Matika Wilbur

Matika Wilbur was raised in the Swinomish Tribal community and is enrolled in the Tulalip Tribe, where she currently lives with her husband and baby. Wilbur integrates fine art and social justice as a long-form photo documentarian, writer, filmmaker, podcaster and public speaker.

She is the founder and photographer of Project 562, a documentary project dedicated to changing the way we see Native America. After earning her BFA from Brooks Institute of Photography, Wilbur began her career in Los Angeles as a fashion and commercial photographer. However, she quickly decided to change course and began using photography as a tool for social justice.

Project 562 is Wilbur’s fourth major endeavor elevating Native American identity and culture. Her first project, "We Are One People" captured portraits of Coast Salish elders. She followed up with her show “We Emerge,” which featured Native people in contemporary urban and traditional settings. Wilbur's third show, “Save the Indian and Kill the Man,”, addressed the forced cultural assimilation of Native Peoples.

Since 2015, Wilbur has offered more than three hundred keynote speeches at institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, Google, the National Education Association, and TED. She is a National Geographic Explorer and recipient of the distinguished Leica Photo Award. She also co-hosts the popular Native issues podcast "All My Relations," which invites guests to explore the connections between land, creatural relatives, and one another. Wilbur's Project 562 book will be published in the Spring of 2023.