Kimmemelah Chontay Perkins, or Melah, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Sioux, is a beadwork and quillwork artist making her debut as a designer in the Kananesgi Fashion Show coming up Nov. 8.

Waleli Crow is surrounded daily by art, and modeling offers her another artistic outlet.  Crow, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Ga. where she majors in dramatic writing with minors in film and television and graphic design. 

What began as a bold vision to bring Cherokee art to the world has become one of the region’s most celebrated showcases of Indigenous creativity. The Kananesgi events, including an art market, competition, and fashion show, were created to uplift artists of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and celebrate both tradition and innovation.