Rising Youth Theatre

Risk/Reward

Robert Martinez, born in Riverton, Wyoming, draws profound inspiration from his Chicano and Northern Arapaho heritage. He graduated from the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design in just three years, making him one of the youngest graduates at the time.

Martinez’s work merges Indigenous Plains Ledger Art traditions with graphite-rendered figures, bold airbrushed acrylics, and brushed highlights on antique paper, resulting in powerful visual statements. Drawing inspiration from the hardworking people of the West, his art serves as a bridge between the past and present.

A recipient of Wyoming’s Governor’s Art Award, his work is part of the permanent collections at The Plains Indian Museum at the Center of the West, The Brinton Museum, The Wyoming State Museum, The Nic, and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

Rock Springs Renewal Fund

Roots Music Project

RootStock Arts

Program Associate/ Volunteer Coordinator, Tieton Arts and Humanities

Customer Service Associate, ANIMARTERENO Collective Program Coordinator

Discipline: Photography

Rudy Rivera is a Chamoru cultural practitioner raised in Santa Rita, Guam, who also specializes in graphic design, video, and photography. From his involvement within the different guma, he increased his traditional knowledge which led him to utilize his graphical skills to further promote his indigenous heritage.

His preferred art medium is photography His photos capture stories of the CHamoru people, its cultural practices and traditions, as well as the beautiful scenery and its lanmarks around the Marianas Islands. Through his photos, he aims to encourage and safeguard the CHamoru culture, its image, and traditions practices.

Discipline: Visual Arts

Ruta’ Tauiliili-Mahuka is a painter and crafter from Tafuna, American Samoa. Trained in painting by her grandfather, she focuses on island seascapes as well as close ups of island flora and fauna. She is also a crafter and creates wire jewelry that incorporates coconut, lava and shell beads as well as sea glass harvested from local beaches. Her work aims at raising awareness about environmental issues by using nature as both subject and materials. Her goal is to engage the viewer and to try and strengthen their relationship with island environments from the tropical forests to marine ecosystems.

Salida Circus Outreach Foundation

Salt Lake County Arts & Culture