When Adrian Stevens and Sean Snyder first walked through the Denver Art Museum more than a decade ago, they were just two young artists on a birthday trip, imagining what it might feel like to have their work displayed in those halls. This month, that vision became a reality.
Stevens and Snyder, the Two-Spirit beadwork artists and fashion designers behind Stevens & Snyder Artistries, have wrapped a multi-week residency as the museum’s Native Arts artists-in-residence. The pair worked out of a dedicated studio space inside the museum, held open studio days for the public, and is now set to have their work permanently installed in the museum’s Homeland exhibit when it opens on August 1.
“We imagined ourselves here, and to know that we’ve come full circle and have dedicated ourselves to art and what it means to create traditional art, to be here is important,” Stevens told Native Max during a visit to their studio. “I feel like we’re shattering another glass ceiling that can allow our community to follow right behind us.”
The residency became something more personal than a career milestone. Every morning, the pair would greet the artifacts on display in the museum. Every evening, they would say goodnight. They wore red paint and smudged daily while in the studio. During a final session with the museum’s archival collection, pieces not currently on public display, they were asked to weigh in on preservation and repair.
“There was a moccasin that didn’t have a buckskin tie, and I said, ‘We have smoked buckskin up here, Sean, cut some string, get that moccasin a wrap,'” Stevens recalled. “Talking about how to preserve work, they [the Denver Art Museum team] wanted our advice. To me, that says a lot. I felt their respect. I felt appreciated.”
Snyder echoed the weight of those moments: “Denver Art Museum and the entire staff did treat us like experts in our fields and respected our opinion, our creative vision for how the exhibit’s going to look, they actually let us plan out all of it.”
The exhibit will reimagine one-third of the Homeland gallery, the large circular space visitors walk directly into, inside the Indigenous Arts of North America Galleries located on the third floor of the museum’s Martin Building, blending older works with new pieces created during the residency itself.
The community response throughout the two weeks exceeded expectations. Open studio days drew native youth, elders, and collectors. The pair hosted a presentation for the museum’s 40 Under 40 collectors’ event that ran so long past its scheduled end time that museum staff said it was unlike any event they had seen before.
“We had people in tears, sharing our story and our journey,” Stevens said. “To me, that reminds me that the work we’re doing and the impact we’re having is received, it’s understood.”
New Acquisitions and What’s Next
The residency produced concrete results beyond the exhibit. The Ruby Moccasins, created by Stevens & Snyder, have been acquired by a private collector, and a new beaded Birkin will be created in collaboration with the Denver Art Museum and that same collector.
“Our work will live here,” Stevens said. “The Ruby Moccasins will be on display here at the Denver Art Museum. On top of that, a new Birkin will be created in this space. It’s great, and we’re rounding off this residency with our hearts full, our minds set.”
The pair also shared exclusively with Native Max what’s on their calendar for the rest of 2026. Next up: Jackson, Wyoming, where they’ll appear with Gallery Wild during a weeks-long Native Arts Festival in Jackson Hole, bringing two beaded Birkins and hosting an exclusive jewelry event. After that, it’s back to the studio to complete all pieces for the DAM exhibit by mid-June, followed by Santa Fe Indian Market in August, the same month the Homeland exhibit opens.
“The work doesn’t stop,” Stevens said. “But that’s what we wanted.”
The Plume Woman Debut Dress will be a part of the DAM installation along with the Ruby Moccasins. Photo: Kelly Holmes
For emerging artists considering applying for the next cycle of the Denver Art Museum’s Native Arts artist-in-residence program, now open, the message from Stevens & Snyder is direct.
“I just want other young artists, emerging artists that want to do this kind of work to apply,” Snyder said.
Stevens & Snyder’s exhibit opens on August 1 at the Denver Art Museum in the Homeland gallery, a part of the Indigenous Arts of North America Galleries. Follow their journey at stevensandsnyder.com.
Adrian Stevens (Northern Ute, Shoshone Bannock, San Carlos Apache) and Sean Snyder (Navajo, Southern Ute) are the Two-Spirit creative duo behind Stevens & Snyder Artistries, known for their award-winning beadwork, regalia, fashion design, and the Beaded Birkin series. Their work has been featured in Vogue and Out magazine and is now part of the permanent collection at the Denver Art Museum.
