This collaborative project was developed to investigate creative ways for learning, speaking and reading Cherokee language through games, specifically geared towards young learners. It began with a conversation and evolved into a collaborative class project for ART 371 Graphic Design I, taught by Mary Anna LaFratta, during spring 2016.

      Students in the graphic design program developed the concepts for several Cherokee pronoun/word games, designed the look of the games and their components, and prepared the files for printing. Throughout the process the design students received feedback from the students enrolled in Intermediate Cherokee II, Dr. Francis, and Mr. Tom Belt. At the end of the spring 2016 semester the class produced four games.

      The goals for the class were to have direct experience working as teams within the class and to collaborate on an applied project for a “client,” in this situation, Dr. Hartwell Francis, Founding Director of the Cherokee Language Program, was the client. In addition, the design students were challenged to solve a complex problem - developing games for learning aspects of a language that was new to them.

The collaborators and partners included:

• Students enrolled in Graphic Design I (ART 371), spring 2016: Hannah Faub, Eric Garcia, Steven Handy, Erin Johnson, Skyler Kicinski, Starkim Noble, Taran Swimmer, and Gabby Thompson
• Students enrolled in Intermediate Cherokee II (CHER 232), spring 2016
• A team of students enrolled in Business Capstone, (MGT 404-01), fall 2016: Assael Mendoza-Santos, Trey Morgan, and Morgan Coley
• Mary Anna LaFratta, Associate Professor, Graphic Design, School of Art and Design, WCU
• Jon Jicha, Professor, Graphic Design, School of Art and Design, WCU
• Dr. Hartwell Francis, Founding Director of Cherokee Language Program, College of Arts and Sciences, WCU
• Mr.Tom Belt, Coordinator of Cherokee Language Program, WCU
• Cherokee Central High School, Cherokee, NC
  New Kituwah Academy, Cherokee, NC
• Adrienne Smith, Coordinator, imagiNATIONS Activity Center, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Washington, DC