“I just want these things to exist … rather than in my head or in an archival picture somewhere,” said artist Janae Grass (Sac and Fox/Absentee Shawnee/Mvskoke) in an interview over Zoom. Grass, a silversmith and beadwork artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was talking about her artistic output.
“Whether it’s on a wall or on a person, I just want these things to be out in the world.”
Grass co-curated the exhibition Echoes of Time and Place: Sauk Art and Culture with fellow artist Tony Tiger (Sac and Fox/Seminole/Mvskoke). The exhibition, which opened Oct. 3 at the Dubuque Museum of Art, marks one of the first traveling art exhibitions made up entirely of work by Sac and Fox artists.
There are three Sac and Fox federally recognized tribes: the Meskwaki Nation in Tama, the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas, and the Sac and Fox Nation headquartered in Oklahoma. Echoes of Time and Place reunites Sac and Fox, or Sauk, artists from the Oklahoma land with their ancestral homelands in Iowa.
For years, the annual Sac and Fox Nation Powwow had Sauk appliqué and men’s woodlands-style dancers compete in the broader “traditional” category. Alongside other communities from the Great Lakes, the styles are traditional to the Sauk and are known for the dancers’ colorful appliqué, or cutout designs of ribbon (also called ribbonwork). In addition to this traditional category, Grass and her family presented specials — competitions in which dancers compete outside of their scheduled categories for prizes. Specials are always hosted by a specific family or person, and offer an opportunity to give something back to the community while highlighting Sauk-specific material culture.
Since Grass’ family specials, both the Sauk appliqué and men’s woodlands styles have been upgraded to competition categories during the powwow, and attract dozens of dancers. Grass was even chosen to be the powwow’s Head Lady dancer a few summers ago.
In her family’s specials Grass provided prizes for winning dancers, like an appliqué skirt for the women and beaded garters for the men that might make them stand out to the audience when they compete in the future. Despite the labor-intensive process of appliqué and beadwork, it is vital to Grass to keep creating them.
Both appliqué and beadwork are well-represented in the exhibition, including in Grass’s Red Sticks and Yellow Earth, in which a beaded double-curved floral motif is affixed to reclaimed leather in the shape of a pipe bag. When it comes to giving her work to someone, like for the specials, Grass said, “It’s amazing when I’ve seen someone wearing something I’ve made. There is a rewarding feeling to see someone give those items their moment to dance.”
This explains Grass’s dual body of work that traverses effortlessly between art and fashion. Manitobah, a footwear brand out of Canada, collaborated with Grass on her own collection. Grass described the experience as her first time “translating beadwork” into designs.
According to Grass, “Beadwork is my first love,” a canvas to depict the abstract florals popular in Sauk designs.
Grass learned to bead from her grandmother at age 15. This came out of her desire to get into the powwow arena to dance herself. After learning to bead her own moccasins, Grass came to understand the form. During her partnership with Manitobah, she learned to craft beyond functionality and into fashion. As a certified B Corps™ and Native-led organization, Grass felt Manitobah had plenty of experience working with Indigenous artists, which helped her trust what they were doing.
A few years later, in September 2025, Grass found a similarly encouraging space in the first-ever Indigenous New York Fashion Week (INYFW). At first, Grass just planned on offering pieces for designers to use on the runway as accessories. That changed after the organizers approached Grass, asking her to be a part of a Jewelry Runway Showcase.
While it was her first time designing for a runway, she was able to show her work in a wide range of media on the runway. From silversmithing and beadwork to a fringed leather collar, Grass’s jewelry shone under the spotlight.
Models wearing Grass’ jewelery pieces at the Jewelry Runway Showcase at the first-ever Indigenous New York Fashion Week in Sept. 2025. — photos courtesy of the artist 
Models wearing Grass’ jewelery pieces at the Jewelry Runway Showcase at the first-ever Indigenous New York Fashion Week in Sept. 2025. — photos courtesy of the artist 
Models wearing Grass’ jewelery pieces at the Jewelry Runway Showcase at the first-ever Indigenous New York Fashion Week in Sept. 2025. — photos courtesy of the artist 
Models wearing Grass’ jewelery pieces at the Jewelry Runway Showcase at the first-ever Indigenous New York Fashion Week in Sept. 2025. — photos courtesy of the artist
The experience was “hectic,” but Grass still felt a “comfort of knowing where I was heading [because] people knew where I was coming from.” INYFW featured all Indigenous models and an understanding of what goes into Native fashion, evidenced by the organizers planning a runway exclusively dedicated to jewelry.
Curating an exhibition and designing for a runway are both skills Grass has developed early in her career. In Grass’ opinion, “Native art and fashion are interchangeable.” Much of the art she makes can be worn.
IHKWÊWA: Leaders is a hand-sewn ribbonwork blanket, free-hanging in the exhibition beside a portrait of former Sac and Fox Principal Chief Mary F. McCormick. The blanket uses archival photos of Sauk women to spell out “ihkwêwa” meaning “women” in Sauk. This includes Chief McCormick’s sister Dora Young, whose picture spells the “W.” Young was the first woman elected principal chief for the Sac and Fox Nation. Through the blanket and its corresponding photo, Grass positions the work in time to tie a chord between the legacies of Sauk women in history and today.
In early August, the Native Arts + Culture Foundation announced they were honoring Grass with a LIFT Award as a talented and emerging artist. As part of the award, Grass is making a site-specific bead installation, departing from her usual, wearable work.
Grass hopes anyone can feel welcome in her installation, each piece serving as an invitation. Whether she’s inviting appliqué and woodlands dancers into the arena or welcoming artists to their ancestral homelands, Grass is all about gathering a community. In Echoes of Time and Place, Janae Grass invites you to join, too.
You can view Grass’s work at the Dubuque Museum of Art in Dubuque until the exhibition closes on February 27, 2027.
