Cherokee pottery exhibition opens at Museum of the Cherokee People

CHEROKEE, N.C. — The Museum of the Cherokee People has opened “Didanisisgi Gadagwatli: A Showcase of Pottery from the Mud Dauber Community Workshop,” an exhibition running through May 2026.

The exhibition features pottery created by students of Tara McCoy, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, during a three month community workshop. Guided by ancestral techniques and rooted in the Cherokee value of gadugi — working together for the common good — the showcase highlights new generations of potters while honoring centuries of tradition.

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McCoy, who began learning pottery at age 12 under Alyne Stamper, has exhibited award winning work at the Cherokee Fall Festival and the Santa Fe Indian Market. She now teaches, encouraging first time potters to blend personal style with ancestral methods.

“Connection and practice to our material culture is a continuation of our shared Cherokee identity and perpetuates Cherokee pride,” said Dakota Brown, director of education at the Museum of the Cherokee People.

Featured artists include Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, Barbara Jones, Paula Wojtkowski, Marisa “Sis” Cabe, Lisa Howell, Malia Crowe Skulski, Samantha Cole Daniels, Elvia Walkingstick, Maggie Jackson, Michelle Lynn Long, and Tara McCoy.

The museum invites the public to view the exhibition as a reconnection with Cherokee heritage.