Museum of the Cherokee People

Artist Talk with Karen Sixkiller (Cherokee Nation)
2026-04-24 16:30 - 17:30 (America/Kentucky/Monticello) | Museum of the Cherokee People – Education Wing
Karen Sixkiller (Cherokee Nation) explores the aspects of magical realism and symbolism that combine her larger-than-life water beetle with the faceted geometric “mud” he perches on. Follow the technical journey of Karen Sixkiller’s simple clay maquette through the process of becoming a large bronze piece of public art.

Karen Sixkiller is a contemporary sculptor residing on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state. Sixkiller creates sculptures using metal, ceramic, glass beads, leather/suede and fabric. As a Cherokee Nation citizen much of her work is informed by Native American understandings or stories. Cherokee Nation has purchased many of Karen Sixkiller’s ceramic and mixed media sculptural pieces for display in official buildings. She has permanent public art installations in Tahlequah OK, Olympia and Port Angeles WA, and now Asheville NC; as well as several temporary installations in Coeur d’Alene ID, Olympia WA and Lake Oswego OR. Her work has been featured at multiple Indigenous and non-Indigenous art shows.

Cherokee History & Stories
2026-05-04 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-06-01 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-07-06 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-08-03 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-09-07 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-10-05 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-11-02 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-12-07 17:00 - 18:00

Cherokee Language Workshop with Ogadudala
2026-05-04 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-06 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-11 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-13 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-18 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-20 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-25 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-27 17:00 - 18:00 | Museum of the Cherokee People – Education Wing
Every Monday and Wednesday in the month of May, come practice your Cherokee with Ogadudala, with Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program (CLMAP) graduates Dreyton Long, Madison Hye Long, Elvia Walkingstick, and Meshay Long and Dadiwonisi graduate Jack Cooper.No registration is required, and language workshops at MotCP are free of charge.

Opening Reception - Didanisisgi Gadagwatli: A Showcase of Pottery from the Mud Dauber Community Workshop at the Museum of the Cherokee People
2026-06-05 18:00 - 19:30 | Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC, 28719, United States
McCoy developed her pottery workshop three years ago when she noticed a decline in practicing ceramic artists in the Cherokee community. Compelled to do her part in ensuring that there are future generations of Cherokee potters, she developed a three-month intensive workshop that invites aspiring potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and other federally recognized tribes to learn all facets of Cherokee ceramics.
