Indigenous·NewIndigenous artists of various disciplines across North America are participating in the NDNArtober art challenge this month, now in its fifth year. Day 5’s prompt was fox and artists each created something different representing the prompt.Artists say they love seeing each other’s interpretations of daily prompts Candace Maracle · CBC News · Posted: Oct 09, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 30 minutes agoJustine Kennedy’s submission for Day 5 of the NDN Artober challenge is a silver ring in the outline of a fox. (Submitted by Justine Kennedy)Indigenous artists of various disciplines across North America are participating in the NDNArtober art challenge this month, now in its fifth year.The 31 prompts were developed through the online community’s vote. Day 5 was fox. Justine Kennedy, a silversmith from Walpole Island First Nation in southwestern Ontario, created a silver ring featuring the outline of a sleeping fox. “It really challenges your creativity and all the prompts are very different,” she said.”You kind of have to come at it from different angles and have different perspectives or interpretations of what the prompts are.”This is her first time participating so she’s carved out some time in her calendar. She said each piece takes her a few hours. “I’ve just been really trying to immerse myself as much as possible.”Justine Kennedy has been silversmithing for two years. (Submitted by Justine Kennedy)Brit Reed, a descendant of Choctaw Nation and one of the main organizers of NDNArtober, said one of the great things about the challenge is finding new artists and seeing their work.”There’s a lot of other ones that you might not ever find out about because they’re not big or maybe they’re not in your local Native art market scene or competition scene,” she said.Started in 2020 by Ashlee Ray and Mary Lupton, the hashtag was inspired by #inktober, a 31-day challenge for artists to improve both their skill and self-discipline.Reed said NDNArtober has allowed her to build her portfolio and helped her find her own style. The event has always been popular, she said, and they broadened their criteria beyond ink early on. The only restriction is no AI art.Reed said the challenge has provided a welcome reprieve from “doomscrolling,” flooding her social media feed instead with Indigenous art every day. “That is really heartwarming and there’s definitely been art that I’ve been able to laugh at or I’ve been like, ‘Oh, that’s so cool, so beautiful,'”she said.No pressure to createFrances Campbell, a Gitxsan artist from Gitanmaax in B.C., said this is her third year doing the challenge. Last year she created 31 pieces.One of the things she said she likes most about it is that there’s no pressure to create. “It’s mostly for myself. So that’s what makes it. You’re just free to do whatever you want,” Campbell said.She does digital art and her traditional Northwest Coast formline.An artwork of Northwest Coast formline of foxes by Frances Campbell, Gitxsan artist. (Submitted by Frances Campbell)”I’ve met so many different people from pretty much all over the world being a part of this. And I’ve followed so many new people and they’ve followed me,” she said.Finding communityWolf’a:z, a Cayuga muralist and graffiti artist from Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario, said the challenge allows them to translate their experiences and ideas into art and then see “how everybody else translates their own experiences to art.” Wolf’a:z created a graffiti piece in Toronto for the Day 5 prompt, fox. (Submitted by Wolf’a:z)Andrea Savar, a citizen of Cherokee Nation, has been busy preparing for the Cherokee Art Market in Tulsa, Okla., later this month but has been able to create something for each daily challenge so far.”It’s like a way to give yourself permission to just be creative. And I love the prompts because they were also gathered from community,” she said.Andrea Savar’s submission for the Day 5 prompt, fox, is a ribbon skirt with an appliqued fox. She said she was busy sewing the button eyes on, right until she posted it on Day 5. (Submitted by Andrea Savar)Savar is a multi-disciplinary artist. Her submissions so far have been in watercolour, ink and a ribbon skirt. She said she loves seeing other languages in addition to art because she uses Cherokee syllabary in her work. Melody Markle, who is Algonquin Anishinabe from Long Point First Nation in Quebec, is a beadworker who uses quills and caribou tufting in her work and a quilter. This is her first time participating in the challenge. Beadworker Melody Markle says the Day 5 prompt was a great way to spotlight the fox family. (Submitted by Melody Markle)”I thought I’d like to plug into the online Indigenous artist community, and I thought this would be the most appropriate way to step in that space,” she said.Day 10’s prompt is Grandma’s House. Markle said she’s ready and plans to showcase one of her quilts for that day.ABOUT THE AUTHORCandace Maracle is Kanien’kehá:ka, Wolf Clan from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. Her latest short film, “Tsi ní:yoht yonkwayentá:’on ne óhses” (How We Got Maple Syrup) is completely in the Kanien’kéha language.
From graffiti artists to silversmiths, month-long challenge brings Indigenous artists together
