Jordan Poorman Cocker is an Indigenous Artist, Curator, and Scholar from the Kiowa Tribe & Kingdom of Tonga.
Her work and advocacy centers on Indigenous ways of knowing & doing.
My Background
I’m an intuitive designer who learned to beadwork, helping my mother and create elaborate cultural items from the time I was old enough to thread a needle. Those early experiences of co-creating material culture led me to pursue an PhD. in Design and I now combine my love of Indigenous Art and research to help clients understand Indigenous ancestral art forms better.
M.MHP., Victoria University of Wellington
2015 – 2017
PhD. Auckland University of Technology
2021 – Present
Curator Indigenous Art
2016 – 2021
Consultant
2017 – Present
My Artwork
I created my art studio, MÀYÍ in 2018, here I design wearable and bespoke art through the use of traditional Indigenous artforms such as Kiowa beadwork, textiles, and adornment. Each handmade piece houses stories and histories of my great grandmothers and ancestors.
I believe that in a world of modern disconnections caused by work, hypervisibility, and lifestyle, Indigenous Art is the best medicine.
