Interpreting Our World: Authority and the Written Word in Robert J. Conley's Real People Series
The Summer 2001 issue of the Cherokee Phoenix profiles Cherokee painter Talmadge Davis, a self-taught artist who takes as his subject matter the traditions and history of his people. Cherokee journalist Will Chavez writes that Davis "wants his paintings to teach people about Cherokee history." The article describes Davis's depic- tion of the Revolutionary War era Cherokee patriot Dragging Canoe. Interestingly, Davis titled his work "Cherokee Dragon," a title "taken with permission from the book of the same name by Cherokee author Robert Conley." Davis's Dragging Canoe "bears a striking resemblance to Cherokee actor Wes Studi because he allowed Davis to use his image for the painting" (Chavez). In the creation and naming of Davis's painting, three Cherokee artists—a writer, a painter, and an actor—converge in the production of new art representing a cultural hero few people outside Cherokee country celebrate. This artistic discourse characterizes an evolving aesthetic that seeks to explore Cherokee history, invigorate Cherokee culture, and support Cherokee nationhood. A culturally informed process of critical interpretation modeled on Cherokee oral traditional thought and performance is emerging from these artistic conversations, and at the center of