Artist bio

Fu’una (Chamoru / i taotao tåno) is a creation goddess currently inhabiting the mortal form legally catalogued as Kameko Branchaud. She is a descendant of an indigenous village displaced by colonial powers, and also the daughter of a veteran and martial arts instructor. She is an embodiment of globalization and her illustrative works attempt to process the inter-related influences of history, power, and heritage on the environment and the psyche. She has lived in five regions of America and uses photography, drawing, and research to connect with her surroundings. Animals and botanicals are her personal ambassadors and often appear in her work. 

While stylistically fluid, Fu’una’s artwork is most easily recognized for its sensitivity and expert use of color. She has painted murals in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Florida, Guam, and California. She has collaborated with schools, businesses, and individuals in mural designs and curatorial projects. In 2017 her mural “So Pretty It Hurts” won first place in Punto Urban Art Museum’s juried mural competition of 20 local artists. For her community-based work, she was awarded an Appreciation Award from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salem in 2017. In 2013 she received the Vital Contribution to the Community Award from Rhode Island College as well as the AfterZone Champion Award from the Providence After School Alliance.

Fu’una earned her MA in Art + Design Education from RISD in 2014 and her BS in Art Education from Rhode Island College in 2013. In her various roles as an educator, Fu’una has developed and facilitated hundreds of art and design workshops in a variety of contexts for participants ranging from kindergarteners to professional educators. She has a demonstrable commitment to advancing racial equity through her work as an educator and arts administrator. She has lived in and maintains regional connections in Rhode Island, California, Washington, Massachusetts, New York, Guam, and Texas.

Honors + Awards

Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Make Art Grant, 2024

Bromfield Gallery, Solo Exhibition Competition (juried), 2024

Pawtucket Arts Collaborative Foundation Show First Honorable Mention, 2022

Punto Urban Art Museum first place honors, 2017

Select media

“052: Fu’una.” projectguam.com, 20 Dec 2024, https://www.projectguam.org/blog/052-fuuna

Salkind, Micah. “‘Dream Big / Work Hard’ mural installed by Fu’una at RFK Elementary. artculturetourism.com, 20 Nov 2023, https://artculturetourism.com/dream-big-work-hard/

“Pacific Islander Portraits: Building Visibility Through Art,” AAC Journal Volume 1 Issue 5

Rose, Michael. “Artist to Know: Fu’una.” Go Local Prov, 10 Aug 2022.

"MuSE Program Gives Teens In-Depth Look At Museum Work." Newport Daily News, 11 May 2019.

Flanagan, Mollie. "Rhode Island Cultural Anchor: Kameko Branchaud." risca.online, 19 Feb 2019.

Solo Exhibitions

Måhålang (Longing), solo exhibition, Bromfield Gallery, Boston 2024

27,000 miles, solo exhibition, RISCA Atrium Gallery, Providence 2023

Hali’ Taotao Santa Rita, Santa Rita Senior Center, Santa Rita, Guam installation 2014

Lessons in Impermanence, Johnson and Wales University Intercultural Center, Providence RI 2012

Select group exhibitions

Yušká: Uncoil, Boston Center for the Arts, Boston 2024 (juried)

Providence Biennial: Poesis, Waterfire Arts Center, Providence RI 2023 (invitational)

Community Invitational Exhibition, Providence Art Club, Providence RI 2022

GAX 9 for Festival of Pacific Arts, Guam Art Exhibit, Tumon, Guam 2016

Artists At Work, Smithsonian Ripley Center, Washington, D.C. 2015 (juried)

GAX VII, Guam Art Exhibit,Tumon, Guam 2014

The Lost Museum, Brown University and Mark Dion, Providence RI 2014

Arc of Alchemy, Sol Koffler Gallery, Providence RI 2013

GAX VI, Guam Art Exhibit, Tumon, Guam 2013

Presentations + Workshops

Guest presenter, “Public and Collaborative Art, RISD Pre-College 2024

Guest presenter, Arts in Context graduate course, RISD 2023

Guest presenter, “Collaborative Aesthetics,” Providence Art Club Lecture Series, 2022

Guest speaker, Critical Investigations in Arts Learning graduate course, RISD, 2020

Portfolio reviewer, RISD Pre-college, RISD 2019

Workshop presenter, “Sci-Fi and Horror Movie Poster Design,” RI Foundation 2019

Guest speaker, Contemporary Practices in Art + Design Education graduate course, RISD 2019

Panelist, “Murals, Contested Public Spaces, and Belonging: Public Art in the Age of Displacement”, Providence Symposium 2018

Presenter, “Introduction to Museums”, LEAP for Education and Salem High School 2018

Presenter, “Visitors of Color,” LEAP for Education, 2017

Presenter, supported several Cooper Hewitt sessions including special sessions with Tim Gunn, National Art Education Association (NAEA), New Orleans, 2016

Teaching + Arts administration

Associate Director, CE Pre-Collegiate and Youth Programs, RISD 2023 - present

Program Manager, CE Adult Extension, RISD, 2022 - 2023

City of Austin, Cultural Funding Specialist, 2020 - 2022

Visible Spectrum: An Arts Opportunity Channel, Founder, online, 2018 - present

Newport Art Museum, Director of Education, Newport RI 2018 - 2019

Peabody Essex Museum (PEM), Connected Learning Developer, Salem MA 2016 - 2018

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Family Programs and Design Camp Coordinator, New York, NY 2015

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Education Assistant, New York, NY 2014 – 2015

Service to the Field

Panelist, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, Horace Mann Hall Public Art, Providence 2023

Reviewer, SPUR Fund, RISD Research, 2022

Reviewer, National Endowment for the Arts Our Town endorsement, City of Austin Cultural Arts Division, 2021

Reviewer, Community Initiatives, City of Austin Cultural Arts Division, 2020 - 2021

Founder, Visible Spectrum, RI 2018 - 2021

Juror, Winter Member’s Exhibition, Providence Art Club, Providence RI 2019

Curator with Showgirls Artist Collective, Peepshow II, Studio Mustard, Providence RI 2013

Curator, My Story, Our Communities, RISCA Atrium Gallery, Providence RI 2012

Curtator with Showgirls Artist Collective, Peepshow, Machines with Magnets Peepshow Pawtucket RI 2012

Public Art Highlights

2024

Clean Air for Chinatown, vinyl window installation for Pao Arts Center, Chinatown Boston 2024

2023

Dream Big / Work Hard, Providence Art Culture Tourism + RFK Elementary School, Providence RI

Yayoi Kusama portrait, Link Street LLC + The Avenue Concept, Providence RI

2022

Georgia O’Keeffe portrait, Link Street LLC + The Avenue Concept, Providence RI

401: After Winter Must Come Spring, The Avenue Concept, Providence RI

2019

U ok?, Punto Urban Art Museum, Salem MA

Kung Fu Kitty, Witch City Kitty cat convention, Salem MA

School of Rock, School of Rock, Seekonk MA

Newport Art Museum School façade, collaboration with teen participants in MuSE, Newport RI

2018

Snail, The Raw Project, South Miami FL

But wait, there’s a thing, Beyond Walls, Lynn MA

Goal Wall, collaboration with teens at LEAP for Education, Salem MA Welcome to New Liberty, collaboration with students at New Liberty Innovation School, Salem MA

Zanshin, Kodokai Dojo, North Smithfield RI

2017

So Pretty It Hurts, Punto Urban Art Museum, Salem MA. First place honors; juried

Seeker of the Forbidden Sandwich!, Salem Mural Slam, Salem MA

Bodhisattva Bernie, Red Fence Gallery, Beverly MA