Chief Hoskin, Deputy Chief Warner Proposed Cherokee Artist Resiliency Act Advances

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr, and Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner's proposal to make the tribe's primary artist support law permanent with a new Artist Resiliency Act advanced through the Council of the Cherokee Nation's culture committee on Monday.

"After four years of success in getting our Cherokee artists community through the pandemic and post-pandemic economy with the Artist Recovery, we must continue," said Chief Hoskin. "We are seeing a cultural renaissance in the Cherokee Nation which deserves support by enacting the new Artist Resiliency Act."

In 2022, Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner worked with the Council on the original ARA, which ultimately invested $4 million to support art instruction, purchased Cherokee art, helped artists access commercial markets and competitions and support artist related capital projects such as the tribe's Ani Art Center in Stilwell.

Under the ARA, Cherokee Nation funded over 3,800 hours of art instruction and purchased over 600 pieces of art from over 100 Cherokee Nation artists. Art purchased under the ARA must remain permanently in Cherokee Nation's art collections, galleries and public buildings.

The ARA, one of several temporary COVID-19 economic recovery measures under the Hoskin/Warner Administration, expires at the end of September.

The new "Artist Resiliency Act" would permanently continue the original ARA's Cherokee Nation artist support programs, authorizing three-year funding cycles of $3 million each cycle, adjusting the authorization for inflation with every new three-year fiscal cycle.

The new ARA adds stronger planning and reporting requirements to the public and the Council concerning the law's success. It would also designate an official roster of "Cherokee Nation Artists" with the issuance of a special identification card to all Cherokee Nation citizens who apply for the designation.

The new legislation also calls for two pieces of statuary art to be placed in Tahlequah, on depicting former Chief John Ross and the other depicting the father of the written Cherokee language, Sequoyah.

Chief Ross served for decades in the 19th century, navigating the tribe through the period of forced removal, to rebuilding its new territory, through the American Civil War.

Sequoyah's invention of the Cherokee syllabary spread literacy across the Cherokee Nation in the early 19th century. Sequoyah's signing of the 1839 "Act of Union" led to the dissolution of the short-lived government established by the "Old Settlers" in favor of the continuation of Cherokee Nation as "one body politic," helping resolve post-removal divisions in the tribe.

The statues authorized by the new ARA follow two major pieces of statuary art commissioned under the original ARA depicting Chief Wilma Mankiller and honoring Cherokee Freedmen, which remain under construction by the artists.

"The ARA helped get artists through difficult times," said Deputy Chief Warner. "The new Artist Resiliency Act shows that as a tribe we believe in making a sustained commitment supporting to artistic expression and the perpetuation of our culture."

Chief Hoskin said that, if enacted, Cherokee Nation Businesses' Cultural Tourism group would manage programs authorized by the new ARA as it has with the soon-to-expire ARA.

Chief Hoskin called for the Artist Resiliency Act in his Sept. 5, 2026, State of the Nation address.

"As a Council, we have a strong history of supporting Cherokee artists through legislation that contributes to their success," said District 8 Councilor Codey Poindexter, Chair of the Council's Culture Committee. "The temporary Artist Recovery Act of 2022 provided crucial relief to Cherokee artists post pandemic, giving them opportunities to showcase their works while ensuring economic stability. We look forward to the possibilities provided under the proposed permanent replacement legislation, the Artist Resiliency Act, because the history, culture and language of the Cherokee people is perpetuated through our Cherokee artists."

The act will go to full Council later this month for full vote with anticipated passage.