Sadie Red Wing
Reinventing the Indigenous Graphic Design Canon: No Printing Press Needed
Graphic design is a common practice used by Indigenous communities in the United States, yet the history of its application is often overlooked in academic discussions of graphic design. Before the printing press arrived on the continent of North America, many Indigenous peoples employed graphic design techniques to document and preserve their history, all without mass production tools or the English language. This presentation will provide a historical analysis of the graphic design methods employed by Indigenous peoples in the United States to document, record, and archive vital information for future generations.
About Sadie Red Wing
Sadie Red Wing is an Indigenous graphic designer and student advocate from the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in New Media Arts and Interactive Design from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) and her Master of Graphic Design from North Carolina State University (NCSU). Her research on cultural revitalization through design tools and strategies created a new demand for tribal competence in graphic design research. Red Wing urges Native American graphic designers to express visual sovereignty in their design work and encourages academia to include an Indigenous perspective in design curriculum. Currently, Red Wing is an instructor at Arizona State University while obtaining her PhD in Graphic Design at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.
