Indigenous Creatives Roster

Mikaela Shafer is a mother, abstract expressionist artist, and community builder based in Olympia, Washington. Raised all across the United States and moving nearly every year of her life, Mikaela left home at an early age to forge her own path. Her journey to where she is now has been unconventional and winding but full of stories and life.

Blending sewing, painting, and collagraphy printing techniques into her artwork, Mikaela creates intentional, deeply emotional, and evocative pieces that speak to her journey of memory, healing from grief, and reconnection through art and poetry. Mikaela's abstract artwork beautifully balances chaos and calm, inviting viewers to discover their own narratives within each piece.

Currently, she is immersed in an ongoing project centered around matrilineal storytelling, rooted in her personal journey of cultural reconnection and healing in a matriarchal culture. Beyond her artistic pursuits, she is actively engaged in her community as the co-chair of the Olympia Cultural Access Advisory Board and as the founder of Maqa Collective, an agency that supports businesses and artists in their marketing efforts through storytelling and community-building.

[email protected]
Olympia, WA