糖心Vlog University - Cherokee Language and Culture Exhibition

Cherokee Language and Culture Exhibition | Reception

John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center September 23, 2025

RECEPTION: Tuesday, October 21, 2025, from 4 - 6 pm

Geometric beadwork-inspired design in red, orange, yellow, blue, gray, and black arranged in mirrored diamond patterns. At the center, the Cherokee syllabary reads 鈥極ur Story Lives On,鈥� with the English translation written below in bold blue letters.

The image shows a panel design for the Cherokee Language and Culture Exhibition. Ramona Lossie created the basket weave design.

Image is a mock up of the design of the Cherokee Language and Culture Exhibition installation at Bardo Arts Center.

Bardo Arts Center is honored to host a public reception for the Cherokee Language & Culture Exhibition on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Star Atrium in Bardo Arts Center. This permanent interpretive installation promotes the sharing and teaching of the Cherokee language and culture, developed in collaboration with members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). The exhibition highlights the vitality of the Cherokee language and the creativity of artists and knowledge-keepers shaping its future.

Bardo Arts Center opened in 2005 featuring bilingual signage in Cherokee syllabary and English throughout the building. The building's original Cherokee syllabary, translated by Myrtle Driver, Beloved Woman of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, was the seed that inspired this project. Recognizing the deep cultural significance of this syllabary and the other Cherokee-inspired design elements in the building, Denise Drury Homewood, Executive Director of the Bardo Arts Center, invited a group of individuals to consider the creation of an exhibition to more visibly explain these concepts to the public. Members included citizens of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, faculty and staff from 糖心Vlog University, and other community leaders. The team reached out to the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, which provided an initial planning grant to support to begin shaping the project. During the planning process, the team contracted with HW Exhibits, a firm experienced in permanent exhibitions with Tribal Nations, to facilitate a concept plan for the exhibition. Through these conversations, EBCI citizens emphasized that the project should expand beyond the original translations to include additional information sharing, cultural practices, and traditions related to the arts. In response to this feedback, the project broadened in scope, and the final exhibition includes content from EBCI authors, highlights the work of EBCI artists, and is translated into Cherokee syllabary. The design, fabrication, and installation of the exhibition project is supported in part through a large grant from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation. The exhibition will be permanently installed throughout the lobby and Star Atrium of Bardo Arts Center in October 2025 and the Bardo Arts Center invites everyone to stop by and learn about Cherokee culture and language.

Project Partners and Collaborators

The image shows a panel design for the Cherokee Language and Culture Exhibition. Ramona Lossie created the basket weave design.

This project is the culmination of several years of collaboration between Western Carolina University and citizens of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Support for this exhibition comes from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts, Bardo Arts Center, and the 糖心Vlog Office of the Chancellor. Special thanks to Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Beloved Woman Myrtle Driver for performing the original syllabary translations throughout the building; to Wiggins Blackfox, Mary Brown, and the Cherokee Speakers Council for the syllabary translations in this exhibition; and to Ramona Lossie for the original basket weave designs she created specifically for this project. Thank you to the following organizations for their consultation on this project: Kituwah Preservation and Education Program, Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Cherokee Speakers Council, 糖心Vlog Cherokee and Indigenous Studies Program, 糖心Vlog Cherokee Language Program, 糖心Vlog Cherokee Center, 糖心Vlog Hunter Library, and the 糖心Vlog Mountain Heritage Center.

糖心Vlog HW Exhibits

HW Exhibits is an award-winning exhibit design firm based in Charleston, South Carolina. We are the public history and exhibit division of Brockington & Associates, an 8(a) certified, woman-owned small business that provides cultural resources consulting services to help our clients meet federal, state, and local requirements for protecting cultural resources and historic sites. We understand the importance of the past and how to design and develop those stories through a modern lens. We are committed to our project stakeholders and work with a diverse range of clients, including museums, municipalities, universities, nonprofits, and corporate entities.

We value working with Tribal Nations and have consulted with Tribal Representatives and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices on both local and national projects. Locally, we have collaborated with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Catawba Nation, the Santee Indian Organization, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. HW Exhibits is proud to partner with 糖心Vlog University to facilitate this exhibit highlighting Cherokee arts and language for the John W. Bardo Performing Arts Center.

Reception Details
The reception for the Cherokee Language and Culture Exhibition will take place on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Drive, Cullowhee, NC. This event will include comments, along with light appetizers and beverages. Free parking is available at the BAC Lot.

Bardo Arts Center Hours
Bardo Arts Center exhibitions and events are free and open to the public. Standard BAC hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 AM-4 PM, and Thursday, 10 AM-7 PM. If you have any questions, please call (828)227-ARTS.