Ron Mitchell, 2025 Cherokee National Treasure awardee, has been a fixture around Native American art shows for more than five decades. Mitchell was born in Ft. Benning, Georgia, on December 25, 1943, and raised on many different military bases in the United States and Germany. He spent many summers with his Cherokee grandmother, whose stories and legends of the Cherokee people inspired him and still influences his art today.

An outstanding art student, Mitchell won many awards during his school years. After a year in college and a tour in the Air Force, Ron spent several years as a technical illustrator before entering the world of professional art in 1971.

Since that first show, he has made his living as a professional artist who is always ready to help others. Through demonstrations and being a mentor to numerous beginning artists, he has shared his knowledge and experience. From 1988 through 2013, he was a member of the I.A.C.A. (Indian Arts & Crafts Association), creating publications on “Doing Business With Art Galleries,” updated information brochures and a video for association members and the public. He was also an I.A.C.A. board member twice, as well as a nine-time finalist for I.A.C.A. “Indian Artist of The Year.”

The prolific artist’s style has evolved over the years, instinctively painting, drawing and sculpting about his heritage. Through his paintings, (he uses the full spectrum of colors, despite being red-green color blind), and his black-and-white drawings, he creates images that incorporate history by telling a story that resonates with Cherokees and art collectors alike.

From 1990 through 2010, his work could be found in numerous galleries and gift shops throughout the United States, France, Germany and Japan (at Disneyworld Japan). Today, his work can found throughout the Cherokee Nation, in the collection of the Wichita, Kansas, Indian Museum, private collections and available to purchase at Cherokee Nation Gift Shop in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and Sandbar Trading in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Dreaming his dreams and thinking of old and new ways, his artwork reflects his tribal culture and traditions so they’re passed on to the next generation. Today, he is passing that experience and knowledge down to his son, granddaughter and other artists: artwork that is as modern as today, but drawn from inspirations that link it to the past.