Elisa Harkins

Elisa Harkins

Tulsa, OK

Teach Me a Song

Teach Me a Song is a series of exchanges wherein Harkins invites Indigenous collaborators to teach a song. This work then manifests as videos, sculptures, photos, and sheet music, and a publication.
Another aspect is the 6 Moons Indigenous Concert Series, which showcases six artists from all over the world to perform. This is an extension of the Teach Me a Song project, as many of the artists use traditional songs in their music projects.

Artist Bio

Elisa Harkins is a Native American (Cherokee/Muscogee) artist based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her work is concerned with translation, language preservation, and Indigenous musicology. Harkins uses the Cherokee and Mvskoke languages, electronic music, sculpture, and the body as her tools. Harkins received a BA from Columbia College, Chicago and an MFA from California Institute of the Arts. She has since continued her education at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. She has exhibited her work at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, documenta 14,  Hammer Museum, Heard Museum, and Museum of Modern Art. Harkins resides on the Muscogee Reservation and is an enrolled member of the Muscogee Nation.