Mike Dart
Encyclopedia
Mike Dart is a Native American art
ist of the Cherokee Nation
, who is one of the few Western Cherokee men who specialize in Cherokee basketry.
. He is the youngest of the four children of Ronnie Joe and Emma Sue (Bean) Dart. Dart currently resides in Fairfield, Oklahoma
which is a prominent Cherokee community just northeast of Stilwell, Oklahoma
.
Dart is a member of the Cherokee Native Arts and Plant Society, Cherokee Artists Association
, and Cherokee Arts and Humanities Council. Dart is currently employed at Cherokee Casino in West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma
.
Mike learned the art of basketry in 1992 from master Cherokee weaver, Shawna Morton-Cain who was designated a Living Treasure of the Cherokee Nation in 2006 for her knowledge and skill in the art of Cherokee basketry. However he says that his interest in basketry began during childhood when he would watch his grandmother, the late Pauline Dart weave baskets and build woven furniture out of willow, hickory and other materials native to the land around her home.
Mike's baskets are generally classified as "contemporary" because his primary mediums are contemporary materials such as rattan
reed and RIT Fabric and other aniline dyes. However, he does weave with natural materials such as honeysuckle
and buckbrush
. But he says that he will always weave with contemporary materials because it allows him to express himself better artistically, and there are certain colors he likes to use that cannot be obtained from natural materials. He defines the difference between traditional and contemporary as the following: "A Cherokee basket is classified as traditional if it is woven in a traditional way, and all the materials and dyed are natural. A Cherokee basket is classified as contemporary if it is woven in a traditional way using commercially manufactured materials and dyes. Some weavers will use both natural and commercial materials. This is called using 'mixed mediums' and it fits into the contemporary category."
, Art Under the Oaks Art Show at the Five Tribes Museum in Muskogee, Oklahoma
and Trail of Tears Art Show and Sale at the Cherokee Heritage Center
in Park Hill, Oklahoma
, which is one of the largest Native American art shows in the region. His art is quickly becoming recognized and appreciated by many collectors and institutions within the Native American art circle.
Mike's work can be viewed regularly in the Cherokee National Museum during various art shows and also in the Cherokee Heritage Center
in Park Hill, Oklahoma
.
. Shawna and Roger Cain and Mike Dart collaborated with this community to recover lost traditions such as basket weaving and preparing traditional foods, as well as reinstating Cherokee gardening and hunting practices.
Dart also was a founding members of the Cherokee Basket Weaver's Association.
Native American art
Visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas encompasses the visual artistic traditions of the indigenous peoples of the Americas from ancient times to the present...
ist of the Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It was established in the 20th century, and includes people descended from members of the old Cherokee Nation who relocated voluntarily from the Southeast to Indian Territory and Cherokees who...
, who is one of the few Western Cherokee men who specialize in Cherokee basketry.
Background
Michael Lee Dart was born on February 1, 1977 in Siloam Springs, ArkansasSiloam Springs, Arkansas
Siloam Springs is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 13,990...
. He is the youngest of the four children of Ronnie Joe and Emma Sue (Bean) Dart. Dart currently resides in Fairfield, Oklahoma
Fairfield, Oklahoma
Fairfield is a census-designated place in Adair County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 367 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fairfield is located at ....
which is a prominent Cherokee community just northeast of Stilwell, Oklahoma
Stilwell, Oklahoma
Stilwell is a town in Adair County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,276 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Adair County...
.
Dart is a member of the Cherokee Native Arts and Plant Society, Cherokee Artists Association
Cherokee Artists Association
The Southeastern Indian Artists Association is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Formerly known as the Cherokee Artists Association, the group promotes and protects the interests of Native American, Southeastern, and Native Artists. The Cherokee Artists Association has over one hundred Native...
, and Cherokee Arts and Humanities Council. Dart is currently employed at Cherokee Casino in West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma
West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma
West Siloam Springs is a town in Delaware County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 877 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Siloam Springs is located at...
.
Basket weaving
Dart is an award winning Cherokee artist, specializing in the art of contemporary double-wall basketry – an exceptionally difficult technique involving the continuous weave of both an interior and exterior wall within each basket.Mike learned the art of basketry in 1992 from master Cherokee weaver, Shawna Morton-Cain who was designated a Living Treasure of the Cherokee Nation in 2006 for her knowledge and skill in the art of Cherokee basketry. However he says that his interest in basketry began during childhood when he would watch his grandmother, the late Pauline Dart weave baskets and build woven furniture out of willow, hickory and other materials native to the land around her home.
Mike's baskets are generally classified as "contemporary" because his primary mediums are contemporary materials such as rattan
Rattan
Rattan is the name for the roughly 600 species of palms in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia.- Structure :...
reed and RIT Fabric and other aniline dyes. However, he does weave with natural materials such as honeysuckle
Honeysuckle
Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 180 species of honeysuckle, 100 of which occur in China; Europe, India and North America have only about 20 native species each...
and buckbrush
Buckbrush
Buckbrush is the common name for several species of North American shrubs that deer feed on, including but probably not limited to:*Andrachne phyllanthoides, maidenbrush * Some western North American species of the genus Ceanothus...
. But he says that he will always weave with contemporary materials because it allows him to express himself better artistically, and there are certain colors he likes to use that cannot be obtained from natural materials. He defines the difference between traditional and contemporary as the following: "A Cherokee basket is classified as traditional if it is woven in a traditional way, and all the materials and dyed are natural. A Cherokee basket is classified as contemporary if it is woven in a traditional way using commercially manufactured materials and dyes. Some weavers will use both natural and commercial materials. This is called using 'mixed mediums' and it fits into the contemporary category."
Art career
His baskets have placed in several shows throughout northeastern Oklahoma including the Cherokee National Holiday Art Show in Tahlequah, OklahomaTahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It was founded as a capital of the original Cherokee Nation in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee forced west on the Trail of Tears. The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census. It...
, Art Under the Oaks Art Show at the Five Tribes Museum in Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
and Trail of Tears Art Show and Sale at the Cherokee Heritage Center
Cherokee Heritage Center
The Cherokee Heritage Center is a non-profit historical society and museum campus that seeks to preserve the historical and cultural artifacts, language, and traditional crafts of the Cherokee. The Heritage center also hosts the central genealogy database and genealogy research center for the...
in Park Hill, Oklahoma
Park Hill, Oklahoma
Park Hill is a census-designated place in southwestern Cherokee County, Oklahoma in the United States. The population was 3,936 at the 2000 census. It lies near Tahlequah, east of the junction of U.S. Route 62 and State Highway 82.-History:...
, which is one of the largest Native American art shows in the region. His art is quickly becoming recognized and appreciated by many collectors and institutions within the Native American art circle.
Mike's work can be viewed regularly in the Cherokee National Museum during various art shows and also in the Cherokee Heritage Center
Cherokee Heritage Center
The Cherokee Heritage Center is a non-profit historical society and museum campus that seeks to preserve the historical and cultural artifacts, language, and traditional crafts of the Cherokee. The Heritage center also hosts the central genealogy database and genealogy research center for the...
in Park Hill, Oklahoma
Park Hill, Oklahoma
Park Hill is a census-designated place in southwestern Cherokee County, Oklahoma in the United States. The population was 3,936 at the 2000 census. It lies near Tahlequah, east of the junction of U.S. Route 62 and State Highway 82.-History:...
.
Community work
Dart is notable for his community development work in rural Cherokee communities such as Greasy, OklahomaGreasy, Oklahoma
Greasy is a census-designated place in Adair County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 387 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Greasy is located at ....
. Shawna and Roger Cain and Mike Dart collaborated with this community to recover lost traditions such as basket weaving and preparing traditional foods, as well as reinstating Cherokee gardening and hunting practices.
Dart also was a founding members of the Cherokee Basket Weaver's Association.
External links
- Mike Dart, Cherokee Artist's Association