For Mars Pursley ’28 (Fiber, Fashion, and Textile BFA), an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, carrying culture forward has become central to both their artistic practice and their vision for the future.
Pursley grew up learning traditional skills from family members and others in the tribal community — sewing, making moccasins and bags, and creating beadwork. At MICA, those practices have moved to the center of their work, becoming a way to explore culture, identity, storytelling, land stewardship, and transformation.
That journey has also led Pursley from making to teaching.
In January 2026, Pursley led a two-needle flat-stitch beading workshop for Citizen Potawatomi members in Northern Virginia. Watching participants learn the technique reinforced something that has become increasingly important to Pursley: Cultural knowledge survives when people are willing to share it.
“I see myself being a conservator of culture,” Pursley said. “I see myself preserving craft, and I see myself continuing to be a community educator.”
This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, discover how Pursley is bringing together artmaking, cultural preservation, teaching, and community — and how their time at MICA is helping shape what comes next.
