cover of World Literature Today magazine. This was in their May 2017 issue.
In March 2022, Zoë received the Sony Alpha+ Female Grant. This was for her "Indigenous Motherhood" project. She is currently working on this new series of photos.
About Her Life
Zoë Urness had her first child in late 2021.
Awards
- 2018: Pulitzer Prize Nomination, Feature Photography Cover of World Literature today May – August 2017
- 2017: Autry Museum of the American West, Best in Photography, 1st place
- 2016: SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market, Best in Photography, 1st place
- 2016: Autry Museum of the American West, Acknowledgement
- 2015: SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market, Best in Black and White Photography, 1st place
Acquisitions
"Raven Tells his Story in the Fog"
- 2021: Tacoma Art Museum – Tacoma, Washington
- 2018: Western Spirit Scottsdale's Museum of the West – Scottsdale, Arizona
- 2017: Birmingham Museum of Art: Birmingham, Alabama
"December 5th, 2016: No Spiritual Surrender"
- 2018: Autry Museum of the American West, 40x32 Desaturated Metallic C-Print mounted to plexiglass Edition 1 of 1
- 2017: Birmingham Museum of Art, 50x40 Metallic C-Print mounted to plexiglass Edition 1 of 1
