The building housing the Cherokee Arts Center was originally constructed as a Works Progress Administration project during the Great Depression. The property needed an overhaul to make it suitable for use as an artistic center. With American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money from the federal government and tribal funds, the Cherokee Nation worked to revitalize the aging structure.
The CAC offers artists a place to meet, share their knowledge and learn new techniques. They have the opportunity to explore a number of creative avenues at the center while creating a viable source of income for themselves and spreading awareness about Cherokee culture. The Cherokee Arts Center is a gathering place for artists to mentor and network with one another in order to become artist entrepreneurs.
The creative space can be used for a variety of artistic mediums such as metal smithing, pottery, loom weaving, painting and more. Also, the Spider Gallery just west of the art center is available to Cherokee artists to have another venue to show and sell their work. The Cherokee Arts Center is a great way to perpetuate the Cherokee culture through art and artistic expression and to share it with visitors to the Cherokee Nation.
To inquire about classes or other opportunities at the Cherokee Arts Center, see the staff in the Spider Gallery during business hours 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday or on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Cort Mall, 215 S Muskogee Avenue. For more information call 918-453-5728 or email, artscenter@cherokee.org.
Information About the Building Location in Historic Downtown TahlequahThe Cherokee Arts Center is located at 212 S. Water St. in Historic Downtown Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The Cherokee Arts Center is located directly behind the Cherokee Supreme Court Museum which is directly across the street from the Cherokee National History Museum. One block south from the Cherokee Arts Center is the Cherokee Prison Museum and a few blocks North is the Historic Female Seminary which is now known as Northeastern State University.
Located between the Cherokee Arts Center and the Spider Gallery is the Cherokee Cultural Pathway. This sidewalk connecting the Cherokee National History Museum with the Cherokee Prison museum features outdoor art by Cherokee artists and spaces for interactive art like storytelling to steel panels used as chalkboard. Visit us often as the art installations are ever changing.
