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A life of creation: Designer Patricia Michaels named 2024 Living Treasure
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Patricia Michaels鈥� hand-painted textiles tell stories of snowy aspens, mountain walks and raindrops, as well as birth, struggle and triumph.
The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) has named the Santa Fe designer the 2024 recipient of its Living Treasure Award.
The award is part of the annual MIAC Native Treasures Art Market on Memorial Day weekend. It honors Native American artists who have made outstanding artistic contributions to the field of Indigenous arts and culture.
鈥淲hen they told me, I cried,鈥� Michaels said in a telephone interview from Santa Fe. 鈥淚 was like, what? Are you serious? Are you going to change your mind?鈥�
The artist is known for her haute couture designs.
Growing up in Santa Fe and Taos, she was surrounded by beauty 鈥� the cultures, landscapes and the art, all of which influenced her design aesthetic.
She became widely known through participation in the Emmy Award-winning season 11 of 鈥淧roject Runway.鈥�
When Michaels was growing up, her family members and friends made their own ceremonial clothing. From the age of 4, she sat at her mother鈥檚 feet as she cut and sewed hand-me-down clothing to fit her daughter. Her grandfather brain-tanned his own deer hide to stitch his own moccasins.
鈥淚 learned different techniques and styles and I thought it was fascinating,鈥� Michaels said.
鈥淭hey were very prolific in my family,鈥� she added. 鈥淭hey would dance and they would sing. There wasn鈥檛 a pair of hands I didn鈥檛 appreciate.鈥�
By the time she was in Santa Fe High School, she was designing sports and cheerleader uniforms. It formed the nucleus of her self-expression outside of the pueblo.
Michaels lived in the old Taos Pueblo with her grandparents for three years as a teenager.
Later, she worked in the Santa Fe Opera鈥檚 costume department, a job she had dreamed of since childhood.
鈥淚 knew it was the only place where I could learn good production,鈥� she said.
Michaels studied at both the Institute of American Indian Arts and, following the example of her mentor Lloyd Kiva New, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Her textile designing flourished and she set up a company, PM Waterlily LLC. The label combines her initials and her Native name, Waterlily.
鈥淵ears later, I went to Italy and worked with an Italian tailor,鈥� she added.
Santa Fe-based designer Patricia Michaels is honored
Michaels was the first Native American to have a label at New York鈥檚 Fashion Week, and the first to appear on 鈥淧roject Runway.鈥�
During the show鈥檚 11th season, Michaels presented a blue dress covered with handcrafted mica pendants and a head piece whose filaments veiled the model鈥檚 face. She placed first runner-up.
Today, her designs weave haute couture with traditional Native motifs, much of it on silk.
鈥淚 had a pet black widow in the fourth grade,鈥� Michaels said. 鈥淚 wanted to see how silk is made. It was very fast and messy. I feel like that transferred itself into my inner child. I reinvent and reinvent, and that always calls me.鈥�
She sometimes begins by sketching out her ideas on paper. When she鈥檚 feeling particularly inspired, she paints directly onto the fabric.
Paper bread is her latest inspiration. Also known as piki bread (Hopi Pueblo) and pe鈥� lee bread (Taos Pueblo), it鈥檚 made using blue cornmeal.
鈥淚t translates really well in the silk,鈥� Michaels said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very asymmetrical garments.鈥�
She often translates flowers from nature, using layers of ethereal silk. Fiber reactive dye becomes her paint.
In 2023, Michaels dressed the Canadian actress Tantoo Cardinal for the Cannes Film Festival premiere of 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon,鈥� directed by Martin Scorsese. IAIA bought the dress for its collection.
鈥淚t was all hand-painted eagle feathers,鈥� Michaels said. 鈥淭hose are my signature.
鈥淪he called me and asked me if I was interested,鈥� she continued. 鈥淎n hour later, I had the designs.鈥�
Michael鈥檚 work can also be seen in the MIAC exhibit 鈥淧ainted By Hand: The Textiles of Patricia Michaels.鈥�
