Tessa Doyebi-Robledo to be Featured in a Special Exhibition at the Southern Plains Indian Museum

ANADARKO, OKLAHOMA:  The Southern Plains Indian Museum, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Crafts Board, announces the opening of a new exhibition, Contemporary Southern Plains Beadwork, featuring Tessa Doyebi-Robledo.  The exhibition will be open from January 26 to April 10, 2024, and is free to the public. 

Tessa, an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma and descendant of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, is an accomplished beadwork artist with more than 40 years of experience.  She attended the Haskell Indian Nations University and Butler County College, and now resides in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, where she works as a representative for Molina Healthcare Inc.  

Over the past forty years, Tessa has developed her beadwork to a high level of artistic expertise.  In her youth, she attended community art classes taught by her mother, Ernestine Doyebi—an early start to what became a lifelong passion for beading.  Her great grandmother, Ruby Doyebi, taught her the traditional methods, styles, and the meanings of family designs that have been passed down over generations.  After spending many years practicing Tribal styles, Tessa has developed a contemporary style that honors traditional teachings.  In her pieces, Tessa varies the use of a traditional two needle stitch and a one needle stitch, and often uses smoked buckskin hide, wool, or white deer skin.  Another distinctive feature of her artwork is the incorporation of quillwork, for which she uses a self-taught zig-zag stitch.  Tessa takes great pride in creating beadwork that mixes contemporary ideas with traditional stitching and spends a great deal of time developing her designs and coordinating unique color variations to create one-of-a-kind pieces. 

Tessa began displaying her beadwork in professional art markets for sale and competition in 2020, when she participated in the Santa Fe Virtual Market.  Since then, she has displayed her work at the Santa Fe Indian Market, Heard Museum Guild Market & Fair, Native Treasures Art Market, and National Museum of the American Indian Winter Market.  

This exhibit marks the first solo exhibition of Tessa’s work and the first time her art has been exhibited in a professional museum setting.  The artwork featured in the exhibition may be purchased by contacting the artist directly via email (Comanche.Kiowa@gmail.com), Instagram (@tdesignsbeadwork), or by visiting Tessa’s website (t-designsbeadwork.com/home).  A gallery talk and reception will be held on Friday January 26th from 6-8 pm. 

The Southern Plains Indian Museum is administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Crafts Board.  For hours of operation, please call the Southern Plains Indian Museum at (405) 247-6221 or visit www.doi.gov/iacb/southern-plains-indian-museum.