Art Alum, Emmi Whitehorse’s work is featured in the 12th Site SANTA FE International with a piece titled “Cloud Gate” (2025). Whitehorse was born in Crownpoint, New Mexico, and is a member of the Navajo Nation. She earned her BFA in painting here at UNM, and she also went on to get a master’s degree, majoring in both printmaking and minoring in Art History.
Her work represents the Navajo philosophy of Hózhó, which refers to the interconnectedness of harmony, beauty, wellness, and order. This philosophy informs her work and inspires how she creates in such a balanced and intentional way.
Whitehorse said, “My work is about and has always been about land, about being aware of our surroundings and appreciating the beauty of nature. I am concerned that we are no longer aware of those.” Her incredible work is consistent with this quote and is felt even more in “Cloud Gate” (2025). In this abstract painting, one sees forms and figures that resonate with nature, but they are transposed and fill up the space, seeing out our attention and showing their importance.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
READ MORE about the National Museum of Women in the Arts article at https://nmwa.org/ and the National Gallery of Art article at https://www.nga.gov/stories/articles/emmi-whitehorse-paints-harmonies-her-homelands
LEARN MORE about Site SF International at www.sitesantafe.org/en/once-within-a-time/
EXPLORE the work of Emmi Whitehorse by following on Instagram @gaaligaigal.
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