ATLANTA – Passengers coming and going through the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will have an opportunity to view Southeastern tribal artwork in an exhibit called “This Land Calls Us Home: Indigenous Relationships with Southeastern Homelands.”

The exhibit is presented by the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, and features more than 60 works by 26 artists. The 10 Cherokee Nation artists included in the exhibit are Vivian Garner Cottrell, Roy Boney, Jeff Edwards, Bill Glass, Tonia Hogner-Weavel, Steven Morales, Carolyn Pallett, Tama Roberts, Ronald Mitchell and J. Ross Davis. 

The exhibit seeks to amplify Indigenous voices and increase public understanding of contemporary Native identity and experience, according an ucmission.org press release. 

The featured artists are descendants of the Indigenous peoples historically tied to the region where the exhibit is located. 

“Talking with visitors to the country, they think that the Indigenous people are no longer here. When they see the exhibit, I think they’ll take away that we’re still here. We’re still practicing our culture and still have our knowledge of our ways continuing,” Cottrell said. 

Cottrell, a Cherokee National Treasure for basketry, has two river cane baskets on display. She learned to weave baskets from her mother using white oak, honeysuckle and buck brush materials.

Roy Boney said it’s neat to be a part of this process and show art by tribes that are indigenous to the area.

“It was pretty neat to be a part of this process because when I first heard the idea of an airport show, I didn’t know what to think. But the organizers put together a pretty good concept and they have some pretty good artists in it,” Boney said. “They contacted some Creek artists, Cherokee artists, Chickasaw, some Caddo, you know, just some different Southeastern tribes who have a historical connection there. Atlanta is in the southeast; that was the site of a lot of tribes that called that area home.”

Boney’s art in the exhibit is a digital piece inspired by the chunkey game. He uses digital, watercolor and other mediums in his work, and is inspired by Cherokee history, culture and language.

“You’ve seen some of the gorgets with the chunkey players on it. It’s that image but its been updated and it’s a guy wearing tennis shoes and a hoodie. The idea is that we’re still here as a people and we continue these kind of games and traditions,” Boney said. 

The exhibit is located in the gallery space of the Concourse T North terminal and opened Nov. 6 and will run for one year. To view the full collection visit umcmission.org/thisland/.