Fawn Douglas is an Indigenous American artivist, mother, and enrolled member of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe. She also has roots with the Moapa Paiute, Southern Cheyenne, Creek, Pawnee, and Scottish. Fawn is the head matriarch of Nuwu Art + Activism Studios and directs the Nuwu Art Gallery + Community Center located in the Historic Huntridge Neighborhood in the heart of Las Vegas, Nevada. She is dedicated to the intersections of art, activism, community, education, culture, identity, place, and sovereignty. Within her art-making, she tells stories in order to remember the past and to ensure the stories of Indigenous peoples are heard in the present. Her studio practice includes painting, weaving, sculpture, dance, and other types of performance. Fawn currently does art and cultural consulting through Nuwu Art, works part-time with Meow Wolf, is a Board Member (Secretary) of the non-profit IndigenousAF, and is an Art Commissioner for the City of Las Vegas (Ward 3). In 2022, she earned her Master of Fine Arts with presidential honors at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

 

At UNLV, Fawn has taught introductory courses in the Department of Art and American Indian & Indigenous Studies in the College of Liberal Arts. While at UNLV, she served with the Native American Student Association, American Indian Alliance, and the Native American Alumni Club. Previously, Fawn has held title positions with the Institute for a Progressive Nevada, Friends of Gold Butte, Nevada Indian Commission, Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument Advisory Council, and the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe.

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Fawn is a protector who advocates for the rights of women, Indigenous self-determination, and environmental conservation. Among her past work include efforts toward the designation of Nevada’s Gold Butte as a historic national monument and participation in the #NoDAPL protests on the Standing Rock Lakota (Sioux) Reservation. In Southern Nevada, Fawn's activism includes Red Rock Canyon anti-desecration efforts, protection of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, the fight for national monument designation of Avi Kwa Ame, and the ongoing struggle for tribal nations to retain their land and water rights.

 

As a survivor of sexual assault, Fawn's experience has also given her the fire to speak out about women's rights and she has been a vocal advocate for #MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women). She continues to speak up for her sisters and is an active supporter of several other movements, including #LandBack, the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative (FIBSI), and Our Bodies, Our Lands—which recognizes the connection between protecting land, water, and Indigenous women. Drawing strength from her ancestors and partners across various movements, Fawn has organized and participated in hundreds of events, exhibitions, interviews, protests, performances, and other projects (see CV/Resume).