Native Pop art experience brings contemporary Native American artists to Cherokee Oct. 26-28

From the Sequoyah Fund, Inc.:

Native Pop comes to Cherokee with their street, progressive, contemporary, pop artists from around Native America

CHEROKEE, NC — Native Pop is a native art collaborative that combines contemporary art styles, bright vibrant colors and social commentary to highlight modern day Native America. The exhibit and accompanying workshops will be evidence of a modern day Native America. “Native Pop! is a description of how us Natives have changed with the times,” says Brent Learned, one of the organizers of Native Pop. “We’re no longer just something that people can assume are extinct in a Natural History museum. We actually do exist, we’re here, still living and telling our stories with a new perspective of how art is perceived today. It’s not your traditional type of art: We’ve changed with the times, telling our stories and giving new perspectives on how to tell them.”

A member of the Cheyenne-Arapaho tribe, Learned will be visiting Cherokee with his fellow artists: Oneka Jones, an enrolled citizen of the Te-moak Tribe of Western Shoshone; George Curtis Levi, a member of the Southern Cheyenne Tribe; and Joe Hopkins enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Tribe of Oklahoma.

Native Pop’s time in Cherokee will begin on Thursday, October 26, with a reception at the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center, Cherokee Central Schools, 86 Elk Crossing Lane, Cherokee, NC 28719 from 5-8 p.m. The reception will be an opportunity to meet with the artists and view their work; refreshments will be served. On Friday, October 27, the artists will work with Cherokee Central Schools students on a variety of workshops aimed at inspiring creativity and social change. Saturday, October 28, starting at 10 a.m. and running throughout the day, the workshops are open to the community. All events are free. The work on will be on display through November. For more information contact Hope Huskey, 828-359-5005.

Workshops:

• Art Team Building: Participants work together to create a piece of art. Each participant will paint a square, that when combined will create an image.

• Puzzle, maze, paper dolls and coloring: Participants will explore their creative side with artist created worksheets.

• Ledger Art Workshop: Participants will learn about the history of Ledger artwork among Native American tribes. They will then have the opportunity to draw and paint on old ledge paper in traditional ways.

• Stop-Motion Workshop: Participants will work with a laptop, tablet, or phone to create a movie using sculpted clay.

The artists will also participate in “live paints” where they collaborate to make an art piece in real time.

Partial funding provided by Cherokee Preservation Foundation. The event is in partnership with Sequoyah Fund and the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center at Cherokee Central Schools.

Additional press: https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/culture/arts-entertainment/world-goes-wild-for-raw-in-your-face-native-pop-art/

Sequoyah Fund is an independent, non-profit Native American Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), certified in 2005. The organization evolved from a loan fund program of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Sequoyah Fund’s mission is to provide training, technical assistance, and resources to support entrepreneurship, business startup and expansion and community development in the seven far western counties of North Carolina and on the Qualla Boundary. Sequoyah Fund created and maintains the Authentically Cherokee program for Eastern Band of Cherokee artists.

Cherokee Preservation Foundation is an independent nonprofit foundation whose mission is to preserve native culture, protect and enhance the natural environment, and create appropriate and diverse economic opportunities in order to improve the quality of life for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and neighbors in western North Carolina.