Wendy Red Star

Wendy Red Star is an Apsáalooke artist whose multidisciplinary practice is grounded in the histories, archives, and lived knowledge of the Apsáalooke Nation. She was raised in the district of Pryor in Montana, and her work grows from the stories passed through her family, the materials she encounters in historical records, and the lineage she carries forward. The places, people, and histories that shaped her early life continue to guide her research and artistic process.

Featuring a portrait of Chief Plenty Coups, Red Star’s medallion recognizes the Apsáalooke leader as a sovereign statesman. By subverting the visual language of presidential medals, the work interrogates the contradictions of the Declaration of Independence and asserts the enduring authority and reciprocity of Native nations.