The purpose of this Request for Proposals is to obtain proposals from qualified mount makers interested in working collaboratively with Cherokee artists to create mounts for the Museum of the Cherokee People’s upcoming exhibit, titled “Connected: Cherokee Artists in Relation to Place and One Another.” This exhibition will be on view Friday, March 12th, 2027, through Wednesday, December 29th, 2027.

Established in 1948, the Museum of the Cherokee People (MotCP) is one of the longest-operating Tribal museums in the country. Located in Cherokee, North Carolina on the Qualla Boundary, the sovereign land holdings of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and ancestral homelands of all Cherokees, the Museum shares the history, culture, and stories of the Cherokee people through its exhibitions, collections, and programming. Although the Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (separate from the EBCI Tribal government), the Museum serves as the official repository of the EBCI, as designated by the Tribal Council. MotCP currently houses a collection of 39,398 materials, including 7,153 objects, 10,417 photographs, 15,417 archival materials, and 6,774 library books. MotCP’s mission is “to preserve and perpetuate the history, culture, and stories of the Cherokee people.” Our vision is “to be experts in the care and protection of the Cherokee peoples’ history, material culture, and knowledge.”

The MotCP is looking for qualified individuals that are interested in working collaboratively with seven (7) Cherokee artists and two (2) members of MotCP’s collections division staff to create mounts that will safely and effectively display objects, archival materials, or other materials that artists are creating or selecting to go on exhibit in “Connected: Cherokee Artists in Relation to Place and One Another.” This exhibition will be on view Friday, March 12th, 2027, through Wednesday, December 29th, 2027.

Artists will create/show a representative piece of their art and be shown next to pieces, both historical and contemporary master artists, their inspirations, connections or disconnections to place. Inspirations can extend beyond an artist-to-artist relationship and can be centered in place, rooted in thought or object, central to land, and worldview. These types of inspirations can be represented in a variety of ways, e.g. backdrops, sound, images, etc. This exhibit will have the feel of a vision or mood board aesthetic that displays the artist’s process of how the artist creates. Artists will be asked to visually tie each piece together with a material that is central to their work (examples: basket weavers using splints, or finger weavers using yarn or twine)

Cherokee Artists will consider the fourteen (14) generations surrounding them, including the seven (7) generations that came before us, the seven (7) generations yet to come, and how their artwork connects all of these past and future Cherokee people together through place and through their art. Artists will create a site-specific “mood board” in MotCP’s changing exhibition space linking their art to other Cherokee artists, makers, family members, place, and concepts of homelands. Artists may show representative piece/s of their art alongside historical or contemporary works, working individually or collaboratively alongside family members or mentors. Seven (7) spaces will be reserved for artists to submit proposals.

One (1) space will be reserved for a retrospective of the past five (5) years of Tara McCoy’s “ᏗᏓᏂᏏᏍᎩ ᎦᏓᏆᏟ (Didanisisgi Gadagwatli)” pottery revitalization efforts. “ᏗᏓᏂᏏᏍᎩ ᎦᏓᏆᏟ” potters will be invited (via a separate call for entries) to submit new works that they have created since graduating from the class, so that we can tell the story of how this class has transformed their art practice and how this class is perpetuating Cherokee pottery traditions into the future. Mount maker will work collaboratively with MotCP staff to build an exhibition structure to display works from the “ᏗᏓᏂᏏᏍᎩ ᎦᏓᏆᏟ” potters.

• Three-Dimensional artwork, including (but not limited to) materials such as basketry, pottery/ceramics, sculpture, carvings, multimedia installations, textiles, regalia, etc.
• Two-Dimensional artwork, including (but not limited to) materials such as photography, archival documents, newspapers, paintings, etc.
• Audio Files such as spoken word, music, archival recordings, digital projections, etc.
• Overhead artwork suspended from the ceiling
• Large or oversized artwork
• Natural or found materials that are inspirational to the artists

MotCP is a non-profit organization that serves as the official repository of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, as designated by the Tribal Council. MotCP is tasked with stewarding its resources on behalf of all stakeholders, which includes the seven (7) generations that will be born after we are gone. Proposals should be able to demonstrate good stewardship of MotCP’s resources. The budget will include all associated costs and fees associated with the management objective.

To be considered for this project, respondents should have at a minimum (but not limited to) the following capabilities:

• Ability and demonstrated experience with designing and fabricating mounts that will safely house modern artwork and historical objects within a public exhibition space, ensuring physical stability, security, and proper display of objects
• Experience with handling artwork and fragile materials in accordance with conservation and curatorial handling guidelines and should have a basic knowledge of the proper care for a wide range of objects.
• Ability to work collaboratively with contemporary Native American artists who will exercise their authority over how an object will be displayed or exhibited.
• Mount Maker will provide all materials and tools needed to complete this project as part of their proposal.

Please answer the questions below within your proposal to provide us with insight into the capabilities, capacity, and philosophy of the Mount Maker. The response must be limited to no more than two (2) double-sided pages. Creative samples can be submitted as part of the proposal.

1. Please tell us about your previous experience building mounts for other exhibitions.
2. Please tell us about your previous experience working with contemporary Native American artists (if applicable).
3. Please list all individuals (including position title) that would work directly on this project, including areas of responsibility for each.
4. Please provide an overview of your scope of services.

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Demonstrated ability to meet all capabilities and requirements listed above.
• Qualifications, experience, and staff that would be assigned to the project.
• Costs or fees associated with this project.
• Availability to meet the tight deadlines within this project.

Friday, November 13th, 2026 Issue RFP MotCP
Friday, November 13th, 2026 – Friday, December 11th, 2026 Meetings to ask questions ions or address concerns, by email or scheduled call only MotCP
Friday, December 11th, 2026 Proposal Submission Deadline (5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time) MotCP
Week of December 14th, 2026 Review of Proposals MotCP
Week of December 14th, 2026 Notification of Selection MotCP
Method of Selection

The MotCP will select the proposal that demonstrates the best qualifications for performing the Scope of Work. If no acceptable proposals are received, the MotCP reserves the right to reject all proposals.

Each mount maker will be notified as to whether their proposal is to be considered for final selection.

After the final selection, the MotCP and the selected mount maker will enter into a mutually satisfactory agreement within thirty (30) days or the MotCP shall have the right to negotiate with other mount makers. Upon submission of the Request for Proposal, the materials contained there within shall become property of the MotCP and may be used when and where MotCP officials deem necessary.

Submit one (1) digital copy of the proposal and related materials to be emailed to [email protected] with the subject line “MotCP Connected Exhibit Mount Maker Proposal.” Completed proposals are due via email by the close of business on Thursday, December 3, 2026. No fax copies, physical copies, or copies delivered to anyone other than Evan Mathis will be accepted.

General

Upon execution of the contract, a copy of this RFP will be attached to the contract, and all conditions of this RFP will become conditions of the contract unless specific terms of the RFP are deleted by other terms of the contract.

The selected entity shall be required to follow any and all requirements of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (Tribe), the EBCI’s Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO), United States Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Indian Affairs Rules, Regulations, Policy and Procedure and other applicable rules and regulations. These will be strictly adhered to where applicable.

As a federally recognized Indian Tribe and a Sovereign Nation, the Tribe makes and enforces its own real estate, development, and other business activity laws on tribal land. The RFP will include specific Tribal sovereign immunity language. Some of the laws governing the EBCI can be found at www.municode.com. Click on “online library”, then on “North Carolina”, then on “Cherokee Indians Eastern Band Code of Ordinances” to get to the Cherokee code of Ordinances.

Key laws to be aware of in making your proposal:
• Cherokee Code Chapter 47, Real Property
• Cherokee Code Chapter 92, Article V, Tribal Business Preference Law
• Cherokee Code Chapter 105, Taxation
• Cherokee Code Chapter 106, Business Regulation

For any additional information about this Request for Proposals, please contact:

Evan Mathis
Director of Collections & Exhibition
Museum of the Cherokee People
P.O. Box 1599
589 Tsali Blvd.
Cherokee, NC 28719
Phone (828) 736-6887
E-mail: [email protected]