Celina Brownotter

Designer

Santa Fe, NM, USA

Celina Brownotter is a Hunkpapa Lakota and Diné designer who is passionate about collaborating and engaging with Native communities through innovative design. Having grown up on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, she is a steadfast advocate for place-based design, firmly believing in the transformative power of a built environment that seamlessly integrates with its natural surroundings, cultivating healing, unity, and cultural resonance. 

Since joining MASS in 2021, Celina has contributed to the overall design of various projects through the Sustainable Native Communities Design Lab in O’ga P’ogeh, also known as Santa Fe, New Mexico. These projects include the Willamette Falls Inter-Tribal Public Access Project in West Linn, Oregon, the Caddo Nation Child Care Center in Hinton, Oklahoma, the Anahola Sports Complex and Ranch & Rodeo in Anahola, Hawaii, and the Native BioData Campus Plan located on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. Each project reflects her commitment to fostering deep collaboration and engagement within Native communities.

Beyond her work at MASS, Celina is a member of Montana State’s School of Architecture Advisory Council. Her personal research focuses on how the integration of culture, beliefs, and traditions can positively impact Lakota tribal housing, advancing the discourse on culturally conscious design and its role in social change.

Celina received her Master of Architecture from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design from Montana State University.Throughout her career, she continues to merge her academic knowledge with practical applications, aspiring to design spaces that uplift community voices, culture, and integrate sustainable design strategies.