MEZTLI PROJECTS

Meztli Projects supports the creative development of Native and Indigenous artists.

We were founded with the intent to address the severe lack of artistic opportunities for Native and Indigenous Artists as-well-as systems-impacted youth living and creating in Los Angeles County (Tovaangar). This work takes shape in several forms such as for-hire opportunities, advocating for truly equitable resources such as but not limited to funding and culturally authentic (not just relevant) programming, and training future and emerging cultural workers. 

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Kimberly Robertson | Left to right: Deer Woman (pink), Deer Woman (blue), Deer Woman (purple), Deer Woman (peach), 2024
Metal hangers, plastic and wood beads, lipstick knives

Kimberly Robertson: 
Diary of a Native Femme(nist) 


Diary of a Native Femme(nist) by Kimberly Robertson (Mvskoke) is a vibrant collection of new and recent works of beadwork and serigraphs.



Heleswv, 2024
Glass beads, digital print collage
Framed: 31.5 x 25.5 inches
Not Enough Sage, 2019
Glass beads, digital print collage
Framed: 29.5 x 23.5 inches

In Aunties We Trust, 2018
Serigraph
Framed: 26.75 x 34 inches
14-color serigraph, edition of 41, published by Self Help Graphics & Art
Postcard from an Otherwise World, 2019
Glass beads, paper collage
Framed: 23.75 x 29.5 inches

Native Feminist Killjoy - Palestine, 2024
Serigraph
Framed: 22.75 x 29 inches
4-color serigraph, edition of 30
Mvskoke Feminist Killjoy, 2024
Serigraph
Framed: 22.75 x 29 inches
5-color serigraph, edition of  30
Native Feminist Killjoy, 2024
Serigraph
Framed: 22.75 x 29 inches
5-color serigraph, edition of 30
Deer Woman (pink), 2024
Beaded tapestry
12 x 36 inches
Metal hangers, plastic and wood beads, lipstick knives
Deer Woman (peach), 2024
Beaded tapestry
12 x 36 inches
Metal hangers, plastic and wood beads, lipstick knives
Deer Woman (purple), 2024
Beaded tapestry
12 x 36 inches
Metal hangers, plastic and wood beads, lipstick knives
Deer Woman (blue), 2024
Beaded tapestry
12 x 36 inches
Metal hangers, plastic and wood beads, lipstick knives


Sanctuary, 2024
Bedroom dresser installation
67 x 67 x 17 inches



Sanctuary (detail)
Grandma Obera, 2024
Ceramic ashtray, glass beads, wire, cigarette pouch
Sanctuary (detail)
Grandma Obera, 2024
Ceramic ashtray, glass beads, wire, cigarette pouch
2024
Sanctuary (detail)
Politics of Citation, 2024
Stack of books and beaded bookmarks, books, glass beads, precious stones, metal bookmark findings
Sanctuary (detail)
Warpaint, 2024
Make-up brushes, glass beads, make-up brushes

Kimberly Robertson (Mvskoke)
Diary of a Native Femme(nist)


Opening Reception
Saturday, May 4th, 2024
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Exhibition runs, May 4th, through June 30, 2024

The Chapter House
1770 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

The Chapter House is pleased to present Diary of a Native Femme(nist), a solo exhibition of new and recent works by Kimberly Robertson. The exhibition is The Chapter House’s inaugural exhibition at their new location and will be on display from May 4 - July 13, 2024. 

The works on view draw from her embodied experiences as a Mvskoke woman born, raised, living, and working on unceded California Indian lands and are heavily informed by Native feminist theories and practices. Robertson utilizes high-femme aesthetics to address the myriad forms of violence Native femmes experience under settler colonialism and cisheteropatriarchy while also encouraging viewers to consider the radical practice of making joy and laughter in service of collective healing and liberation.

Kimberly Robertson is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, an Associate Professor of American Indian Studies at California State University, Long Beach, and an artist. Her scholarship and creative practices center Native feminisms, the sexual and gendered violence of settler colonialism, ceremony, storytelling, decolonization, and Indigenous futurities.  She has published in journals such as Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education, and Society and Wicazo Sa Review, as well as peer-reviewed anthologies such as Otherwise Worlds: Against Settler Colonialism and Anti-Blackness and Keetsahnak: Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters. Her creative practices currently include screen printing, collage, beadwork, installation art, and zine-making.  Her artworks have been exhibited in numerous community, university, public, and private galleries as well as peer-reviewed monographs and anthologies. She is also an active member of the Los Angeles Indian community and facilitates beading circles and art-making workshops both locally and nationally.

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Waning Crescent: 
a meztli projects group show


On view: June 12 to July 19, 2025
OXY ARTS: 4757 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042





Exhibition Photos by Miranda Aquino and OXY Arts    
                                                                                    
Waning Crescent, a meztli projects group show        

This group show celebrates the journey of meztli projects in supporting Native and Indigenous artists. The exhibition features works created between 2024 and today by artists engaged in their collaborative ecosystem. These pieces signify a new phase for the artists, showcasing growth into new creative realms. For instance, River Garza and Emilia Cruz have evolved toward sculptural work, Kimberly Robertson's intricate beadwork creations into large beaded tapestries, and Kenneth Lopez's documentary photography blended into woven visions.

Meztli is the Nahuatl word for "moon." For this collective, the moon and its phases symbolize their approach to cultivating relationships with young Indigenous artists, culture bearers, and the general public. Taking time to reflect on important values such as stewardship, the meaning of reindigenizing spaces and technologies, and the deep connection between ceremony and artmaking. Their work mirrors the changing seasons and is responsive to the moment.

A waning crescent represents the small sliver of the moon visible just before it enters the New Moon phase. This exhibition symbolizes what comes next for meztli projects and highlights their partnership with OXY ARTS, which has hosted various creative efforts and exemplifies a nurturing, reciprocal relationship for Indigenous artists and institutional spaces.

Exhibiting artists include:

Rihanna Barrera
CJ Calica
Emilia Cruz
Joel Garcia
River Garza
Skyler Green
Kenneth Lopez
Kimberly Robertson
Aanii Tate
Alexandria Ybarra
Isaac Michael Ybarra.




Exhibition Photos by Miranda Aquino and OXY Arts 


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