2025, 72 x 48 x 26"
Rewinding of a kinsman refers to the need to reestablish healthy ecosystems and help the animals survive. It is also a symbol of Native American thoughts that bears are our kin. While talking about renewing the environment we must renew ourselves and get back to the part of us connected to nature. Put in the work to transform.
2025, varied upon installation, Media: Mixed Media
I’m haunted by the legacy of stolen land, forced assimilation, and the erasure of Native American identities. As a child, I felt a deep connection to Native American culture, even before I knew of my own ancestry [after visiting a tribe in Niagara Falls, Canada].
As someone of both Native American (Lenape) and European colonizer (Scottish/Czech/German) descent, I'm grappling with the complex and often painful history that connects these cultures. I don't claim any Native American citizenship or tribal affiliation, but I'm eager to start a dialogue with myself and others to better understand this heritage.
My artwork weaves together symbols from Catholicism, Native American traditions, and my personal experiences. At the heart of this work is Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American Catholic saint and the patron saint of the environment. She represents the intersection of these cultures. Having been raised Roman Catholic, this piece reflects my exploration of the enduring cultural and spiritual colonization that continues to influence our society—an effort to mold us all into "Good Little Soldiers."
2025, 64 x 38 x 21"
Fieldwork examines the entanglement of agriculture and industry on the quiet violence of land conversion. Using bound hay bales and synthetic straps, the work reflects on the shifting identities of rural spaces under pressure from development, mechanization, and commodification.
2024, variable upon installation
Animism, a belief system that ascribes spiritual essence to all beings and objects, theorizes an interconnected world where humans are not exceptional. This relational world view aligns with the intrinsic power and agency often associated with the feminine.
Historically, women and their bodies, have been subjugated and objectified, often likened to animals in derogatory ways. This installation challenges such reductive portrayals, celebrating the strength, resilience, and wisdom embodied by the female animal kingdom. Matriarchal Elephants: These gentle giants exemplify cooperation, trust, and the power of collective intelligence. Magical Narwhals: Symbolizing the adaptability and vulnerability of women, these creatures navigate complex social dynamics with grace and strength. Trickster Hares: These agile beings embody the subversive nature of feminine power, outwitting adversaries and challenging societal norms. Dominant Hyenas: Female hyenas, as primary hunters and social leaders, challenge traditional gender roles and highlight the potential for female-led societies.
This installation invites viewers to question societal expectations and embrace the transformative power of feminine energy. By defying stereotypes and embracing their unique strengths, women can reclaim their rightful place in the world.
2024, variable upon installation
2024, 77 x 21 24"
2023, Variable upon installation
Bringing the idiom to life. Can We talk about the CRITICALLY ENDANGERED FOREST ELEPHANT and it's importance to climate mitigation before they are all gone?
2023, 20 x 17 x 10",Firing Process: Electric, Low-fire
2023, 30 x 12 x 13",Firing Process: Electric, Low-fire
2024, 53.5 X 20 X 18",Firing Process: Electric, Mid-range
In a departure from my usual in-depth research before starting a project, I decided to embrace a more spontaneous approach, letting the work evolve organically. This piece started my journey into exploring my Native American Susquehannock heritage. Although my tribe is no longer, the Iroquois tribes, with whom they shared language and some cultural aspects, offered a starting point. However, this exploration quickly unveiled broader questions that transcended my own ancestry, encompassing both cultural and environmental concerns. The questions it raises will definitely lead to dedicated research sessions
Artist Statement
Bio
Diane Arrieta is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice bridges environmental science, cultural memory, and feminist materiality. Born in Clearfield, Pennsylvania and raised in Oil City—former site of a Seneca Indian village and later, the birthplace of the U.S. petroleum industry—her early life shaped a lasting awareness of the tension between ancestral land and industrial disruption. These layered histories continue to inform her work, which explores the delicate relationships between nature, resilience, and transformation.
Of Native American (Lenapi) and European (Czechoslovakian agrarian) descent, Arrieta draws from inherited perspectives on land stewardship and ecological interconnectedness. Her tactile installations often incorporate clay, fiber, and found materials, merging traditional craft with contemporary sculptural forms.
Arrieta holds a BFA in ceramic sculpture and an MSc in Wildlife Health from the University of Edinburgh. Her work examines the impact of human behavior on species decline and biodiversity loss, while also advocating for the well-being of women and children—especially in the face of environmental crisis.
Her work has been shown widely across the United States and the United Kingdom, with recent solo and group exhibitions at the Cornell Museum, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, the Boca Raton Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts Tallahassee, and the Art & Culture Center of Hollywood. She has received numerous accolades, including the South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship and the Hector Ubertalli Award for the Visual Arts. She is the founding director of the International Humanities Project Curatorial Lab and has held leadership roles in academic exhibition programming and public art initiatives.