Mel Cornshucker facts for kids

Mel Cornshucker, born on October 4, 1952, is a talented artist. He is a Cherokee potter from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He creates beautiful art using different types of clay, like stoneware, porcelain, and raku. Mel is famous for his strong stoneware pieces. He decorates them with designs inspired by Native American art.

Early Life and Inspiration

Mel Cornshucker grew up in Jay, Oklahoma. He is a citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. Art was a big part of his family. His grandfather, Lincoln Trotting Wolf, was a skilled weaver. He even built his own loom to make rugs and blankets.

Mel's cousins were basket weavers, and his father was a silversmith. This meant Mel was surrounded by many creative people. He spent many summers with his Cherokee family in Jay. In school, he was encouraged when he made sculptures from plaster and metal.

Learning and Growing as an Artist

After finishing high school in 1970, Mel went to Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Later, he moved to Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri. He planned to become a tribal lawyer. During this time, he took an art class that made him interested in pottery.

In 1975, Mel got a job as an apprentice potter. This was at Silver Dollar City, a theme park in Missouri. This job helped him improve his skills a lot. He practiced his art for three to four hours every day for tourists. In 1977, he left Silver Dollar City. He moved to Colorado to work as a land surveyor for six months. After that, Mel returned home and opened his own pottery studio in Kansas City, Missouri.

Mel's Pottery Career

Once Mel had his own studio, he started showing his work more. He took part in art shows and displayed his pieces in galleries. When he began to focus on Native American art shows, more galleries wanted to feature his work. In the early 1980s, Mel often had 15 to 16 gallery shows each year.

Around this time, he also started adding his special Native designs to his pottery. The dragonfly became a very important symbol for him. It is special in many tribal cultures. It also reminded him of his grandfather, Lincoln Trotting Wolf. Mel Cornshucker is also a co-owner of the Brady Artists Studio with Donna Prigmore.

In 2007, Mel was chosen for a special cultural exchange. This program was with African artists. It was supported by the Kellogg Foundation and the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. Mel worked in a Zulu village. He taught a workshop for Zulu potters. The goal was to help the Zulu artists learn how to sell their work better. Mel helped them create clay masks and rattles to sell in their markets.

Where You Can See His Art

Mel Cornshucker is known as a modern potter. He makes art that is useful, but also beautiful. He adds Native American designs to his unique pieces. He wants his art to show the spirit of Native Americans from the past and present. This reflects his heritage and celebrates human creativity over time.

His work has been shown in many important art markets across the country. These include the Eiteljorg Indian Market and Festival. He has also shown at the Santa Fe Indian Market. Other places include the Pueblo Grande Museum Indian Art Show in Phoenix, Arizona. His art was also at the Contemporary Indian Art Show at Cahokia.

Awards and Recognition

Mel Cornshucker has received several awards for his amazing pottery:

• 2007: Selected for a cultural artist exchange with South Africa. This was sponsored by the Kellogg Foundation and the Institute of American Indian Art.
• 2014: Winner of the modern pottery category at the Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival in Oklahoma.
• 2014: Won "Best of Show" at the Greater Tulsa Indian Art Festival.
• 2014: Received the Moscelyne Larkin Cultural Achievement Award from the Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission.