Karen Sixkiller - Artist CV
Cherokee Nation TERO Certified Artist
Awards & Exhibitions
2025 - Solo Exhibit & Artist Presentation, ‘Cancer Sticks - The Corruption of Sacred Tobacco’ ʔaʔkʷustəŋáw̕txʷ House of Learning, Peninsula College Longhouse, Port Angeles, WA
2024 - Permanent Sculpture Installation, ‘Grandma Spider’ monumental bronze and steel, (Bid Proposal Award), Cherokee Nation Cultural Pathways, Tahlequah, OK
First Place - Dimensional Art, Red Cloud Art Show, Pine Ridge SD
Sculpture Installation, ‘Ember (2)’ bronze and steel, 1 Year installation at Percival Landing Park, Olympia, WA - followed by 1 year in front of Olympia city hall, then permanent installation elsewhere in city TBD
Sculpture Installation, ‘Water Beetle Brings Sacred Soil’ cast bronze, 1 Year installation at Percival Landing Park, Olympia, WA
Sculpture Installation, ‘Ember (3)’ bronze and steel, 2 Year installation at City of Lake Oswego Business District, 1st Street and A Avenue, Lake Oswego, OR
Heard Museum Indian Art Market, group exhibit, (Juried), Phoenix AZ
Group Exhibition, ‘Sparks of Connection - In Celebration of Fem Fabrication’ Esther Webster Gallery at The Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, Port Angeles, WA
2023 - Blue Ribbon for Contemporary Representational Sculpture, ‘Cancer Sticks (with ashtrays), Santa Fe Indian Market SWAIA 101, Santa Fe NM
Solo Exhibit & Artist Presentation, “Cherokee Grandma Spider” ʔaʔkʷustəŋáw̕txʷ House of Learning, Peninsula College Longhouse, Port Angeles, WA
Santa Fe Indian Art Market, group exhibit, (Juried), Santa Fe NM
Stipend Award, “Justice Through the Lens of Native Artists Initiative,” ‘Who Controls the Board’ Chess Set, First Nations Development Institute (FNDI)
Representative Art Image for promotional and educational use
Virtual Art Exhibit as a narrative to engage discussions about achieving justice in Native communities
2022 - Sculpture Installation, ‘Ember’ bronze and steel, “Summertide New Growth” exhibition (Juried), PA Fine Arts Center, Port Angeles WA (June 2022 through June 2023)
Sculpture Installation, ‘Giant Bugs’ multimedia fabric & wire, “Blooming Artists- Creative Start Youth Exhibit”, (Commissioned in support of annual student exhibit), PA Fine Arts Center, Port Angeles WA
Cherokee Homecoming Art Show (Juried), ‘ᏗᎵᏍᏙᏗ “‘dilsdohdi” Water Spider Brings Fire’ Ceramic & Steel tabletop sculpture, Tahlequah, OK
2021 - Winter Market (Juried), Port Angeles Fine Art Center, Port Angeles WA
2015 - Cherokee Art Market, group exhibit, (Juried), Tulsa OK
Judge’s Choice Award, ‘Cancer Sticks,’ Cherokee Art Market (Juried), Tulsa OK
2014 - “Chasing Shadows” group exhibit, (Juried), Elwha Heritage Center, Port Angeles WA
First Place in Beaded Art, ‘Andrew Jackson as Hitler Jacket,’ Clallam County Fair, Port Angeles WA
Professional Experience & Recognition
2024 - Artist Talk “Re-discovering Cherokee Grandma Spider”, Cherokee Art Market, Tulsa OK
Bronze Clay Sculpting Workshop, Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, Port Angeles WA
2023- ongoing - Spider Gallery, Tahlequah, OK; Juried artist with sculptural work currently represented
2023-2025 - Washington State Public Art Roster (Juried), My work is available to the schools, colleges, universities, and state agencies throughout Washington state.
2023 - Artist Talk “Re-discovering Cherokee Grandma Spider”, Cherokee Community of the Puget Sound
2023 - Peninsula College & ʔaʔkʷustəŋáw̕txʷ Longhouse, Port Angeles WA
Artist Talk “Re-discovering Cherokee Grandma Spider,” Studium Generale presentation in Little Theatre
Winter, Spring, Fall Beading workshop series @ Peninsula College Community Education & ʔaʔkʷustəŋáw̕txʷ Peninsula College, Port Angeles WA
Printmaking Workshop, Cherokee Grandma Spider Peninsula College Community Education & ʔaʔkʷustəŋáw̕txʷ Peninsula College Longhouse, Port Angeles WA
2022 - Invited Artist Facilitator with Honorarium, Artist Trust, “Round Table Community Discussion,” Port Angeles, WA
Beading workshop, ʔaʔkʷustəŋáw̕txʷ Peninsula College Longhouse, “Fall Spectacular,” Port Angeles WA
Commissioned “Large Bugs” Installation, PA Fine Arts Center, Port Angeles WA
“Fire Bearer” Artist in Action, University of Illinois Alumni Magazine, Winter 2022, International readership, Chicago IL
“Sixkiller Displays Artwork Based on Cherokee Water Spider” Arts & Culture Article, 8-1-22, Cherokee Phoenix Newspaper, Tahlequah, OK
“A New Sixkiller Seen on Peninsula,” Arts & Culture Article, Peninsula Daily News Article, 7-16-22, Olympic Peninsula Newspaper, WA
2012 - Beading Workshop Series Presenter, University of Illinois Native American Student Organization, Champaign-Urbana IL
President & Treasurer of the Native American Student Organization (NASO), University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana IL
Other Tribal Professional Experience
2015 - 2021 - Middle School Teacher, Santa Fe Indian School, Santa Fe NM
2015 - Education Specialist and Youth Outreach, Seattle Indian Health Board, Seattle WA
1994 - Commissioned Officer Student Extern (COSTEP), Indian Health Service, US Public Health Service, Santa Fe NM
Art Education
2022 - Independent credit ceramics department & community education welding course, Peninsula College, Port Angeles, NM
2012 - Self taught bead embroidery, loom beading, Peyote stitch bead weaving, Champaign-Urbana, IL
2002-2005 - Community ceramics classes, Santa Fe Clay (now Firebox Studios), Santa Fe, NM