Aly McKnight

Meet Aly McKnight

Aly is a Native American female artist, whose art features vibrant colors and Indigenous styles. Aly is an enrolled member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe but grew up outside of the reservation in a small farming community in Northern Nevada. She is the second youngest of 8 children and is now based out of Utah with her husband Brockton, of Hawaiian/Samoan descent, their daughter, Paoakalani, and Pomeranian dog, Bella.

She is inspired by her own experiences, family, friends, legends, the land, animals, and Indigenous community. As a quiet and introverted person, art has always been her preferred way to communicate what she's thinking and feeling. Aly believes that art has a way of connecting people, illuminating our stories, and inspiring change in the world that no other form of communication can.

“I am a self taught Indigenous watercolor artist who always strives to tell my own individual story in a way that the world can understand but also stay true to my roots and my culture. Much of my work is vibrant in color and features organic subject matter that is a reflection of how I choose to see the world and how I want the world to remember our people and our connection with all living things. I emphasize the beauty of our people and the land because it is my goal to create art that reclaims our stories and influences the decolonization of our minds on what is considered beautiful and valued.

I hope that through my artwork I can share my story and an Indigenous perspective with the world. I create so that when our people, especially our womxn and youth, need to feel connected and grounded they have visual imagery to turn to that makes them feel seen and powerful. It is a dream of mine to someday pass on my artistic and cultural knowledge to our younger generations so that they have the tools to call attention to the importance of our histories and our ongoing journey. I encourage our Indigenous peoples to take inspiration from the world around them and use art, whatever form that may be, to express themselves and find their own stories to share with the world.”