Holly Young
Bead, Quill and Ledger Artist
Bismarck, North Dakota

“Just like the natural world is intertwined with life cycles and relationships dependent on survival, so is my art. I lean on my community and our traditions to inspire me. I am unable to flourish as an artist without them.”

Artist Holly Young was born and raised by her grandmother in a rural area of the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. Being so close to the land during her childhood influenced her art: the memories of plants and flowers, our relationship with the land and the healing properties that come from those. Using the traditional styles of Dakota beadwork, quillwork and ledger art to be a seed from which her vision grows, Young’s work embodies the love, patience, resiliency and beauty of her ancestors’ legacies and the land that has provided since time immemorial. She has a passion for traditional Dakota floral styles and designs and is committed to preserving and sharing these art forms and lifeways. Through art, she affirms herself as a Dakota woman and mother by practicing Winyan Omniciye, the circle of sharing knowledge: What you learn, you give back. Learn more at hyoung.artspan.com.

Facebook: Holly Young

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