BenjaminArkeketaWest
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‘’‘Benjamin Arkeketa West’’’ (known professionally as ‘’‘Benjamin L. West’’’) is a contemporary Native American photographer, photojournalist, and digital artist of Southern Cheyenne, Otoe-Missouria, and Muscogee (Mvskoke) descent.[1][2] Raised in Oklahoma, West is self-taught and has worked across photography, video, digital imagery, and augmented reality since 2005.[1] He is the 2026 Native Arts Artist-in-Residence at the Denver Art Museum.[1]
Early life and background
West is the son of Annette Arkeketa (Otoe-Missouria / Muscogee Creek) and John West (Cheyenne Arapaho), and was raised in Oklahoma.[2] He is named after his maternal grandfather, Benjamin Arkeketa, a name he says translates as “Stands Together.”[2]
Photojournalism career
West began his photography career in 2005 and joined Fox News as a photographer in 2007.[2] Over the course of his broadcast career he covered international stories including spending more than four months in Libya during the 2011 civil unrest, two months of which were embedded with the regime of Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli.[2] He also covered the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and traveled with the press corps on Air Force One.[2] In 2020 he covered the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis, an experience he has described as a turning point that drew him further toward art and Indigenous-focused work.[2]
Art career
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, West founded The Arkeketa Project as a platform for addressing issues in Indian Country, including the disproportionate impact of the virus on Native American communities.[2]
His digital print ‘‘Standing Bear’’ — a portrait of his son taken in Washington, D.C., during the 2020 lockdown — was acquired by the Newark Museum of Art for its permanent collection and was selected as one of 51 works from 485 entries for the 2021 ‘‘New Jersey Arts Annual: ReVision and Respond’’.[2][1]
West’s ‘‘Why We Wear Red’’ series addresses the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis through the symbolism of a traditional red ribbon dress made in collaboration with Otoe-Missouria artist Kennetha Greenwood. The accompanying dress was accepted into the permanent collection of the Montclair Art Museum.[2]
In 2024, his augmented-reality print ‘‘Abothada Manyi = (Otoe) Walks Above’’ received the Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award at the 32nd annual Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market and Festival, entering the museum’s permanent collection.[3][4]
In 2025, West received the Conrad House Award for Innovation at the 67th annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market for a work with the inscription “The Everglades are drowning year after year.”[5]
In 2026 he was named a Native Arts Artist-in-Residence at the Denver Art Museum as part of a cohort of artists with ancestral ties to the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute tribes, invited to create new work for the museum’s Indigenous Arts of North America galleries. His on-site residency took place in February 2026; the resulting installation features film and digital photographs of four Cheyenne community leaders, with augmented reality bringing each sitter’s story to life as they share Cheyenne history and hopes for their community’s future. The new work goes on view at the museum on August 1, 2026.[1]
Trademarks
West holds U.S. and Canadian trademark registrations for the term “LANDBACK” (USPTO Serial No. 97165124; CIPO No. 2178533).[6]
Selected collections
- Montclair Art Museum[2]
- Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art[3][1]
- Great Plains Art Museum, University of Nebraska–Lincoln (work featured)[1]
Selected awards
- Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award, Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market and Festival (2024)[3]
- Conrad House Award for Innovation, Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market (2025)[5]
- Best of Drawing/Graphic Art/Photography, Mvskoke Art Market (2023)[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Native Arts Artist-in-Residence". Denver Art Museum. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 "Defining Indigenous Identity Through Art". The Otoe-Missouria Tribe. 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Native cultures are celebrated at 32nd annual Eiteljorg Indian Market and Festival" (Press release). Eiteljorg Museum. 2024-06-27. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ "Eiteljorg Recap". Southwest Art. July 2024. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "2025 Heard Fair Award Winners". First American Art Magazine. 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ "LANDBACK – Trademark Details". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ "About Benjamin L. West". benjaminwest.art. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
External links
References
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