05/09/2025
The 54th Annual Trail of Tears Art Show is on view now, closing on May 10. Held at the Gallery at Cherokee Springs Plaza in Tahlequah, it is the longest-running juried Native art competition in Oklahoma.
Last year at the 53rd Annual Trail of Tears Art Show, John Henry Gloyne (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Osage, Pawnee) was awarded Best in Show for the mixed media “Burial Ceremony: The Four Souls of the Cherokee Being." The winning painting is currently on view at Museum of the Cherokee People in its main exhibition.
In his artist statement, Gloyne explains how he was inspired by an interview with culture keeper Will West Long (EBCI).
"Since this was a painting of a burial I kept thinking about one’s lifetime, and this made me think about our Milky Way galaxy with a black hole at the center of it, pulling everything to it with nothing escaping," Gloyne says. "Everything has a finite amount of time—me, you, even the ground that we walk on—and that only fills me with gratitude. I am thankful for every day I get under the sun. So, I hope my painting transcends joy. It was made with the love of being an Indigenous person, love for our lucky stars, and love for my Cherokee community.”
📸: Burial Ceremony: The Four Souls of the Cherokee Being, 2024. Acrylic and Gouache Paint on Canvas. John Henry Gloyne (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Osage, Pawnee, b. 1984).
