Summer Yahbay (formerly Peters) is a Ojibwe designer living and working in her home state of Michigan. She resided in Tempe, Arizona for two decades and fondly considers it her second home.
In attempts to decolonize her last name, she is legally shedding the English name of “Peters” which was forced upon her family sometime in the turn of the 20th century. “Yahbay” is a form of ayaabe, yaabe, eyabay, which means “buck” in the Ojibwe language.
Currently, she is a full-time student at Central Michigan University working on her Masters of Business Administration degree with a graduation date of May 2024. She also holds an undergraduate degree in Law & Economics.
In addition to academia, she is a full-time mom of three and works full time for her tribe. Despite her full schedule, she remains committed to her art and practices daily while preparing for the next art show. She is an artist of many mediums (beads, paint, fabric, jewelry, wood carving), however, she is widely known for her gray scale beadwork portraiture and contemporary spin on traditional Ojibwe floral beadwork.
About
I have over 35 years of experience designing and fabricating beaded works of art. I was taught how to bead at a young age by the matriarchs of my family and fell in love with it. I currently balance my hectic schedule by taking one or two commissions a year but mainly sell my work online or at juried Native American art shows.
Upcoming Exhibitions and Juried Art Shows
Imagined West exhibition, Autry Museum, Los Angeles CA, Now open. Autry Museum of the American West | (theautry.org)
2024 Heard Indian Fair & Market, Phoenix, AZ, March 2-3, 2024.
Past Work.
Acquisitions
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. NEW March 2023
Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Lifeways, Mount Pleasant, MI
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth, Hanover, NH
The Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, CA
Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis
Media
Experiments
I’m always working on something on the side. Currently working on three dimensional objects without the use of glue. The first three dimensional pieces I finished were the ballet pointe shoes and then, the ukulele. Both are in collections, shoes acquired by a private collector and ukulele acquired by the Autry Museum. Currently working to advance my skill set to make art that will last for many decades.
I’m always interested in collaborations and experimental projects, especially those that focus on social justice issues. Reach out if you have a project that I can review.
Contact