Kay WalkingStick
Kay WalkingStick (b. 1935, Syracuse, New York) is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma whose practice spans more than seven decades. Drawing on both modernist painting traditions and her Cherokee and Anglo heritage, WalkingStick explores the American landscape as a site of memory, identity and spirituality. Her paintings unite abstraction and representation, expressing a deep connection between people, place and the sacred qualities of the natural world.
Since the 1980s, WalkingStick has become particularly known for her landscape diptychs, in which expansive views are paired with abstract forms or Indigenous patterns. These works reflect on the histories embedded within the land, emphasising the enduring presence of Native peoples while challenging conventional narratives of the American landscape. Through her use of layered imagery and symbolic motifs, WalkingStick considers the relationship between history, belonging and environmental stewardship.
WalkingStick studied at Beaver College (now Arcadia University) and Pratt Institute, and was Professor of Fine Arts at Cornell University until her retirement in 2005. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (2024), and is held in major collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.
