Matagi Sorensen is a contemporary artist who creates hand-fabricated jewelry and small metal sculptures based on his relationship to the environment in which he was raised. Matagi is a citizen of the Yavapai-Apache Nation from Camp Verde, Arizona. Matagi’s creative practice began at an early age; he was raised in an environment where he learned to work with his hands, sourcing materials from the land. His experimental designs are sleek and modern, although the inspiration is drawn from the natural environment and concepts of recycling, necessity, culture, utility, and sustainability, all of which are rooted in his Yavapai Apache heritage.

Matagi earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Northern Arizona University in 2011. In 2022 he earned his Master of Fine Arts from Arizona State University, where he was able to further his knowledge and skills in metalsmithing and design, and he experimented with natural and culturally traditional materials such as devil’s claw, a fibrous claw-shaped seed pod native to the American Southwest.

Matagi has exhibited throughout the country at prestigious juried and invitational shows including the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts’ Santa Fe Indian Market, the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market in Phoenix, Arizona, the Autry American Indian Art Market in Los Angeles, California, and the Native American Art Market at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C..

Matagi lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In addition to metalsmithing, Matagi also spends his time teaching both in-studio and remote workshops for community members and for students at various educational institutions