Art Honors Ancestry
By Marissa Burkman '23 BS
I began using art to stay connected with my grandma during college. Once a week for three years I painted and wrote to her. We found every single card when she died.
Today, I use art to educate others and raise awareness about important issues. My first line of stickers focuses on the decline of Indigenous languages and biodiversity in overlapping geographic regions. Half of the profits are donated to organizations supporting each cause. Making stickers helps me feel connected to my grandma and my family’s lost history due to colonialism. It also helps me connect with our community and my future self as I grow through my journey in graduate school and find direction in my career.
Marissa is currently a graduate assistant in NMU’s Biology Department, continuing her passion for biology, with a neuroscience concentration.
