Edwin George (1934 - June 30, 2022) was a Cherokee folk artist and muralist.

Personal life

George was born and raised in

Cherokee, North Carolina Cherokee () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Swain and Jackson counties in Western North Carolina, United States, within the Qualla Boundary land trust. Cherokee is located in the Oconaluftee River Valley around the intersection of U.S. ...

, in a home that spoke only

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

. He was a member of the sovereign nation of the

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), (Cherokee language, Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ, ''Tsalagiyi Detsadanilvgi'') is a List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States, federally recognized Indian Tribe, ...

. He married author Elly-Kree McKay George, and he was the step-grandfather of ceramic sculptor

Janis Mars Wunderlich Janis Mars Wunderlich (born 1970) is a ceramic artist, currently an assistant professor of art at Monmouth College. Wunderlich was born in Akron, Ohio and received a BFA from Brigham Young University and an MFA from Ohio State University. As she ...

Career

George worked as a custodian at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

from 1983 to 1998. He began painting in 1991, and took it up full time upon his retirement. He was also sought after as one of the few speakers of the

Cherokee language file:Cherokee Speakers by County, 2000.png, 350px, Number of speakers file:Lang Status 20-CR.svg, Cherokee is classified as Critically Endangered by UNESCO's ''Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger'' Cherokee or Tsalagi (, ) is an endangere ...

Awards and recognition

* 2011 Ohio Heritage Fellowship Recipient

Murals

* Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort lobby, Cherokee, North Carolina * 2005 - Kent, Ohio

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Edwin 1934 births 2022 deaths American muralists Native American painters Painters from Ohio Painters from North Carolina Cherokee language