Mikaela Shafer
Mikaela Shafer (Hopi) is a mother, artist, and community builder residing in Olympia, Washington. With a passion for storytelling and marketing, she has amassed over 15 years of experience helping businesses tell their stories and build community through a strategy of authentic content that inspires, educates, and uplifts. Her marketing business, Maqa Collective, collaborates with organizations and individuals who are making positive impacts in their worlds. Within her community, Mikaela serves as the Co-Chair of the Olympia Cultural Access Advisory Board, a committee that supports public programs in arts, culture, heritage, and science. Her artwork has been featured in galleries across the US and in London, and she was recently honored with the LIFT Award for Indigenous artists through the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. Through her artistic endeavors, community engagement, and storytelling, Mikaela strives to make a meaningful impact on the cultural landscape, advocating for inclusivity and empowerment in her community and beyond.​
Solo Exhibitions
2024 • Native Arts and Cultures Center, Matrilineal Memory solo exhibition, Portland, OR
2024 •Thomas Architecture Studios, solo show, Olympia, WA
2023 •Bar Francis, solo show, Olympia, WA
2023 •The Nest, Lantern Records, Olympia, WA, Collection of work, artist talk.
2023 •HMVC Gallery, New York, Solo exhibition in a virtual gallery and feature in the ‘Abstract is Abstract’ exhibition
2023 •Times Square Solo Feature with HMVC Gallery, Art features in Times Square Exhibition
2020 •Desert Dreams, Custom Painted Mural, Olympia, WA
2019 •Therapeutic Hijinx, Wheatpaste Mural Exhibit, Bombay Beach, CA
2018 •Desert Darling, Mixed Media Mural Exhibit, Bombay Beach, CA
Group Exhibitions/Projects
2024• Ilk Beer Collaboration with Dog Bog Studios
2023• Still here, Still Native, Fayetteville, NC, November 2023
2023•TCMOFA Indigenous Exhibit, Olympia, Wa, October 2023
2023 •SB Arts Gallery, London, March and June 2023
2023 •Providence Art Club, Rhode Island, Edward Mitchell Bannister National Exhibition: Celebrating BIPOC Artists, July 2021
2023 •Leonor R. Fuller Gallery, Olympia, Wa, 2023 Southwest Washington Juried Art Exhibit, July 2023
2023 •Emerging Artist Award Group Show, Virtual, Arts to Hearts Project
2015 •Ogden 52, Photography Exhibit, Ogden, UT
2009 •The End Is Nigh, Costume Designs and Fashion Show, Portland, OR
Residencies, Experience, Awards
2024 1st place contemporary abstract art Santa Fe Indian Market
2024 Curated Native Vote poster art exhibition
2024 Curatorial team for Coast Salish Museum of Fine Arts by TCMOFA
2024 Guest Curator, SPSCC Native Arts Exhibition, November 2024
2023 Native Arts and Cultures Foundation LIFT Awardee
2023 Curatorial team for Coast Salish Museum of Fine Arts
2023-2025 Co-Chair, Cultural Access Advisory Board of Olympia
2023 Sou’ Wester Artist Residency, Washington
2023 Arts to Heart Emerging Artist Women Award
2019 Influential Women in Northern Utah- Weber State University
Publications
•Navajo-Hopi Observer: https://www.nhonews.com/features/healing-one-stitch-at-a-time
•Underscore News: Portland Art Exhibit Provokes Healing Through Remembering
•Indian Country Today: https://ictnews.org/news/portland-art-exhibit-provokes-healing-through-remembering
•Hopi Times: Hopi Artist Mikaela Shafer Showcases “Matrilineal Memory”
•Oly Arts Magazine: Cover Story
•Aesthetica Magazine: https://aestheticamagazine.com/profile/mikaela-shafer/
•Oly Arts Magazine: Oly Arts Magazine
•Utah Stories: Utah Stories-Mikaela Shafer
•Northern Utah Women Making History: Weber State Archives
•Canvas Rebel Feature: Canvas Rebel
•SPSCC Artist Talk: Watch here
Professional Experience
Thurston County Museum of Fine Arts, Curator. 2023/2024
On the curatorial team for the Indigenous exhibit for this museum's editions of Indigenous art for 2 years.
This unique Advocacy Cohort, specifically for Native wome, aims to provide tools on how to advocate for issues and amplify your advocacy, highlight the legislative and political process, and develop communications strategies.
Social Media, Storytelling, Artist Resources, and Community Building workshops 2020–present
Taught various workshops and classes for the Native Action Network, Indigenous Education Initiative, Enterprise for Equity, Shoalwater Bay Reservation, and private lessons for individuals and groups.
Maqa Collective 2020-present
Founder, Olympia, WA
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Social Media Marketing
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Copywriting, designing, and developing strategies for businesses, including yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives Collective, Indigenous Education Initiative of Michigan, and Enterprise for Equity.
Indie Ogden 2010-2019
Founder, Olympia, WA
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Founded a newspaper, magazine, and online publication
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Created Indie Ogden Awards gala, an annual event of over 500 people
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Recipient of multiple awards, including Best Blog, Best Community Spotlight, and Influential Women of Northern Utah