BIO

Born on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Ft. Duchesne, Utah into the Uncompahgre Band of the Northern Ute Tribe Odessia Ratsky Serawop, daughter of Valirie Serawop and Doby Myore, was raised by her grandparents, the late Bobby Serawop Sr. and Althea Serawop. It wasn’t until she attended her first art class in 1991, that her artistic abilities became obvious and she decided to become an artist.

During her adolescence she moved around quite frequently. It was then she discovered how important her roots were. Odessia finished high school and raised a family while taking art classes at Laredo Community College. While in Texas her leadership skills began to emerge, as she was invited to sit on the LCC Board of Trustees to represent the student body. She has held office for three consecutive years with the Kappa Pi International Honorary Art Fraternity Eta Alpha Chapter.

Currently enrolled as a Studio Arts Major at IAIA, Odessia was nominated by her peers in ASG as the studio arts representative. During her studies she has become more aware of situations and issues effecting Native American culture. She uses her photography and screen-printing to address current situations that are relevant to natives in today’s society and on the reservations. Her work has evolved not only to address issues affecting Natives specifically but also to encompass themes that relate to all people and the environment on a global scale.