Six years ago, Erica Lord worried her art career was over.
She had gone to school at the Institute for American Indigenous Arts in 2000 and decided to move to Santa Fe permanently after completing a residency there in 2017. Almost as soon as she moved, she was hit by a car while riding her bike and broke her back in multiple places, knocking all the plans she had off course.
In January, she was one of four Santa Fe-based artists who received prestigious Creative Capital awards in visual arts and film, which give $50,000 in unrestricted funds in artists to complete a specific piece of work. This year’s theme is “Wild Futures: Art, Culture, Impact.”
Erica Lord uses a loom to string beads for one of her future projects while working at her studio in Santa Fe on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.
Erica Lord laughs while holding a sample of her beadwork while working at her studio in Santa Fe on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.
Chaz John.
A look at Erica Lord’s work table featuring a variety of her beads and works in progress at her studio in Santa Fe on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.