"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - CHC to Host Pottery Exhibition

TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA – Honoring the time-honored tradition of Cherokee art, the Cherokee Heritage Center will feature the Cherokee Pottery: People of One Fire exhibit beginning on Tuesday, February 1 and will continue through April 22. A special reception to celebrate its opening will be held on Saturday, February 17, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission to the reception is free.

“This exhibition is a retrospective look at Cherokee ceramics as an art form that has manifested itself in changing ways in response to changes in needs, as well as available materials and techniques, yet has remained distinctly Cherokee,” said Carey Tilley, Executive Director of the Cherokee Heritage Center. “This is a very exciting exhibit because it offers an opportunity to explore the archaeological evidence from the prehistoric uses in the eastern homelands of the Cherokees, not to mention continuity and divergence as it evolved in separate tracks in North Carolina and Oklahoma after the Trail of Tears.”

The exhibition features a collection of visually stunning and culturally significant pottery that spans changes in culture throughout Cherokee history. Organized and circulated by the Cherokee National Museum, the exhibition marks the first time Cherokee master artisans from different areas of Cherokee culture have collaborated together to share pottery with the public.

“Cherokee pottery is an honored tradition that brings skilled artisans together in order to preserve the Cherokee craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation,” said Mickel Yantz, exhibit Curator. The Cherokee Heritage Center strives to educate visitors on all aspects of Cherokee history and culture. Permanent exhibitions are continuously available that examine historical information regarding the heritage of the Cherokees.

For more information, telephone: 918-456-6007 or visit the Cherokee Heritage Center online.