Murphy Adams was born in 1977 in Great Falls, MT. A mixed blood descendent of the Oglala, Lakota tribe, Murphy-Adams was raised in western Montana and earned a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from The University of Montana in 2004. Murphy-Adams learned beadwork at a very early age as well as hide tanning, sewing, and traditional clothing design. Much of Murphy-Adams’ artworks stems from a combination of traditional Native and Modern arts and serves as a cultural narrative, an expression of personal experience, and an exploration of form and function.

“My work is primarily narrative,” says Murphy-Adams. “There are times when I am telling a specific story and pattern, and design becomes the means of illustrating a compelling history. In other cases, I am simply evoking emotional responses to basic elements such as shape and color. My fiber work designs originate from older, more traditional sources of needlework from both Native and Anglo history. The liberties I take with materials, line quality, and design elements reflect my interest in contemporary art and the development of abstraction in the Western art tradition. My work reflects the issues of politics, cultural identity, and learning to live with the weight of the past.”

Murphy-Adams has exhibited artworks in 108|Contemporary’s exhibition The State of Craft: Oklahoma Members and VisionMakers2016. Her work has been featured across the country and is part of permanent collections in Washington, Virginia, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Montana. Murphy-Adams recently received “Best of Show” at FiberWorks 2017 at ahha Tulsa.

Watch an interview with Molly Murphy-Adams here