On Thursday, she and Jason Clark, a printmaker and adjunct professor, were at work in the printmaking studio in the Fine Arts Building, using that rubber block technique.

They each were carefully aligning the block, small enough to fit in your palm, to apply another layer of patterning to her intricate designs. They would apply ink to a block, set it in place and then gently apply pressure. The atmosphere was calm, but Clark described the process as "nerve-racking" between applications.

The print he was working on had interlocking triangular and rectangular forms, requiring precise alignment.

"It's a geometric design that's used on a lot of different Crow pieces," she said. She adapted the pattern from a historical pair of moccasins, trimming the palette from six colors to three: pumpkin, pink and pale blue.

"Crow beadwork has its own color palette that is preferred, its own design style, its own shapes," she said. Lakota Plains beadwork, meanwhile, has apple greens, deep blues and reds. A tribe's palette might change over time depending on fashion and availability, she said.

Another print she was working on used a palette and design of her own creation. While these were relatively small, she's pushed it much further.