Wednesday, November 11 @ 5:00 – 6:15pm
Elvehjem L140
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Melanie Tallmadge Sainz was born in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and was raised in the Wisconsin Dells area. Her parents Roger Little Eagle and Bernadine Tallmadge were trailblazers in the field of cultural tourism in Wisconsin in the mid-1900s. An indigenous artist and cultural educator, Tallmadge Sainz is a guardian of Ho-Chunk heritage who uses her mastery of beadwork and mixed media to sustain and share Native traditions. Her art is inspired by the history and legacy of her Ho-Chunk (English translation: People of the Big Voice) people. An enrolled citizen of the Ho-Chunk Nation, she specializes in traditional and contemporary techniques, including porcupine quill embroidery, beadwork, natural fiber weaving and twining, and mixed-media mosaics.
Her work has been shown in exhibitions throughout the US and Japan, and she has won awards at prestigious art markets including the Eiteljorg Museum, the Southern Highland Folk Art Center, and The Heard Museum. Her public art enriches local spaces, including the UW–Madison Arboretum, the International Crane Foundation, and the Great Sauk State Trail.
Tallmadge Sainz received her degrees in Art Education from Arizona State University and has engaged in non-profits and arts education throughout her career as the Founding Director of Little Eagle Arts Foundation (LEAF), a non-profit organization dedicated to cultural preservation through the arts. Through LEAF, she strives to bridge cultures by creating “teachable moments” and providing support for emerging Native American artists. Her commitment to land stewardship and ancestral traditions—from foraging natural fibers to promoting sustainable harvesting—informs her belief that art is a universal language that fosters community healing and resiliency. In recognition of her decades of service, she received the Art Educator of the Year award by the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) in 2024 and the 2026 Academy Fellow by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters. Whether through her studio work at Mąą Wákąčąk (Ho-Chunk place name; English translation: Sacred Earth) or her statewide educational workshops, Tallmadge Sainz remains a devoted proponent of the necessity of the arts for all people. littleeaglearts.org
Reserve your spot for the November 11th Colloquium now!