Exploring Native American Art

Today our team at Brook Farm Veterinary Center attended an online course hosted by Tonia Weavel, a member of the Cherokee Tribe who helped us learn more about Native American artwork. Tonia currently works to share Cherokee history and culture through art, games, demonstrations, lectures, and interactive sessions like this one. She has over 30 years of experience sharing Cherokee culture both in-person and virtually to local communities, corporate diversity groups, and international guests. Tonia is an award-winning textile artist herself, and was granted the distinction of Cherokee National Treasure in 2012 in textiles, which is an award given to citizens that preserve and perpetuate the culture through art.

With Tonia’s help, our team was able to explore Native voices from the past to present through a collection of complex and assorted artworks made from a variety of materials. Tonia helped our team uncover hidden backstories and discover little-known facts about popular Native American art installations through pictures and her incredible storytelling. We were introduced to traditional Native art, artifacts, and sculptures from 1000 BCE to the present day, including works of aesthetic, religious, and historical significance as well as everyday, functional art. We dove deeper into the work of renowned contemporary artists like sculptor and painter Allan Houser, visual artist Steven Paul Judd, and bead artist Martha Berry.

Tonia graciously answered any questions our team had about different pieces of art and we learned so much about indigenous American history and culture.

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