Matzke Fine Art and Design

Shana Yellow Calf Lukinich

Shana Yellow Calf, an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho in Wyoming. Shana has been producing captivating art in various mediums since the 1990s, blending her rich plains heritage – Arapaho/Shoshone, her mother’s Chippewa/Metis ancestry, and the Pacific Northwest Coastal influence from the Puget Sound area of Washington where she grew up.

Her artwork, known for its vibrant colors, narrates stories of life events and tales passed down to her, merging traditional dance forms with contemporary expressions. Shana’s dedication to her craft has earned her recognition in the Indianz magazine and exhibits across prestigious galleries, including the Soil Gallery in Seattle, Sacred Circle Gallery and the Washington State History Museum. Shana also was the recipient of a grant from the City of Redmond to create a multi medium piece of art for the new Redmond Senior & Community Center which opened May 2024. Shana has also returned as an artist to the Montana Folk Festival and made her debut at the Santa Fe Indian Market in 2024.

Currently, Shana has put her creative prowess into a children’s book based on her celebrated piece ‘Frybread Trails’ and the Frybread Gang.

All of her paintings tell a story, whether it’s a traditional one, interactions with people, or things happening in her own life. Shana firmly believes that art should be optimistic and tries to never paint when she feels sad or angry in case it translates into her work. She expresses that the enjoyment from seeing the stories can make people happy, having a bad day can be changed by seeing art. Art can help escape from the things that make you sad, it should be positive. Having been through hard times herself, Shana notes that she always got through by finding that one thing that reminds her that there are still good things out there. If her art can be that thing for someone else going through hard times, then she believes she has done her job.