Bio

Award-winning photographer and textile artist Montoya Whiteman is always working to improve her skills. For Montoya, photography is a way to see — through a camera lens — the tranquility, magic, and teachings of the world around us.

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Montoya has lived her entire life in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains, where she learned to love the outdoors and appreciate the importance of environmental stewardship. She grew up in Montana, in a family where generations of Indigenous artists came before her. Exploring beautiful places like the National Bison Range, Flathead Valley, and Glacier National Park, refined her vision. She spent her summers working on the Flathead Indian Reservation and hitting the winter slopes near Missoula.

 

Her home today is in Colorado, close to prairies, mountains, and water. She finds much inspiration at an expansive local wildlife refuge, where she volunteers her time. Growing up, Montoya loved science and once aspired to be a wildlife biologist. Today that affinity for the natural world informs her photography, which she uses to educate others about the importance of protecting the land, water, and wildlife.