Meet Leah Mata Fragua

Lower Thirds Title: yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini (ytt) Northern Chumash

Leah is a member of yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini (ytt) Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region who practices stewardship and copes with the global climate crisis through art. Specifically, Leah practices “Place-Based” arts and creates beautiful jewelry out of the red abalone. Through the ongoing red abalone issue she has adapted her art form to fit the current conditions. For example, she only uses naturally harvested red abalone that has been donated by individuals with shells stored from previous years in a traditional context. These naturally harvested abalone go towards traditional jewelry that is used in the way it was intended and by tribal members. To adapt, she also uses these abalone, which are low in stock, to make smaller doll replica regalia which represents what her jewelry and traditional regalia looks like. She also utilizes farmed abalone for use in non-native projects like museum exhibits. 

Her goal in pursuing this craft is to have an impact on direct community engagement. She also hopes to display the “critical dialogue among place-based art practitioners who need to find new ways to continue making their art” (see website linked bellow). It is her belief that she may use her creative medium to portray a message of urgency and provoke action within surrounding communities.

Link to Leah’s shop: http://www.leahmata.com