Cherokee, N.C. – After a successful 2021 virtual event, the Annual Kananesgi Fashion Show is slated to return live – this time at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort. This new space will allow for significant event expansions including the Kananesgi Art Market held on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 10am-4pm in the Riverwalk Shops. The marketplace will feature 35+ EBCI artists and makers. At 5:30 p.m., models will take to the runway in the Council Fire Ballroom for the Kananesgi Fashion Show, showcasing custom designs by both EBCI designers and special guest designers. This year’s event will also include The First Fire Art Competition, which highlights Eastern Band Cherokee artists and makers. $38,000 in prize money will be awarded in over 11 art categories. The Art Market and Art Show are EBCI exclusive for participants but open to the public for viewing.
The Kananesgi Art Market and Fashion Show is a collaborative venture between the Sequoyah Fund and the Ray Kinsland Leadership Institute. It was first launched in 2018 as a platform for artists and designers to express their creativity, receive professional and business development training, increase workforce development, and empower EBCI citizens to learn about and express their unique identity as Cherokee people. Designs feature original and traditional patterns for children and adults alike. They bring a Cherokee twist to contemporary fashion that is comfortable and fashionable. The November event is sponsored by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos, Cherokee Central Schools, and Harrah’s Scholarship Fund.
Kananesgi Committee member, Tonya Carroll, is excited that, “this event is an opportunity for all Cherokee people to be proud of their unique art and design.” She states, “We are humbled and excited to be a small part of this amazing, collaborative showcase of native art and culture.”
Kananesgi is the Cherokee word for spider. In Cherokee culture, the spider represents creativity and dexterity Traditionally, some Cherokees will even run their infant’s hands through spider webs to embed this creativity in their children.
