Region 3 Commissioner

Meet Your Commissioner

How have the arts impacted you?

The arts have helped me stay connected to my cultural identity through practicing our traditional material culture including pottery, beading, weaving, and feather work. They ground me in my heritage, providing healing and self-expression.

How have you seen the arts impact Virginians?

Being from a rural region of Virginia, I’ve seen the arts preserve culture, build community, and offer healing – especially in underserved communities where art becomes both voice and therapy.

What might someone be surprised to know about you?

My one and only tattoo is a traditional hand-poked chin tattoo that was gifted to me in ceremony by my sister, highlighting my accomplishments as a Mattaponi woman and serving as a meaningful representation of cultural identity and resilience.

If you could be a world class artist, what would you be/do?

I would be a painter like Frida Kahlo – boldly blending personal story, culture, and identity into visual art. I’d use painting to explore healing, heritage, and the resilience of Indigenous women, just as she did with powerful vulnerability.

If you had to say what your superpower was, what might that be?

As a nurse practitioner and artist, I would say my superpower is holding space for healing – bridging science, art, and tradition to guide others toward health and wellness.

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My name is Raven Custalow. I am an enrolled tribal citizen of the Mattaponi Tribe led by Chief Lionel Custalow and currently reside not far from the Mattaponi Reservation in King William Virginia. I have practiced as an Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner for seven years and I am currently attending Florida States University for my Doctorate in Nursing Practice in Lifestyle Medicine. I am heavily involved in my culture and am humbled and proud to represent the Mattaponi tribe. I was taught by my grandmother, Christine Rippling Water Custalow, traditional arts such as pottery, beading, and leatherwork. More recently, I have begun the reclamation of feather mantle weaving and have one of my feather mantles on display at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.