Indigenous Artists Shine in TCJ Contests

0:00On April 29, TCJ students just dropped the winners for its 2026 cover art and film contest, shining a light on two rising indigenous artists. Michael Birte, a student at Sente Glesca University, snagged the cover art prize with her piece The Great Escape. Kizha Deer, studying at Red Lake Nation College, took the film contest with her short detective Yona. Michael calls the Rosebud Indian Reservation Home and blends Northern Plains traditions with digital illustration. She's an enrolled member of the three affiliated tribes, with Sanish and Sicken Goo Lakota roots, and she's set to graduate next year with a bachelor of, education degree. The editor, Bradley Shrieve, calls her style one of a kind, something they featured in TCJ and TCJ student for the past four years. Her winning artwork lands on the cover of the 2026 edition, tucked into the tribal college journal fall issue. Meanwhile, Kizha brings Cherokee Nation, Red Lake Nation, Choctaw Nation, and Mexican heritage to her work.

1:05As a member of the pain clan, she's got an associate degree and is chasing her bachelors with skills in acting, filmmaking, and puppeteering alongside other indigenous creators. Her film hits TCJ student.org soon, and premieres this November at the Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival in Richmond, Virginia, complete with an Ann. All expenses paid trip. These victories keep pushing fresh indigenous voices to the forefront. That's your entertainment and celebrity news today update. AI powered and always trending.