Recently I traveled to New Mexico to check out the 2025 SWAIA Indian Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I had the good fortune of Catching up with Kandis Quam (Zuni & Diné Nation) she's an accomplished and talented artist. I first became aware of Kandis when she co-curated the PIVOT Skateboard Deck Art Exhibition in 2022 at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Kandis Quam. is half Navajo and Zuni. Her maternal clan is the Folded Arm People (Bit’ahnii), and she’s a child of the Golden Eagle Clan (Kya’kya’li:kwe). Her maternal grandparents are George Tom and Bahe Tom, while her paternal grandparents are Lamber Homer and Annie Gasper.
Growing up in a family of renowned Native American artists, she accompanied her parents, Jayne and Lynn Quam, to various art markets. This exposure ignited her passion for following in her family’s footsteps and preserving the Quam family legacy of art.
Kandis aspired to be the first in my family to complete college. After graduating from Zuni High School, She enrolled at New Mexico State University-Main Campus. Five years later, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology and a minor in American Indian Studies. Once she graduated she returned home to the Pueblo of Zuni, where she dedicated herself to building Natachu INK full-time with her cousin, Elroy Natachu Jr.
In 2022, she embarked on a new journey as an art leader for a youth non-profit organization: Zuni Youth Enrichment Project. Through art and creativity, she has been empowering Zuni youth to develop confidence and cultural awareness.
Her work in creating and teaching, utilizes visual media and other art forms to bridge the past with the present, fostering positive change through the power of beauty.
Instagram: @rezrainbow
Facebook: @kandisquam