Hattie Lee Mendoza is a multi-disciplinary artist who grew up in Fowler, Kansas, and now lives in Peoria, Illinois. She has a Master of Fine Arts from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas.

Influenced by her great grandmother and namesake’s Cherokee heritage and stories, Mendoza revives and continues a legacy within her family after a generational loss of cultural connection. Her maternal grandmother’s frugal values, stemming from a Depression-era childhood, are also reflected in Mendoza’s practice by including repurposed and recycled personal, family and community items, as well as thrifted and found objects.

A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, her process is a personal expression of the contemporary Native American diaspora. She utilizes found or gifted fibers and objects, and incorporates patterns from Cherokee basketry, pottery and beadwork. I myself am a collage of cultures and react by collaging materials from my ancestors, contemporary community, and personal life experiences.

Her studio is a flux of mediums and objects in constant conversation: a gouache painting is printed on fabric, which is collaged into a fiber artwork, informing a piece of wearable art, or inspiring the composition of a new watercolor painting. Nothing is off-limits to being repurposed and reimagined in work that represents the joy of a diverse world.