Open Studio with Artist in Residence Carrie McCleary

Carrie Moran McCleary is a fashion designer, beader, and doll maker from the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe. She lives on the Crow Reservation in Montana. In 2016, she founded Plains Soul to share her unique style and artistry with a wider audience. Moran McCleary is known for Indigenizing everyday items, transforming thrift-store finds and hand-me-downs into works of art that express her identity. Taught by her mothers to bead and sew, she then developed her own style that infuses traditional practices with contemporary design. A 2022 First Peoples Fund Artist in Business Leadership Fellow and two-time recipient of the Montana Indian Equity Grant, Moran McCleary recently built her own studio and retail space using these funds, furthering her commitment to creative entrepreneurship. Plains Soul fashions have been featured at Native Fashion in the City, Honour Our Legacy Fashion Show, Big Sky IndigiFest and Fashion Gala, Montana Folk Festival Fashion Show, and numerous community shows at local schools and fundraising events. Moran McCleary was previously a member of the b.Yellowtail Collective, where she sold her Fierce One Doll Collection. Her beadwork has been exhibited widely in venues such as The Brinton Museum, Emerson Art Center, Chicago Field Museum, Museum of the Rockies, Yellowstone County Museum, Carnegie Museum, Missoula Art Museum, and the Tribal Heritage Center at Yellowstone National Park. Her work has also been featured internationally at Massey Arts and Seymour Art Gallery in Vancouver, Canada, as well as in the Stories from Bead Night virtual exhibition. Purchase Museum Tickets