Joanna Underwood Blackburn

Joanna's artwork is inspired by early tribal culture and ancient designs of the Southeast. She combines these design elements with her own modern style. Some of her artwork also includes butterflies, turtles, gourd-shaped pots, possum grape designs and floral.

Joanna studied graphic design at the University of Oklahoma where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. While there she was introduced to various art disciplines including pottery. In the beginning it was difficult to find anyone making Chickasaw pottery, which sparked an interest to learn more about the pottery that her ancestors had created. With the guidance and encouragement of tribal members, Joanna was able to recreate and help revitalize the art of pottery making for the Chickasaws.

In 2011, Joanna was commissioned by the Chickasaw Nation to create multiple large-scale bronze sculptures of her pottery and other southeastern inspired works for the Chickasaw Cultural Center and the Artesian plaza area in Sulphur, Oklahoma.

Joanna and her husband James reside near the Sulphur/Davis area on her family’s original allotment land where they both work as freelance artists.