In her powerful series of portraits, artist and activist Nayana LaFond sheds light on the crisis affecting Indigenous peoples, particularly women, who are eleven times more likely to go missing than the national average. Each portrait depicts a missing or murdered Indigenous person, a family member, or an advocate, rendered in shades of gray and marked by a vivid red handprint to raise awareness, inspire action, and honor the lives and stories of those impacted by this crisis.
LaFond, a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, lives in Western Massachusetts. After studying at the Massachusetts College of Art, she became a full-time painter and has served as a curator and community arts organizer for over twenty years. She was selected as the recipient of the Central Massachusetts YWCA Katharine F. Erskine Award in Art and Culture in 2023 and is featured in TWIRL, an ongoing archive of artist stories comprised of interviews and visual imagery.
Kimberly in RED, 2022; Anonymous Woman of the White Buffalo in RED, 2022; and Vanessa in RED, 2022; by Nayana LaFond (Métis Nation of Ontario, born 1981), all acrylic on canvas.
