America Meredith facts for kids

America Meredith is a talented artist from the Cherokee Nation. She is known for her paintings, for organizing art shows, and for teaching. She also edits First American Art Magazine. America Meredith has a background that is both Swedish and Cherokee. She mixes modern pop art with older European and Native American art styles in her work.

About America Meredith

America Meredith was born in 1972. Her father, Howard Meredith, was a Cherokee author and professor. Her mother, Mary Ellen Meredith, directed museums and organized art shows.

Her grandfather, William Thomas Milam, was a Cherokee photographer and engineer. Both of her grandmothers were from Sweden. America Meredith's family also includes famous people like J. B. Milam, a former leader of the Cherokee Nation. Her great-uncle was Will Rogers, a well-known Cherokee humorist and actor.

In the 1990s, America worked as a bike messenger in San Francisco, California. She helped organize workers in the delivery industry.

America Meredith studied art at several places. She earned degrees from the University of Oklahoma and the San Francisco Art Institute. She also attended the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and the Institute of American Indian Arts.

Her Artwork

America Meredith uses different types of paint in her art. She works with acrylic, gouache, watercolor, and egg tempera.

One of her special projects is called The Cherokee Spokespeople Project. For this, she created paintings and drawings of Cherokee words. These images were then put onto small cards called spokecards. Cyclists around the world attached these cards to their bicycle spokes.

Her Art Career

Besides painting, America Meredith also organizes art shows. This is called curating. A curator chooses artworks and arranges them for display.

She has curated many interesting shows. These include Frybread and Roses: Art of Native American Labor in 2006. She also co-curated Freedom of Information: The FBI, Indian Country, and Surveillance in 2010.

At Ahalenia Studios in Santa Fe, America Meredith and other Native American artists show unique art. They display works that might be too different for other art galleries.

In 2019, she helped curate two more shows. One was Stories from the Land: Indigenous Voices Connecting within the Great Plains. The other was Earth Shakers: The Influence of Cherokee Women.

Awards and Honors

America Meredith has received many awards for her art. Northeastern State University named her a "Sequoyah Fellow" in 2018. This is a special honor for people who have achieved great things.

In 2006, she was named one of the best painters by SF Weekly. She also received a grant from the San Francisco Arts Commission. She was a visiting artist at the National Museum of the American Indian.

She has won awards at many art shows. These include shows at the Cherokee Heritage Center, SWAIA's Santa Fe Indian Market, and the Heard Museum. In 2007, she received the IAIA Distinguished Alumni Award. This award recognized her excellent work in contemporary Native American arts.

Personal Life

America Meredith is part of the Cherokee Arts and Humanities Council. This group helps support arts and culture in northeastern Oklahoma.

She is also very involved in helping to bring back Indigenous languages. These are the native languages of different groups of people. America Meredith believes that Indigenous tribal people are important for the future of our world.

Notable Exhibitions

• 2019–21: Stretching the Canvas: Eight Decades of Native American Painting, National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center, New York, NY
• 2019–20: Laughter and Resilience: Humor in Native American Art, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe, NM
• 2019–20: Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Frist Art Museum, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Philbrook Museum of Art
• 2019: Outspoken: Paintings by America Meredith, Bardo Arts Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee
• 2012-13: Octopus Dreams: Works on Paper by Contemporary Native American Artists, 516 Arts, Albuquerque, NM; Samara Regional Art Museum, Samara, Russia; Novosibirsk Biennial of Contemporary Graphic Arts, Novosibirsk State Art Museum, Novosibirsk, Russia; Togliatti Art Museum, Togliatti, Russia; Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, Ekaterinburg, Russia.
• 2010–14: Indigenous Brilliance: Contemporary Native American Art Exhibition, Highgate Institute, London, England (2012); Palazzo Vecchio, Seborga, Italy; Casa de la Señoría, Olocau, Spain (2013); Amsterdam; curated by Elijah Vandenberg and Lyle Toledo Yazzie.
• 2012: Reconquête par l'Art, Festival America de Vincennes 2012, La galerie Orenda, Vincennes, France
• 2012: Messengers, Rainmaker Art Gallery, Bristol, England, curated by Joanne Prince.
• 2012: Low-Rez: Native American Lowbrow Art, Santa Fe, NM
• 2009 United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Art Show. United Nations, New York, New York.
• 2006-7 Face to Face: Portraits by America Meredith. Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
• 2007 Do Not Park Bicycles: Aboriginal Cycling Culture. Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada.
• 2006 Native Pop. New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico.