Written by Krystal Wind, Dean of Student Affairs, College of the Muscogee Nation
Danielle Fixico is Chickasaw, Muscogee, and Choctaw. She is a College of the Muscogee Nation (CMN) alumna, class of 2017. She serves as faculty at CMN, teaching Art I and II, Freshman Composition I, Humanities I, and Native American History. Danielle’s preferred art form is mixed media, which includes drawing, painting, beadwork, and fashion.
Danielle has been creating art her entire life. Her 3rd grade art teacher ignited her artistic passion. The Comanche artist encouraged and challenged Danielle to practice her skills and was her first mentor. Art teachers and professors throughout her educational journey have inspired Danielle from elementary school through college. An important lesson learned from each of her mentors is that artists should consider the purpose and meaning of their work, which she now encourages and challenges her students to do.
Danielle’s art represents versatility and awareness. Her creations include various materials. Depending on the project she is working on, she utilizes items such as clothing, wood, flowers, fabric, metal, and paper. One of her favorite materials to work with is fabric. She searches for unique materials and inspiration wherever she goes and constantly seeks new inspiration for projects.
Danielle finds her creative inspiration in current issues that Indigenous women face. She utilizes butterfly wings in her work as a symbol for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement. Danielle spent three years researching butterflies and continues to use them in her work. She displays the butterfly to symbolize change and metamorphosis, which she compares to Indigenous matriarchs who carry our culture to future generations. In the Chickasaw Tribe, butterflies symbolize beauty and strength. She also incorporates Indigenous regalia into her pieces to represent the uniqueness of Indigenous women.
Working with tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) is vital to Danielle because attending a TCU taught her the foundations of how to be a college student. “I feel like I wouldn’t have been as successful as I am if not for a TCU getting me started on my journey and having those professors to support us as students. I knew I wanted to inspire Indigenous students someday and I feel lucky to be here,” she stated.
Working on the Native Arts program is essential to Danielle because CMN does not have an art program yet and she sees the potential that CMN students have as artists. Many of CMN’s students come from rural areas. They may not have had many opportunities to take art courses, so the American Indian College Fund Community Arts Grant provides opportunities for students to learn more about art and artistic expression.
Danielle’s vision for the future of Native arts is to encourage artists to develop their style and to go outside the box. She says Indigenous art has no boundaries and does not follow one format. She encourages her students to create how they want to because they are unique. Learning about Native arts is essential because it is a part of our Indigenous culture. Art is a form of communication that helps us to maintain our cultural identity.
Feel free to check out Danielle’s work at IG: @daniellefixico, Exhibit C Gallery in Oklahoma City, College of the Muscogee Nation’s campus, and at exhibition locations in Tulsa, OK.
