Rachel Martin is an enrolled Tlingít visual artist based in Queens, NY.
Martin’s work explores a unique perspective on the Tlingít cultural traditions of her family history alongside her lived experience as a city dweller. Her capacity to weave the rich imagery of Northwest Coast iconography and imbue them with her distinctive style has translated into inventive drawings that center Indigenous sovereignty and tribal identity as a source of joy and strength as well as humor and playfulness.
Martin’s work often center Matriarchal figures in positions of action to tell the stories today while honoring the oral history of her people that has been passed down from generation to generation.
In addition to her contemporary art practice, Martins is a beginning level Tlingit language student. Her works are often inspired by the overlay of English and Tlingit concepts of family, home, and humor.