Bio

Michael Dart is a Basketry Artist of the Cherokee Nation.  In 2017 he was named a Cherokee National Living Treasure for his participation of the Creation, Promotion and Education of Cherokee Basketry.

Dart is primarily self-taught, however his interest in basketry began as a child when he would watch his paternal grandmother gather natural materials such as hickory, willow, and honeysuckle to make her baskets and woven furniture from.

Dart began his career as an artist in 2005 and has participated and won numerous awards in Native Art Markets on a national level.  His work can be found in museums, including the Briscoe Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas.  His baskets are highly sought after and are in private and public collections, internationally.

As a Cherokee National Living Treasure, Dart has taught several students, many who have gone on to have success in art shows.

He resides in the Fairfield Community near the town of Stilwell on the Cherokee Nation Reservation.

Statement

As an artist who works with materials from the land, I strive to take care of the land and always leave a gathering spot in better shape than it was when I arrived. I gather a lot of my materials around creeks and rivers, and I always take a trash bag. If there is litter that was left behind by a previous visitor, I will pick it up and leave the immediate area I was at clean. If I gather honeysuckle or buckbrush root runners from the earth, I always leave something there. Maybe just a bit of tobacco scattered around the area or will pour a gallon of fresh spring water over the earth. If I dig a root to make a natural dye, I always leave a bit of the root behind, and will bury it back into the place I dug it from. The elders say that will insure that the roots will keep growing back year after year.

I also purchase a lot of my contemporary materials, but even the commercial basket reed and planed wood splints are natural plants that come from the earth. I use a lot of planed wood splints every year in my art. While I purchase these splints from a supplier, I still try to plant at least one tree each year.  

As Tradition Keepers, we were given a great gift, but also a great responsibility to be caretakers of the earth. We must do our part to ensure there will still be natural materials for future generations.