Yolanda Hart Stevens

Artist & Community Activist

Yolanda Hart Stevens is an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community, Pee-Posh/Quechan, and currently resides in the village of Komatke, AZ. Hart Stevens is a successful artist and community activist, performing at notable events such as Super Bowl XLII, The National Congress of the American Indian, and serving in highly-regarded positions such as the Smithsonian Institution American Community Scholar and a member of the Kennedy Center for Arts and Education. As an artist in residence at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, and as a teacher of beadwork, she has developed programs to promote a clearer understanding of the people of the Southwest through their history, clothing, and decoration. She teaches a variety of beading techniques, including lazy stitch, edging and peyote stitch at various locals throughout the valley. Hart Stevens is passionate about maintaining a dialogue with her elders, contributing her skill of beadwork, and sharing the given knowledge with her family and young people. She is actively participating in training from Yuman tribal elders.