September 23, 2024
Evan Feeley (Class of 2021, Accelerated BA in Anthropology and MA in Sociocultural Anthropology) works for Cherokee Nation and was recently the recipient of two awards.
As an interpretive project coordinator for Cherokee Nation, he does research and development for temporary exhibits across 9 Cherokee Nation sites, which includes 7 museums, an outdoor art pathway, and a cultural and welcome center. Most exhibitions are focused on Cherokee history and culture, with a few being focused on Cherokee historical figures and/or artists. Since May of 2022, he has served as lead on over a dozen exhibits of varying size and scope.
He also makes basketry, mainly round reed basketry, which is a form of wickerwork. Cherokees began producing round reed baskets with invasive honeysuckle vine in the late 18th/early 19th centuries, and following the forced removal west, they began to work more with honeysuckle and buckbrush to create most of their baskets due to the lack of rivercane, which was the primary material for our baskets prior to the removal. He learned to weave in the summer of 2023, and has continued to learn other forms of weaving, including traditional doubleweave, which is traditionally done with rivercane. Evan Feeley won 2nd place in basketry at the Trail of Tears show this spring for a round reed mat that depicted one of our early migration stories.
He also won the NextGen under 30 award for his work on exhibits that highlighted Cherokee history and culture. The award recognizes Oklahoma’s Next Generation of Leaders and Achievers. The best example of his work so far is the Woven Legacies: Carrying a Cherokee Tradition exhibit that is currently on show at the Cherokee Nation Anna Mitchell Cultural and Welcome Center in Vinita, Oklahoma, until November 3rd of this year. Woven Legacies tells the history of Cherokee basketry while exhibiting over 3 dozen examples of basketry done by Cherokee Nation artists.
