About the Artist

Garrett Etsitty ( Dine’ ) was born and raised in Chinle, Arizona. Garrett grew up with a deep love of painting and culture. From the petroglyphs on the canyon walls to the stories passed down from his elders, his work draws upon the inspiration of what it means to be a Dine’ person. Garrett uses complex unions, of vivid colors and layers to articulate an indigenous understanding of thought, creation and ideology that moves beyond time and space. He presents a world view that comes directly from the stories handed down by the elders of his tribe. Garrett’s paintings express a oneness with creation, an unbroken loop from the creation story of his people to the the modern day. Interweaving the parallels of the unconscious with the struggle of the natural environment. Garrett’s primary audience is the youth and believes his art will capture the young urban Indigenous minds to preserve culture.

“ My target audience has always been the youth. The youth are the ones who will carry our stories forward, I paint for the love of painting but also for the love of my culture. I want to make our stories come alive. I want the viewer to feel like they can reach out and touch the stories  that have been handed down.”

Garrett Etsitty has a widespread collection of works in the Southwest. He has worked collaboratively and individually on a variety of socially engaged interdisciplinary projects for over a decade.