Timothy White Eagle is a mixed-race artist of Indigenous (Mohave and other western tribal groups) and European descent whose multidisciplinary work is rooted in visionary theatrical ritual, storytelling, visual fine arts, and design. Born in Tucson, Arizona, and adopted into a working-class white family in Washington State, Timothy’s life journey has deeply informed his practice. Though not a registered member of any tribe due to the circumstances of his adoption, his lineage and lived experience guide his artistic explorations.
Timothy holds a BFA in Theater from the University of Utah and began his career in Seattle, where he founded the iconic late-1990s performance art and coffeehouse venue The Coffee Messiah. This early platform fused performance and community gathering, laying the groundwork for a career that now spans performance, installation, photography, and design.
Since 2006, Timothy has collaborated with photographer Adrain Chesser, creating internationally exhibited works exploring ritual, identity, and transformation, culminating in their book The Return (Daylight, 2014). His independent projects include large-scale immersive performances such as The Indigo Room (premiered in New York City and Seattle, toured nationally, including the Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival), and Save The Man (formerly Indian School), supported by a 2023 MAP Fund award and premiering at On the Boards in 2024. Earlier works include The Dead House (Town Hall, Seattle, 2021), Revival (On the Boards, 2022), and Columbus Bon Voyage (NYC, 2015).
Timothy has toured internationally with MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize finalist Taylor Mac, serving as collaborator, performer, and creative director on A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (2016–2019) and Holiday Sauce (2019). He has also collaborated with artists including Daniel Alexander Jones, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Mandy Greer, Gordon Hempton, and Alice Gosti. His visual and design work has been exhibited in institutions such as Vienna’s Hofburg Palace, Portland’s Blue Sky Gallery, Seattle’s SOIL Gallery, and the University of Washington’s.
Public art projects include Sometimes You Have to Give Them Back/What Remains (Cal Anderson Park, 2019), Songs for the Standing Still People (yəhaw̓, 2019), and The Path To Water (commissioned for the West Duwamish Wet Weather Facility, 2026). His works are also held in permanent collections including The Norton Museum of Art and the Washington State Arts Commission’s Art in Public Places Collection.
Timothy has received significant recognition, including the Western Arts Alliance/Advancing Indigenous Performance Launchpad Award (2019), an Artist Trust GAP Award (2024), grants from 4Culture and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, and residencies at On the Boards, Town Hall Seattle, PICA, La MaMa ETC (NYC), and Guild Hall (East Hampton). In 2025, he was named the Green-Duwamish Urban Waters Federal Partnership’s first Artist-in-Residence, supported by the EPA and NEA.
Across all mediums, Timothy White Eagle creates works that invites audiences into experiences that are immersive, transformative, and deeply resonant.
photo by Sunita Martini