Melissa Shaginoff

Melissa Shaginoff is part of the Udzisyu (caribou) and Cui Ui Ticutta (fish-eater) clans from Nay’dini’aa Na Kayax (Chickaloon Village, Alaska). She is of Ahtna and Paiute descent. An interdisciplinary artist and museum specialist, she is currently working on Dena’ina lands in Dghayitnu (Anchorage). Melissa centers her art practice around conversation, seeking deeper understanding through moments of exchange and reciprocity. This includes conversations with herself as she continues to learn about her cultural processes and protocols. Her current work reflects the journey of becoming a hide tanner and the universe she has come to embrace through that transformation.