Shekú. Karen Ann Hoffman is a Haudenosaunee Raised Beadwork artist and an enrolled citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. She makes her home outside Stevens Point, Wisconsin, on a 40-acre homestead where she lives, hunts, forages, and beads. She believes strongly in the power and importance of Native art and in the necessity of centering authentic, in-community voices in the conversations, installations, and curation of that art. Hoffman uses her beadwork as a written language to hold and share the traditions, stories, and worldview of generations of her ancestors, to represent the incredible Haudenosaunee artists of today, and to lay a table for those whose faces are yet to be seen. Because of her devotion to safeguarding Oneida culture, she has been honored with designation as an Oneida National Treasure by her tribe as well as recognition as a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts. Hoffman emphasizes that both nations of which she is a citizen recognize the importance of beadwork as a material language and the necessity of keeping and sharing Haudenosaunee stories.

Angie Lowe is an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation. Though an accountant by trade, Angie found her true calling in hospitality. In 2019, she purchased and began operating the Willowood Inn, a locally cherished mom and pop motel in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Angie is deeply involved in her community, serving as President of the Baraboo Public Art Association, Treasurer of the Little Eagle Arts Foundation, and a former board member of the Sauk County Historical Society. Her involvement in these organizations reflects her passion for the arts and regional history.

Chrissy is an enrolled member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. She is an art enthusiast and art appreciator. Chrissy is also an arts administrator and works alongside her partner, Christopher Sweet—a Ho-Chunk/White Earth Ojibwe artist and owner of Blue Bear Studio, located in Baraboo, WI. Prior to becoming an arts administrator, Chrissy’s nearly 30 year career was in tribal gaming, hospitality, and human resources, holding multiple leadership roles during that time. As a supporter of Little Eagle Arts Foundation (LEAF), Chrissy served as the Native Art Marketplace coordinator and as a graphic designer creating marketing collateral for LEAF events. She was also an inaugural cohort member of the Artspace Pathways program in 2023- 2024 and joined LEAF as a board member in 2025.

Dr. Lechusza Aquallo draws on his deep, resource-rich understanding to question and redefine how we perceive Native/Indigenous culture, customs, artistic expressions, and knowledge. His work is centered on the necessity to disturb assumptions of power to resist and challenge colonial/settler ideologies to realign the importance of tribal sovereignty, self-determination, equity, and socio-political justice.