Conference: Histories and Futures
Debra Yepa-pappan
Naea 2026, Chicago, Il
Debra Yepa-Pappan, a Korean and Jemez Pueblo artist, uses digital imagery to explore and affirm her mixed-race identity. Beginning with black-and-white photography that challenged Native American stereotypes, she shifted toward work that centers her own lived experience, conveying pride in both her cultures. By blending symbolic imagery from Korean and Pueblo traditions with a contemporary pop aesthetic, she highlights resonances across her identities. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is held in major collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Native Art and the British Library. Yepa-Pappan lives in Chicago with her husband and daughter.
Regional artist talk
Prayers from water (Jemez Feast Day version), digital image printed on antique ledger paper stained with Kool-aid, 2016.
If you have any other questions or comments about the talk, please feel free to contact our Exhibitions and conference coordinator, Laura Lee McCartney at Lmccartney@twu.edu.