Mikayla Patton (Oglala Lakota) is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose creative work intimately engages materials such as recycled handmade paper, porcupine quills, glass beads, and natural elements to create sculptural objects and installations. Through her studio practice, Patton employs Lakota methodologies and adornment practices to explore themes of healing, growth, and renewal.
Patton holds a BFA in Studio Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts and is based in Pennsylvania. She has exhibited her work nationally at venues including Chiaroscuro Contemporary Art in Santa Fe, Landmark Arts in Lubbock, All My Relations Gallery in Minneapolis, and the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans. In 2025, her work will be featured at the Zimmerli Art Museum in New Brunswick, the North Dakota Museum of Art in Grand Forks, and the Al Held Foundation in Boiceville.
Patton’s work is included in public collections such as the Denver Art Museum, the Tia Collection, the Atka Lakota Museum, the North Dakota Museum of Art, and The Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art. She is a 2024 Forge Project Fellow and a 2023 Joan Mitchell Fellow. Her studio practice has also been supported by the Ucross Foundation, the Native Arts and Culture Foundation, First Peoples Fund, the Harpo Foundation, the Indian Arts Research Center, the RAiR Foundation, and her community. Patton is currently based in Pennsylvania.