Sequoyah Students to Hold Art Show, Sale
TAHLEQUAH, OK — The next Woody Crumbo, R.C. Gorman or David Williams could be waiting for discovery just around the corner. The residential students at Sequoyah Schools will soon hold their fourth annual art show and sale. In addition to winning prize money for their art, they will also have the opportunity to sell it to parents, friends and members of the community.
“It gives them a chance to increase their talents and self-esteem,” said David Stand, residential therapist and art show coordinator. “It shows them that they have self-worth and something that people can admire about them.”
Cash prizes will be awarded to students for first through fourth place plus honorable mentions for both the boys and girls dorms, courtesy of Bill John Baker and Tina Glory Jordan, Cherokee Nation Tribal Council members representing Cherokee County. Students are encouraged to enter a hand made piece of art that represents Native American culture. Although each student may enter only one piece of non-traditional artwork for competition, they may enter several pieces of traditional work.
“We mostly get paintings and drawings and sometimes baskets or beadwork,” Stand said.
The art show and sale will be held on Thursday, December 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the boys’ dorm activity room. Refreshments will be provided and the public is invited to attend. The student artists will be available for questions or to sign their work if needed.
“This would be a great opportunity for someone to buy a Christmas present from a young, local artist,” said Gina Stanley, Sequoyah superintendent. “As talented as these kids are, their art could be worth a fortune some day.”
Sequoyah Schools, a boarding school for Native American students, originated in 1871 as an orphan asylum to care for children who were orphaned by the Civil War. Now known as Sequoyah Schools, it is named for Sequoyah, the scholar who developed the Cherokee syllabary. The school is regionally and state accredited for grades 7-12 and has become the school of choice for more than 400 Native American students every year. Sequoyah Schools is located five miles southwest of Tahlequah, Okla. For more information call (918) 453-5400 or visit the Sequoyah Schools’ web site at www.sequoyah.cherokee.org.