In this episode we hear from artist Natalie Ball who dives right in sharing critical artworld survival insight gleaned from a life changing studio visit by artist Willie T. Williams while she was attending Yale School of Art. Among a long list of support tactics Willie imparted, the artist emplored Natalie to find a means to sustain a studio practice beyond sales, and as an artist, to always be in control of your work and process. Natalie also shares vulnerable truths from her experience as a Black Indigenous artist navigating both the Native artworld and the larger contemporary artworld. We chat about higher education and how it has been as a pathway of respite as Natalie navigated motherhood from a young age. We talk about the journey Natalie experienced having a child with a chronic illness and how she took a 5 year hiatus from art, stepping into a focused world of love and care for family back home on her territory. We talk about this current moment in time for Natalie - unpacking the need for administrative support in order to create the time to make the work and how art school does not always provide the tangible insight on how an artist can build this support into their career. Material and place informs Natalie’s work most - from her studio practice to motherhood to work on her territory - everything is connected. She uplifts play and joy as critical components to her practice, noting the courage and intention it takes to create this response to a harsh world. Through her work and life, Natalie asserts that art is power and holds the ability to transform our way of thinking. In her practice she boldly asks her audience to open their hearts and minds to new ways of seeing, presenting a call to “Come with me!”.

Natalie Ball was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She has a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Indigenous, Race & Ethnic Studies & Art from the University of Oregon. She furthered her education in Aotearoa (NZ) at Massey University where she attained her Master’s degree with a focus on Indigenous contemporary art. Ball then relocated to her ancestral Homelands in Southern Oregon/Northern California to raise her three children. In 2018, Natalie earned her M.F.A. degree in Painting & Printmaking at Yale School of Art. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally. She is the recipient of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation’s Oregon Native Arts Fellowship 2021, the Ford Family Foundation’s Hallie Ford Foundation Fellow 2020, the Joan Mitchell Painters & Sculptors Grant 2020, Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant 2019, and the Seattle Art Museum’s Betty Bowen Award 2018. Natalie Ball is now an elected official serving on the Klamath Tribes Tribal Council.

Artist Website: www.natalieball.com

Music Featured: Damn Right by Snotty Nose Rez Kids
Broken Boxes intro track by India Sky