Jared DeCelles is a Gos Ventre/ Assiniboine sculptor, working primarily in stone. Attending the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico has opened up a world of opportunities for him. Growing up with a father who was also a sculptor, he has been immersed in the art world since childhood. After winning some awards and having sold his first sculpture at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, his interest in art took off. Helping his father with three monumental-sized sculptures also made him take his interest in art more seriously.

Attending IAIA has opened up opportunities he hadn’t considered. Getting the opportunity to work at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico, gave him more knowledge on how to present and make assessments about an artwork’s condition. Jared has worked on the Navajo Nation reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico. Where he was an assistant instructor for the Dahayoigii cultural youth art event.

Working for museums and a few renowned artist studios has given him a unique perspective on how to make and present art. He continues to find new ways to express himself through his art. Focusing on the energy that flows within, working through emotions like grief, love, and happiness. “This is where stone gives me one way to show these emotions in a physical form.”