TAMPA — Seminole Tribe of Florida artist Corinne Zepeda’s artwork is becoming a familiar fixture on museum walls around the state.

In the last two years, Zepeda has shown her artwork at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota and the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park.

The latest arts institution to display her art is the Tampa Museum of Art, which is hosting “Skyway 2024: A Contemporary Collaboration” from Aug. 28, 2024, through Jan. 5, 2025.

Zepeda’s work is shown along with 17 other artists. In past shows, Zepeda’s work focused on social justice issues from an Indigenous perspective, but for this show she displayed traditional Seminole patchwork, beadwork, dolls and baskets. Zepeda recently started working with the Culture Department in Lakeland and said a lot of what she is doing is a deep dive into Seminole roots.

“I’m taking students all the way back in time; I try to make it engaging,” Zepeda said. “My aim is to educate and inform through art. I am thankful to have learned a lot from my family, tradition-wise.”

Her textile pieces in the show include two patchwork skirts, one with a cape, and a skirt and blouse made in the style from the 1880s before patchwork was created. Some of the patchwork designs include fire, traditional lightening, zig zag, diamonds and man on horse.

She also created a digital piece which is a throwback to the old-school style Florida postcards, prevalent in the mid-20th century that encouraged tourism.

“This is really my Native version of the classic ‘Welcome to Florida’ old-style map,” Zepeda said. “But in my version, I have the reservations and important landmarks and imagery from our people.”

Zepeda and 11 other artists attended the opening celebration at the museum and participated in an artists’ panel discussion. More than 200 art lovers attended the opening of the show.

“Skyway” is a joint exhibition held every three years that celebrates the diversity of art and artists in the Tampa Bay region. This is the third iteration of the exhibition; the others were held in 2017 and 2021.

The five museums in the area participating in the show are the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg; the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art; Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design; the Tampa Museum of Art; and the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum. The works of 63 artists make up the regional show.

According to its website, “Skyway 2024 embodies the theme of boundless exploration and unity, reflecting the limitless potential of artistic expression in the region. This collaborative effort will feature a diverse array of contemporary art, including paintings, sculptures, installations, and multimedia presentations by 63 artists and art collectives living and working in the Tampa Bay area.”

“It’s always weird to me, seeing myself in museums,” Zepeda said. “Growing up I never thought this is what I would be doing.”