Biography

John Isaiah Pepion

Blackfeet (Piikani) Artist

John Isaiah Pepion is a Plains Indian graphic artist, muralist, and educator from the Piikani Band of the Blackfoot Confederacy. He is based on the Blackfeet Reservation in north-central Montana, where the Rocky Mountains meet the Plains. Coming from a family of artists with pictographic traditions spanning hundreds of years, Pepion continues a lineage of visual storytelling rooted in Blackfeet history and worldview. He is a descendant of Mountain Chief, a Blackfeet leader known for preserving history through winter counts.

Pepion is best known for his ledger art, a tradition developed by Plains tribes when buffalo hides, once central to painting, became scarce, leading artists to adapt their work to ledger paper from accounting books. His work blends traditional Blackfeet design elements with bold linework and vibrant color, resulting in contemporary illustrations that are instantly recognizable. Pepion considers his art practice ceremonial, a process through which his understanding of family, culture, and place deepens with each piece.

Through his work, Pepion seeks personal healing and cultural preservation while strengthening connections to community and homeland. In addition to his studio practice, he is an active public speaker and educator and previously served as an art teacher at Heart Butte High School for three years, working directly with Indigenous youth. He continues to engage in schools and institutions across the country, promoting art as a tool for therapy, resilience, and empowerment. Pepion holds degrees in Art Marketing from United Tribes Technical College and Museum Studies from the Institute of American Indian Arts. His work has been widely exhibited nationally and internationally and is held in major public collections, including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Autry Museum of the American West, the Library of Congress, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.