Anna Mitchell - R.I.P.

I did not know Anna Mitchell very well, but she is one of the few people whose astounding reputation so deservedly preceded her.  I was introduced to her at the Cherokee Heritage Center a few years ago.  I don’t remember exactly which occasion it was, as the Heritage Center is always hosting events at which artists gather.  It was a very brief encounter, maybe a couple of minutes -- if that.  I had just really started my serious entrée into the Cherokee art world.  She encouraged me to continue, and to my surprise, she even talked about a piece of mine she had seen at a show that she said she liked.  It was a great honor she even noticed.

With her passing, we lost one of the giants of Cherokee art today.  Her accomplishments in establishing the southeastern style in the modern era will forever be appreciated by countless people.  I know this artist would not be able to do what I’m doing without the trail she blazed.  May her memory live on always.

ᎬᏯᎵᎡᎵᎦ, Anna.

Here’s a link to a Cherokee Phoenix article about her:
http://www.cherokeephoenix.org/19485/Article.aspx

Here is a link to a nice profile of her:
www.historythrougharts.org/main/ArtistProfiles/PotteryArtist.pdf