Tami Maldonado-Mancebo was born and raised in and around the Navajo Indian Reservation in Northwest, New Mexico. Tami’s work has evolved from traditional Native American arts including weaving, textile and bead work to more modern mediums such as glass blowing and acrylic painting on canvas. Tami is a former public school administrator who devoted her career to incorporating the arts as a means of ensuring academic success for the Native American youth she served. Tami has received her formal art training by watching and learning from community elders and by forming collaborative partnerships with world renown artists including Thurman Statom, Donnel Keeler, Ira Lujan, Hobie Ford, Geri Keams, John Zeretske, Jackie Nunez, Steve Tamayo and Louie Gong.

Tami’s work has been included in shows at the Kaneko and the Hot Shops in Omaha, Nebraska and has won best of show awards in sculpting at the Douglas County Fair. Tami now lives in Ka’a’awa, Hawaii where she finds inspiration for her art from the breathtaking views of her countryside home.