A reference guide for Cherokee artists’ names, tribal affiliations, dates, primary artistic media, and links. If you have suggestions on spelling, media, or tribal affiliations or cultural heritage, please email us.
A
- Mary Adair (Cherokee Nation), painter, finger weaver
- David Arch (Eastern Band Cherokee), mask maker | wcu.edu
- Jacquie Archambeau (Cherokee Nation), textile artist
B
- Louis W. Ballard (Quapaw/Cherokee, 1931–2007), Santa Fe, NM, composer, musician, painter, OU, University of Tulsa | wiki | website
- Lena Blackbird (Cherokee Nation), Tahlequah, OK, basket weaver (honeysuckle) | wiki
- Christina Berry (Cherokee Nation), Austin, TX, photographer | website
- Karen Berry (Cherokee Nation), finger weaver, gourd carver | website
- Martha Berry (Cherokee Nation), Tyler, TX, beadwork artist, wiki| link
- Charlotte Welch Bigmeat (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1887–1959), ceramic artist | wcu.edu
- Arizona Swayney Blankenship (1875–1934), Cherokee, NC, basket weaver, beadwork artist, ceramic artist, lacemaker, Hampton Institute | memorial
- Kim Bottchenbaugh (Eastern Band Cherokee), Deer Clan, NC, beadwork arts | wcu.edu | CAP
- Nancy George Bradley (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1881–1963), NC, basket weaver (rivercane, white oak) | wcu.edu
- Rowena Bradley (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1922–2003), NC, basket weaver (honeysuckle, white oak) | wcu.edu
- Roy Boney Jr. (Cherokee Nation), Locust Grove and Tahlequah, OK, Deer Clan, animator, draftsperson, painter | wiki | link
C
- Goingback Chiltoskey (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1907–2000), Piney Grove, NC, woodcarver | wcu.edu
- Wahdih “Watty” Chiltoskie (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1897-1973), Piney Grove, NC, woodcarver, elder brother of Goingback Chiltoskey | wcu.edu
- Jennie Ross Cobb (Cherokee, 1881–1959), Park Hill, OK, Wolf Clan, photographer, collections: Oklahoma History Center
- Nancy Conseen (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1929–1997), Cherokee, NC, basket weaver (honeysuckle, white oak) | wcu.edu
- Mel Cornshucker (United Keetoowah Band), Tulsa, OK, ceramic artist | wiki
- Albert Crowe (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1906–1993), Swain, NC, diverse arts | memorial
- Amanda Crowe (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1928–2004), Murphy and Painttown, NC, woodcarver, MFA Chicago Art Institute (1952), collections: NMAI | wiki | wcu.edu
- Gilbert Crowe (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1939–2005), Big Y, NC, woodcarver | wcu.edu
- Sylvester Crowe (Eastern Band Cherokee), NC, bow maker | wcu.edu
D
- Mike Dart (Cherokee Nation), basket weaver | wiki
- Talmadge Davis (Cherokee Nation, 1962–2005), Broken Arrow, OK, painter | wiki
- Cecil Dick (Cherokee, 1915–1992), Tahlequah, OK, painter | wiki
- Mary Dobson (Eastern Band Cherokee, ca. 1857-unknown), NC, rivercane basket weaver, mother of Nancy George Bradley
- Mavis Doering (Cherokee Nation, 1929–2007), Hominy, OK, basket weaver (buckbrush, honeysuckle) | wiki
E
- Michole Eldred (Catawba/Eastern Cherokee), author, curator
- Joseph Erb (Cherokee Nation), animator, painter, video artist | wiki
- Royal Roger Eubanks (Cherokee, January 14, 1879—October 14, 1955), Tahlequah, IT, and Blue Eye, MO, illustrator, Cherokee Male Seminary, collections: UALR Sequoyah Research Center | link
- Lara M. Evans, PhD (Cherokee Nation), scholar, painter
F
- Tom Farris (Otoe-Missouria/Cherokee), painter, printmaker | link
- Tom Fields (Muscogee/Cherokee), photographer
- Yatika Fields (Osage/Muscogee/Cherokee), painter
G
- Karen George (Eastern Band Cherokee), NC, basket weaver, finger weaver | BRH | wcu.edu
- Lucy Nola George (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1897–1978), Birdtown, NC, basket weaver (honeysuckle) | wcu.edu
- Jeffrey Gibson (Mississippi Choctaw/Cherokee), painter, sculptor | wiki | link
- Bill Glass Jr. (Cherokee Nation), Tahlequah and Locust Grove, OK, ceramic artist, sculptor | NAA
- Demos Glass (Cherokee Nation), Tahlequah and Locust Grove, OK, sculptor, Southern Illinois University | NAA
- Shan Goshorn (Eastern Band Cherokee), Tulsa, OK, photographer, weaver (paper) | wiki | link
- Franklin Gritts (Cherokee, 1914/1915–1996), Vian, OK, and Lawrence, KS, painter, teacher at Haskell Institute, BFA OU (1939) | wiki
- John Gritts (Cherokee Nation), CO, draftsperson, educator
H
- Crystal Hanna (Cherokee Nation), Tulsa, OK, ceramic artist | ATC
- Eliza Harkins (Muscogee/Cherokee), Los Angeles, CA, installation artist, performance | website
- Joan Hill (Muscogee/Cherokee, 1930–2020), Muskogee, OK, painter
- Luzene Hill (Eastern Band Cherokee), installation artist, performance artist | website
- Dan HorseChief (Cherokee Nation/Pawnee), Sapulpa, OK, painter, sculptor, link
- Mary HorseChief (Cherokee Nation/Pawnee), Welling, OK, finger weaver
I
J
- Troy Jackson (Cherokee Nation), Tahlequah, OK, ceramic sculptor | website
K
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L
- Virgil Ledford (Eastern Band Cherokee, b. 1940), Birdtown, NC, woodcarver | wcu.edu
- Robert Lewis (Cherokee Nation/Navajo/Apache), draftsperson, painter
- Hawk Littlejohn (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1941–2000), Old Forest, NC, flute maker | wiki
- Allen Long (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1917–1983), Big Cove, NC, mask maker, son of Will West Long | wcu.edu
- Will West Long (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1870–1947), Big Cove, NC, mask maker, Hampton Institute, Trinity College | wcu.edu
M
- Louise Bigmeat Maney (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1932–2001), Paint Clan, Wrights Creek, Cherokee, NC, ceramic artist
- Barbara McAlister (Cherokee Nation), Muskogee, OK, painter, opera singer | wiki | website
- America Meredith (Cherokee Nation), Norman, OK, fumage artist, painter, printmaker, BFA OU (2003), MFA SFAI (2005) | wiki | link
- Mary Ellen Meredith (Cherokee Nation), Oklahoma City, OK, curator, publisher
- William Thomas Milam Sr. (Cherokee Nation, 1918–2007), Chelsea and Oklahoma City, OK, Red Paint Clan, Oklahoma City, OK, photographer
- Anna Belle Sixkiller Mitchell (Cherokee Nation, 1926–2012), Vinita, OK, ceramic artist, collections: OU
N
- Denise Neil-Binion, PhD (Delaware Tribe/Cherokee Nation), Santa Fe, NM, writer, scholar
- Lloyd Kiva New (Cherokee Nation, 1916–2002), Scottsdale, AZ, and Santa Fe, NM, fashion designer, painter, Chicago Arts Institute
- Raymond Nordwall (Pawnee/Ojibwe/Cherokee), Santa Fe, NM, painter
O
- Jane Osti (Cherokee Nation), Tahlequah, OK, ceramic artist, BA NSU (1989), MSE NSU (1992) | wiki | Facebook
- Narcissa Chisholm Owen (Cherokee, 1831–1911), finger weaver, painter | Dawes Roll #5599 | website
P
- Patsy Phillips (Cherokee Nation), Santa Fe, NM, museum director
Q
- Joel Queen (Eastern Band Cherokee), ceramic artist, jeweler, sculptor | BRH
R
- Bill Rabbit (Cherokee Nation, 1946–2012), painter | wiki
- Traci Rabbit (Cherokee Nation), painter
- Lynn Riggs (Cherokee, 1899–1954), playwright | Dawes Roll #4990 | wiki
- Will Rogers (Cherokee, 1879–1935), Red Paint Clan, Beverly Hills, CA, actor, screenwriter, producer | Dawes Roll #4747 | wiki | website
- Martha Lossiah Ross (Eastern Band Cherokee, b. 1931), Big Cove, NC, basket weaver (white oak) | wcu.edu
- Lisa Rutherford (Cherokee Nation), Tahlequah, OK, ceramic and textile artist | Facebook
S
- Sequoyah (Cherokee, ca. 1770–1840), Tuskegee, TN, and Arkansas Territory, inventor of the Cherokee syllabary, silversmith | wiki | museum
- Helen Bradley Smith (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1922–2007), Big Cove, NC, basket weaver (maple) | wcu.edu
- Lottie Queen Stamper (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1907–1987), NC, basket weaver (river cane) | wcu.edu
- Sallie Ann Crowe Stamper (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1875–1948), Wolf Town, NC, basket weaver (rivercane), wcu.edu
- Virginia Stroud (Keetoowah Cherokee/Muscogee), painter, Bacone, OU | wiki
T
- Emma Squirrel Taylor (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1920–2002), NC, basket weaver (oak, rivercane) | wcu.edu
- Julia Ann Ned Taylor (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1902–1991), NC, basket weaver (white oak) | wcu.edu
- Dana Tiger (Muscogee/Seminole/Cherokee), painter, OSU, Bacone | wiki | link
- MaryBeth Timothy (Cherokee Nation), painter
- Kade L. Twist (Cherokee Nation), Southern California, performance, sound, and video artist
U
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V
- Donald Vann (Cherokee Nation, b. 1949), Stilwell, OK, now TX, painter | wiki | website
- Victoria Mitchell Vasquez (Cherokee Nation), Welch, OK, ceramic artist | website | ATC
W
- Geraldine Walkingstick (Eastern Band Cherokee, b. 1939), basket weaver | wcu.edu
- John Ed Walkingstick (Eastern Band Cherokee), bow maker | wcu.edu
- Karin Walkingstick (Cherokee Nation), Claremore, OK, ceramic artist | link
- Kay WalkingStick (Cherokee Nation, b. 1935), Easton, PA, painter, BFA Beaver College (1959), MFA Pratt Insitute (1975) | wiki | website
- Laura Walkingstick (Eastern Band Cherokee), Santa Fe, NM, ceramic artist, sculptor, BFA IAIA | link
- Elsie Welch Watty (Eastern Band Cherokee, b. 1935), basket weaver (white oak) | wcu.edu
- Adam Welch (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1925–1985), Big Cove, NC, mask maker, woodcarver | wcu.edu
- Agnes Welch (Eastern Band Cherokee, b. 1925), basket weaver (white oak) | wcu.edu
- Tommy Wildcat (Cherokee Nation/Muscogee/Natchez), Wolf Clan, Lost City, OK, diverse arts, flute maker | wiki | music
- Fred Wilnoty (Eastern Band Cherokee), sculptor (stone) | wcu.edu
- John Wilnoty Jr. (Eastern Band Cherokee), sculptor
- John Julius Wilnoty (Eastern Band Cherokee, b. 1940), Bigwitch and Wolftown, NC, sculptor (steatite, wood), self-taught, collections: IACB, Qualla Arts Mutual
- Eva Wolfe (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1922–2004), Big Cove, NC, basket weaver (river cane) | wcu.edu
Y
- Edmund Youngbird (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1922–1995), Wolf Town, NC, basket weaver (rivercane) | wcu.edu
- Rebecca “Amanda” Youngbird (Eastern Band Cherokee (1890–1984), Cherokee, NC, ceramic artist, Carlisle | wcu.edu
- Lizzie Stamper Youngbird (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1903–1967), Wolf Town, NC, basket weaver (rivercane) | wcu.edu
Z
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Institutions
All Things Cherokee
Austin, TX | allthingscherokee.com
Cherokee Artists Project
Qualla Arts & Crafts, Cherokee, NC | cherokeeartistsproject.org
Cherokee Arts Center
212 S. Water Ave., Tahlequah OK 74464
(918) 453-5728 | cherokeeartscenter.com
Cherokee Heritage Center
Physical: 21192 S Keeler Dr, Park Hill, OK 74451
Mailing: PO Box 515, Tahlequah, OK 74465
(918) 456-6007 | cherokeeheritage.org
John Hair Cultural Center and Museum
18627 Keetoowah Cir, Tahlequah, OK 74464
(918) 772-4389 | keetoowahcherokeemuseum.org
Museum of the Cherokee Indian
589 Tsali Blvd., Cherokee NC 28719
(828) 497-3481 | cherokeemuseum.org
Qualla Arts and Crafts Museum
645 Tsali Blvd., Cherokee, NC
(828) 497-3103 | quallaartsandcrafts.com
Questionable
- Jimalee Chitwood Burton, Ho Chee Nee (1906–2000), b. El Reno, OK, collection of Gilcrease, Philbrook, and Cherokee Heritage Center
- Callie Jane Mascal (b. 1913–unknown), Muskogee, OK, painter, collection of the Oklahoma Historical Society, exhibited OHS 1979, Philbrook Art Museum, Gilcrease, and US Department of the Interior (Watson 1993, 285–286)
- Joseph Theodore Noonan, “Waáno-Gano” (March 3, 1906–September 1, 1982), Salt Lake City, Utah, if his the parents of his mother, Irene Mae Leichhart, (May 15, 1876–January 23, 196), are the same John Childers (b. ca. 1835, Georgia) and Nancy Caroline Golden Childers (ca. 1842, Alabama) of Sallisaw on the Dawes Rolls, then he would be of Cherokee descent but the years are more than a decade off.
Non-Cherokees
These are individual artists who have claimed but do not have any Cherokee heritage.
- Ward Churchill (b. 1947), serigraph printmaker, also claimed to be Muscogee Creek
- Jimmie Durham (b. 10 July 1940, Houston, Texas), sculptor
- Retha Walden Gambaro (1917–2013), bronze sculptor, also claimed to be Muscogee Creek
- Thomas Hunt King (b. 24 April 1943, Roseville, CA), author
- Jon Forrest Lightfoot (1939–2018), Western painter, claimed father William Forrest Lightfoot (1910–1975) was Cherokee
- Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008), painter, sculptor, Pop artist, installation artist, incorrectly claimed paternal grandmother, Tina “Tiny” Jane Howard (1871–1910), was full-blood Cherokee
- Donald Morris “Chief Lelooska” Smith (21 Aug 1993–1996), carver, sculptor in Northwest Coast–style
- Leon Polk Smith (1906–1996), Hard-Edge Abstractionist painter
- Willard Stone (1916–1985), Art Deco sculptor
- Frankie Welch, fashion designer