Martha Berry is a Cherokee beadwork artist who creates beaded art inspired by traditional Southeastern Woodlands Native American tribal beadwork. Mrs. Berry creates bandolier bags, moccasins, belts, sashes, small purses and knee bands, in the styles worn by the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole, prior to 1840. Also, framed sun circles are offered exclusively through the All Things Cherokee gallery

On August 27, 2013, Mrs. Berry was designated a Cherokee National Living Treasure. And, more recently, on May 7, 2023, during the annual Chief's visit to the Cherokee Gadugi group in Fort Worth, Texas, she was recognized as a "Cherokee Nation Honored Elder," in appreciation of her "commitment to the preservation and conservancy of Cherokee customs and heritage."

She was awarded the Tradition Bearer Award, by the Cherokee National Historical Society, at the Seven Star Gala, Tulsa, September 26, 2015.

In March 2018, she was a featured artist on Osiyo TV, Voices of the Cherokee People in a segment called Martha Berry, Leading A Beadwork Revival. Please follow the link to watch.

More recently, on July 10, 2020, while social distancing at home during the pandemic, Martha was interviewed for Gilcrease Facebook Live by Danielle Culp of the Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Please follow the link for the full interview.

Demonstrations of beading techniques are now available FREE on my new YouTube Channel: Martha Berry Cherokee Beadwork Artist. If you want to learn how to create Cherokee and Southeastern beadwork, four short videos will introduce you to the materials and the basic techniques you will need to know.

Floral Journey With A Twist, the beaded bandolier bag shown at right, is included in the WINIKO: Life of an Object exhibit at the First Americans Museum, Oklahoma City, OK, which celebrated its grand opening in September, 2021.

The bandolier bag River of Art was showcased as part of Oklahoma City's National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum's "Spiro and the Art of the Mississipian World" exhibition from Feb. 12 to May 9, 2021, then moved with the exhibition to the Birmingham (Alabama) Museum of Art from Oct. 9, 2021 to Feb. 6, 2022. It then traveled to the Dallas Museum of Art in Dallas, Texas, where the Spiro Exhibition finishes its run (March 13 through Aug. 7, 2022). A video created for the opening of the Spiro Exhibition in Oklahoma City can be viewed here.

As part of the "Chiefs, Clans & Kin" exhibit, When the Highlands Met the Mounds bandolier bag appeared at the Living Arts Center of Tulsa from May 6 through June 19, 2022, then moved to the Choctaw Cultural Center in Durant, Oklahoma, where it can be seen from July 23 through Dec. 31, 2022. Plans are in the works for the exhibit to travel to Ireland and perhaps Scotland. More details to come.

Finally, Freedom of Movement," a bandolier bag completed a decade ago in 2011, has now become a part of the permanent collection at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma (currently closed for a major renovation).

"I could not be more pleased that my creations are traveling or finding homes in museums, where they can be seen by so many for years to come," Mrs. Berry said. To learn more About the Artist and her amazing journey, please follow the link.

TO PURCHASE BEADWORK, please contact Mrs. Berry by email at mberrybeadwork@yahoo.com.

To order patterns and how-to instructions for making Southeastern Woodlands beadwork, click here and order online. We offer patterns for traditional bandolier bags, sashes, belts, three styles of moccasins and small purses.

This website is dedicated to Anna Belle Sixkiller Mitchell, Cherokee National Living Treasure

... in loving memory. Without Anna's courage, generosity, and love, I could never have done any of this. mkb


Martha Berry: Cherokee Beadwork Artist on Facebook