Learning and Teaching with Communities; Maggie Thompson and Mariah Claw
First Peoples Funds is thrilled to have two exceptional weavers join the 2025 Artist in Business Leadership cohort. Maggie Thompson (Fond du Lac Ojibwe) and Mariah Claw (Diné) demonstrate their dedication to community engagement and upholding traditions through their knowledge and practice of weaving support with First Peoples Funds support.
Maggie Thompson
Fashion designer, mixed-media textile artist, and owner of Makwa Studio– Maggie Thompson (Fond du Lac Ojibwe) is joining First Peoples Fund as an Artist from Minneapolis, MN. Maggie attributes her arts-informed upbringing and passion to her parents; her mother is a photographer and painter, and her father is a musician and graphic designer. Her introduction to arts education began at the Minnesota Waldorf School, where she got her introduction to textiles as an artistic medium. She continued working with textiles, going on to receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textiles at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 2013.
When she returned home, she began work at Two Rivers Gallery at the Minneapolis American Indian Center. Across the street from the center is the All My Relations Gallery, which introduced Maggie Thompson to participating in workshops of quillwork, drum-making, and a baby-moccasin course hosted by Lisa Skjefte (Red Lake Ojibwe). Maggie had her first solo exhibition at the All My Relations gallery, then group shows around Minnesota. These experiences led her to large-scale community projects with Emily Johnson, a Yup’ik dancer and choreographer based in New York City.
“I felt like that experience informed my want to work within the community, I think more in my individual studio practice as well. She … asked me to design a 4,000 square foot quilt, and then she hosted people overnight for one of her performances, so they slept on the blankets. There was dance, music and food, and everybody woke up and watched the sunrise in the morning.”
This year, Maggie celebrated a residency she obtained at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), hosting a solo exhibition at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) titled Maggie Thompson: Interactions. During her residency at IAIA, she met Lara Evans, a curator and current Senior Vice President of Programs at First Peoples Fund, who reached out about opportunities to exhibit at the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery.
Maggie’s current project, which her First Peoples Fund Artist in Business Leadership grant supports, focuses on her knitwear business, Makwa Studios. Maggie learned knitting in fourth grade and took the practice back up after school while looking after her father. This grant will help Maggie allocate funds to programming knitwear machinery and work with three artists talking about the differences between Dakota Ojibwe and Lakota Florals, and highlighting their work to bring more education to the differences between their tribal florals.
“This project has been in the back of my mind for a really long time. So it's great to bring it to life with the help of First Peoples Fund. We're excited to work with the artists. We will work with Charlie Nicole, Holly Young, and then Hannah Smith."
Maggie’s current project, which her First Peoples Fund Artist in Business Leadership grant supports, focuses on her knitwear business, Makwa Studios. Maggie learned knitting in fourth grade and took the practice back up after school while looking after her father. This grant will help Maggie allocate funds to programming knitwear machinery and work with three artists talking about the differences between Dakota Ojibwe and Lakota Florals, and highlighting their work to bring more education to the differences between their tribal florals.
“This project has been in the back of my mind for a really long time. So it's great to bring it to life with the help of First Peoples Fund. We're excited to work with the artists. We will work with Charlie Nicole, Holly Young, and then Hannah Smith."
Mariah Claw
Joining the Artist in Business Leadership cohort is writer, storyteller, and weaver Mariah Claw (Diné) from Lukachukai, Arizona. Growing up on the Navajo Nation, Mariah recalled spending time around her family and grandparents, who continue to inspire and motivate her. Her grandmothers were traditional Navajo dyers and weavers, while her aunts and uncles became silversmiths and leather workers. Mariah’s parents found their work in graphic design and started a screen-printing business.
Outside her home and building on her interests, Mariah obtained a Bachelor's from Dartmouth College and a Master's from the University of Arizona. She focused her work on broadening her understanding of the material record for textiles and transmitting traditional knowledge. She was awarded a fellowship while at the University of Arizona (UofA). She met master weavers, including Corrio Gutierrez (Oaxaca) and Barbara Keller (Two Gray Hills) and travelled to learn about dyeing and weaving processes.
“It reaffirmed again that weaving is just such an integral part of cultures around the world and that it's something that really ties all of us together, and there are a lot of similarities.”
It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that Mariah took up weaving as a method of taking care of herself and connecting to home. She found continuous support and inspiration with her family and reconnecting to the Navajo Nation landscape. Mariah then obtained the First Peoples Fund Cultural Capital fellowship in 2024, and inspired by her earlier collaborative work, she hosted a hands-on summer workshop with children dyeing wool, making their own weavings, and exploring trading posts and collections. She also did work with the Office of Dine Youth, hosting week-long workshops.
“First People's Fund has been amazing. Last year, I was able to go to the convening, and that was a phenomenal experience and an honor to learn and connect with so many artists and different modalities. It was really inspiring and … I learned a lot last year during the convening and really leaning into the process of becoming, that's one of the hardest things I feel like for me. As an artist, is have this idea of where I want to go, but not necessarily knowing how to get there, but I feel like I can always ask other artists or just kind of watch and learn from what they're doing.”
This year, with the First People’s Fund Artist in Business leadership grant, Mariah Claw will be supported in kickstarting her journey as a weaving and natural dye teacher. She aims to pull together resources, bring together communities and build partnerships with organizations that have the capacity to host weekly workshops. Funds will go to buying student supplies, including teaching looms and wool, to offset financial stress on participants. Mariah will also be implementing the Navajo language in her courses, reaffirming the connection to the Navajo language and culture and encouraging multigenerational engagement.
Carrying the Vision
With First Peoples Fund support, Maggie Thompson (Fond du Lac Ojibwe) and Mariah Claw (Diné) use mentorship programs to build their business and teaching programs. These weavers showcase a deep commitment to their community through their art of weaving, and the center of their work is surrounded by their thoughts of family and community. Their projects focus on promoting their heritages, weaving, dyeing, and sewing that was passed down to them from their families, to leave lasting legacies of generosity and storytelling.
