One of Our Own on Local TV: Cherokee Nation Citizen Nathalie Standingcloud Spotlights ‘Collective Wisdom’ Exhibition on Tulsa’s News On 6
By Cara Cowan Watts, Cherokee411.com
TULSA, Okla. — Turn on local TV news in Tulsa this month and you just might see one of our own.
Cherokee Nation citizen Nathalie Standingcloud — actress, licensed tattoo artist, graphic designer, muralist, and visual artist — appeared on News On 6 (KOTV, Channel 6) on July 6 to help promote “Collective Wisdom: First American Artists Collaborative Works,” the landmark First American art exhibition currently on display at the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition (TAC) Gallery through July 25. Standingcloud shared the segment on her Facebook page, giving Cherokee Nation citizens and followers a chance to see one of their own representing First American art on local television.
The appearance is exactly the kind of visibility Cherokee411.com celebrates: a Cherokee Nation citizen stepping forward as a public voice for Indigenous art, culture, and community in Tulsa and beyond.
About Nathalie Standingcloud
Standingcloud is a Cherokee Nation citizen from Tahlequah, of Cherokee, Creek, Salish, and Wenatchi heritage. She is one of the most multidimensional creative voices in Indian Country today — and Tulsa audiences may already recognize her face from national television.
She appeared in all three seasons of FX’s critically acclaimed series “Reservation Dogs,” was a principal extra in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning film “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and received the Rising Phoenix Award for Outstanding Performance at the LA Skins Fest for her lead role in the short film “Totsu (Redbird).” She has been featured on the cover of Native Max Magazine and appeared on Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People.
As a licensed tattoo artist, Standingcloud practices what she describes as cultural revival tattooing — helping clients reconnect with their heritage through ink, drawing on Cherokee syllabary, clan imagery, and traditional designs. Her father, himself a tattoo artist, gave her her first tattoo: her Cherokee name, written in the syllabary, on the back of her neck. It translates to Bluejay. She currently works at a Tulsa tattoo studio and sells original artwork and designs through her Etsy shop.
Her visual art spans graphic design, mural painting, chalk art, and studio work — with a signature style rooted in Cherokee cultural imagery and shaped by her love of 90s pop culture. She has designed poster art for tribal events, the Cherokee Phoenix homecoming shirt, and artwork for the Tribal Self Governance conference.
About ‘Collective Wisdom’
“Collective Wisdom: First American Artists Collaborative Works” brings together 29 First American artists in an exhibition built around a distinctive concept: every piece in the show is a collaboration between two or more artists. By interweaving their own media, cultural backgrounds, and lived experiences, participating artists created works that reflect the richness and diversity of the contemporary First American art world.
The exhibition was organized by Chickasaw Nation citizen Billy Hensley, an acclaimed mixed-media painter from Norman. “Collective Wisdom explores how culture, experience, and connection shape creative expression,” reads the exhibition’s description. Some works were created collaboratively from conception; others evolved as they passed from artist to artist, each adding their own aesthetic, cultural references, and lived experiences.
The exhibit is free to the public. Works are available for purchase.
Other Cherokee Nation Citizens in the Exhibition
Standingcloud is one of at least five Cherokee Nation citizens participating in Collective Wisdom.
Roy Boney Jr. (ᏣᎳᎩ ᎤᏃᎸ) is a Cherokee Nation citizen, hereditary member of the Deer Clan, and a 2024 Cherokee National Treasure. Based in Tahlequah, Boney is an award-winning filmmaker, graphic novelist, illustrator, and language preservationist whose fine art blends Cherokee language and culture with pop culture and animation influences. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Sequoyah National Research Center and has been exhibited across the United States and internationally.
Tom Farris is a member of both the Cherokee Nation and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe. One of the most prominent figures in First American art in Oklahoma, Farris created and managed the Cherokee Art Market and has exhibited at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. His work appears in the permanent collections of the Heard Museum, the Eiteljorg Museum, and others. His art fuses traditional Native imagery with pop culture, comics, and contemporary media.
Kindra Swafford is a Cherokee Nation citizen born in Cherokee County and based in the Tahlequah area. Her vivid watercolors and mixed-media works draw from Cherokee language and culture. She received Best of Classification honors at the 2024 Cherokee Art Market and was the third Cherokee artist featured on the Cherokee Nation’s Cherokee Cultural Pathway.
Bryan Waytula is a third-generation Cherokee Nation citizen and member of the Wolf Clan, son and grandson of two Cherokee National Treasures in basketry. He works across painting, pointillism, murals, and graphic design. His large-scale murals — including eight works at Oklahoma City’s OKANA Resort — are among the most visible expressions of Cherokee visual culture in the state.
Exhibition Details
“Collective Wisdom: First American Artists Collaborative Works” runs through July 25, 2026, at the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition Gallery, 9 E. Reconciliation Way, Tulsa, OK 74103. Gallery hours are Friday noon–9 p.m. and Saturday noon–5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 918-592-0041 or visit tacgallery.org.
Watch Nathalie Standingcloud’s News On 6 segment at newson6.com.
