CHEROKEE, N.C. – The Museum of the Cherokee Indian (MCI) has announced Children’s Week, a week of cultural activities for children and their caregivers, from June 12-17, 2023. Open to children from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) community, the western North Carolina area, and beyond, the week will feature a robust schedule with hands-on experiences and demonstrations from Museum staff and EBCI craftspeople, cultural leaders, and community members from 12-4pm daily.
With diverse offerings each day, attendees can drop in for a few hours or attend the entire week to make their own crafts, learn about traditional foods, and enjoy dance demonstrations by the Museum’s Atsila Anotasgi Cultural Specialists. Daily, visitors can listen to stories that Cherokees have passed down for generations and hear contemporary books by Native authors and illustrators read aloud. Activities will be held both inside the Museum and outdoors in the summer sunshine. Local food trucks will be on-site with lunch and snacks available for purchase.
“We are so excited for the first Children’s Week and truly hope that this becomes an annual event,” says Jennifer Wilson (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), Aniyvwiyahi Community Program coordinator at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. “As a parent, I understand the absence of kid-focused events and programming within our community. Children are our future, and I believe that by having events like this we can instill in them a love for Cherokee history, culture, and art.”
Children’s Week will also include opportunities for teenagers to learn more about careers in the museum and cultural heritage fields and see how paths in history, science, business, cultural knowledge, art, customer service, and language arts can all lead to a life in museums.
“Shifting the perspective about museums from boring, old things to exciting, lively—and dare I say fun—activities is exactly the environment we choose to create here at MCI,” says Shennelle Feather (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Diné, Lakota), Education Program manager at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. “The people who work here at MCI each have unique paths and stories that uplift, preserve, and perpetuate who we are as Cherokee and who we’ve always been. Our employees will share their experiences with the hope that our future generations might one day want to continue that mission for the next seven generations.”
All activities are free of charge, and registration is not required. Craft activities will operate on a first-come, first-served basis. All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. A full schedule will be announced in May via mci.org.
“This event is part of the expansion of programming initiatives at the Museum, and we are looking forward to Children’s Week and all future events we will be hosting for the benefit of our EBCI and western North Carolina community,” Wilson says.
T-Shirt Design Contest for EBCI Youth
To celebrate the inaugural Children’s Week, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian invites citizens of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians aged 13 and under to submit their original artwork to a t-shirt design contest. The winning design will be printed on shirts to be sold during Children’s Week with proceeds supporting educational programming and community learning initiatives at the Museum. The winner will receive a shirt with their design, a small monetary award, and a Museum swag bag. The deadline to submit original artwork has been extended to Friday, May 5.
Submission guidelines for applicants:
- Create an original, full-color work of art inspired by or depicting a traditional legend of your choosing.
- Complete an application in full, here, and follow artwork submission guidelines as detailed on the form.
- Submit before applications close on Friday, May 5.
The community will vote on their favorite entry via MCI’s Facebook page. Voting closes on May 11 at 11:59pm ET. The artwork with the most likes will be announced as the winner on May 12.
- Museum of the Cherokee Indian release
