Matika Wilbur

Matika Wilbur is from the Swinomish and Tulalip Tribes. She is the founder and photographer of Project 562, a documentary project dedicated to, “changing the way we see Native America”. Since Project 562’s genesis in 2011, Matika has journeyed 400,000 miles to create images of Native Americans from more than 400 sovereign nations-visiting and photographing Indigenous people from all 50 states. The result is an unprecedented repository of images and oral narratives that celebrate contemporary Indigenous identity.

After earning her BFA from Brooks Institute of Photography, Matika began her career in fashion and commercial work in Los Angeles. She found herself “turned off” by the commercial world, and instead decided to use photography as a tool for social justice. Project 562 is Matika’s fourth major creative project elevating Native American identity and culture: her first project captured portraits of Coast Salish elders for “We Are One People” (2004, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington and The Royal British Columbia Museum of Fine Arts, Victoria, British Columbia); “We Emerge”, featuring Native people in contemporary urban and traditional settings (2008, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, Washington); and “Save the Indian and Kill the Man”, addressing the forced cultural assimilation of Natives from1880 to 1980 (2012, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, Washington).While working as a professional photographer, she was asked to give back to her community and teach at the Tribal school. She received her teaching certification and taught primary education for five years. There, she experienced firsthand the lack of educational resource to teach Indigenous intelligence, dismayed by a curriculum that did not provide Native youths with positive imagery and understanding. This work inspired Project 562. She says, “Project 562 is a soul-bearing labor of love that has been overwhelmingly welcomed and supported. Sitters have become best friends, mentors, and prayer companions in solidarity to tell our stories. In turn, I’ve presented at prominent institutions, published in national syndications, aided federal task forces in Washington, D.C., resisted at Standing Rock. I’ve helped develop curricula, partnered with non-profits to research Indigenous representation, and installed public art. I am now part of Native-led content visibility when we were otherwise invisible, debunking racist policies and diluted but toxic mainstream stereotypes.” Matika has offered over 300 keynotes in the past two years, at places like Harvard, Yale, Berkeley, Google, and The National Education Association, but also through visionary vehicles like TED Talks. She is currently a National Geographic Explorer and recipient of the distinguished Leica Photo Award. Dispatches from Project 562 can be found on Matika’s Instagram account (@project_562), and she co-hosts the million listened podcast All My Relations, which invites guests to explore the connections between land, creatural relatives, and one another. More is available at matikawilbur.com, project562.com and allmyrelationspodcast.com.