Angela Babby
Kiln-fired Glass Mosaic Art 

"Zitkala sa: Why I am a pagan"
Kiln-fired Vitreous Enamel on Glass Mosaic on Tile Board, 7/2021, *Best of Show Award,
*2-dimensional Special Award at Native Pop Art Show, Rapid City, So. Dak. 2021




​My Lakota ancestry and the mysterious nature of glass inspire my fascination with making art. Glass contains light. When I depict a person from the past in glass it has a three dimensional depth that I could never achieve with paint.


My artworks are glass mosaic tiles. Most of my images are based on black and white figurative photographs of my ancestors. Color is central for emotional power but the true value of an artwork lies in its ability to communicate directly with the viewer.


The saturated colors, transparent and light capturing qualities, iridescence, textures and patterns of glass captivate me. My artwork requires a myriad of steps to coax the contrasting areas to coalesce. Each artwork that I create cycles through three different mediums: stained glass, vitreous enameling and tile work. All of the pieces of glass must be hand cut and ground, some or all of the pieces are painted with glass enamel (powdered glass and a medium) and fired slowly in a kiln to over 1000 degrees (often multiple times) creating a glass on glass piece, all are then set in place by hand. Only after the very last step - the application of custom-tinted mortar - the whole becomes visible for the first time.



Ongoing/Upcoming Shows: 


Heard Indian Market, Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona, March 1st and 2nd 2025

​Estes Park Indian Market, Estes Park, Colorado, January 18-19 2025

Contemporary Indigeneity, Great Plains Art Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska, September 6-December 21 2024

Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, on view August 16th-September 21 2024

Thru January 2027 Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Re-Imagined in Glass, First Native American Group Exhibition of Artists Working in Glass, please see International Arts & Artists.org website for current museum location