Jessica Metcalfe
Jessica Metcalfe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dunseith, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Art historian, author, entrepreneur, educator |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Known for | Native American fashion research, Beyond Buckskin Boutique |
Jessica Metcalfe is an art historian with a focus on Native American fashion and a member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe based in Belcourt, North Dakota. She is also an educator, author, and entrepreneur who owns Beyond Buckskin Boutique.
Early life and education
Raised in Dunseith, North Dakota, Metcalfe has shared that experiences with racial tensions contributed to her initial hesitation in wearing clothing that visibly represented her Indigenous heritage.
She completed her bachelor's degree at Dartmouth College and later obtained a doctorate in American Indian studies from the University of Arizona.
Career
Metcalfe is a prominent supporter of the "Buy Native" initiative, encouraging partnerships with Native designers and ensuring consumers purchase directly from Indigenous artists.
Her blog, Beyond Buckskin, was established in 2009 to disseminate research on Native fashion. In 2012, she launched Beyond Buckskin Boutique as an e-commerce platform showcasing Native American designers. This enterprise grew to include a physical store on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation by 2016.
She contributed as managing editor and writer for Red Ink Magazine, which centers on Indigenous arts and humanities. From 2011 to 2012, Metcalfe held visiting professor positions at both Turtle Mountain Community College and Arizona State University, where she taught courses in Native American studies, art history, literature, and anthropology.
Metcalfe has delivered presentations at significant events such as the Entrepreneurship and Indigenous Art Conference, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. Her professional focus encompasses Native American art and design spanning historical to modern eras, including co-curating exhibitions.
In 2013, she coordinated a Native American fashion show at the Idyllwild Arts Foundation Theatre in California and curated a fashion exhibit at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe. Additionally, she served as an advisor for the Native Fashion Now exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum in 2015.
Personal life
Metcalfe moved to Gardena, North Dakota in 2012.
External links
- Living people
- Dartmouth College alumni
- University of Arizona alumni
- American online retailer founders
- American businesspeople in fashion
- American bloggers
- Ojibwe women writers
- Ojibwe writers
- Native American women writers
- 21st-century American women
- 21st-century Native American women
- 21st-century Native American writers