Suzanne Cross

Create a medallion to 'gift' to my nephew who is a veteran of the US Army. This was a birthday gift.

Several tribal nations view the butterfly as rebirth of life and is the main theme of this piece to honor this teaching. Each of the four butterfly wings represents an infant in a cradle-board. The infants are individualized by their size and placement of hair. The butterfly enters the frame from the East which is represented on the medicine wheel as the beginning of life. The feather under the beaded butterfly is made of fabric and important to this artist as it is a replica of a feather gifted to for my service to tribal nation communities. The brown fabric lying under the piece represents Mother Earth. The framing is light in color representing the children innocence, peacefulness and well-being. The piece signifies the importance of our willingness to love, teach, respect, and honor the new lives entering our world.

The Beacon Shawl was commissioned by the Chicago Indian Center. The symbol in the center of the shawl is used to identify the Beacon Program. This program is designed to provide a 'safe place' for teens to access assistance after being trafficked. They receive housing, training, and daily support until they are able to find employment and live independently.

A Gift of Another Day was created in response to surviving Ovarian Cancer. The teal ribbon was used as it signifies the color use for this particular disease. The butterfly is completely beaded as a symbol of renewal of life after surviving this disease. This shawl shown at the Gift of Another Day exhibit at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2018 and in 2019, this shawl was selected for the Cedar-Sinai 2019 Fine Arts Collection in Los Angeles, CA.

This shawl was created with the hearts and strawberries as many tribes are focusing on healthy foods. In my tribal language (Saginaw Chippewa of MI) the word strawberry also means heart and love (Odeminan). Crooked Tree Gallery in Traverse City, MI.

The Honor Shawl was created as one of the 13 Women's Heart Health Awareness Collection. We must remember the women who have served the US in the military and how their experiences have impacted their current health status, including heart disease. All branches of the military are represented and those who lost their lives during their service to this country. This shawl was featured at the University of Michigan Hospital.

Husky Shawl was purchased by the Burke Museum at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. The shawl represents the Husky mascot of U of W. Special orders can be made for particular Universities, Tribal Organizations, and Museums upon request.

The MMIWG Medallion was created to accompany the MMIWG Shawl for the MMIWG Virtual Exhibition of the Ziibiwing Culture Center on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Reservation of Michiganfrom present until Oct. 30th. At which time the medallion may be purchased. It was created with tears for the grieving of the loss of a loved one and no mouth as words cannot express the sorrow the woman is experiencing.

The MMIWG shawl was created to bring awareness of the loss of Tribal Women and Girls in the US and CA. The shawl conveys the sadness families experience when they loses a family member. This shawl was 'danced in' at the 30th Hoop Dance Exhibit at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ, March 2020. The plea is often "Help us find her" which is spelled out on this shawl. Presently this shawl is in an exhibition at the Ziibiwing Culture Center on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Reservation until Oct. 30th. Then it will be available for purchase.

The New Life Shawl was presented as a gift to Congresswoman Debra Haaland, D-NM at the Ziibiwing Culture Center which hosted a dinner in her honor. She also attended the Saginaw Chippewa Indian tribal pow wow. This particular shawl was created for her as it is the color for Domestic Violence and Rep. Haaland has been and continues to be active in the support of women who are moving from dangerous situations to a "New Life".

The Respect & Equality Shawl was created to bring attention to how the 2-spirit people are treated. While there has been an increase in equality in regard to work, education, etc. There continues to be a lack of respect in regard to how 2-spirit individuals are treated in US society. The Respect & Equality Shawl was included in the In The Spirit Exhibition at the State Historical Museum in Tacoma Washington 2019.

The Strawberry Doll was created to accompany the Women's Heart Health 13 Shawl Collection. As previously mention the word for strawberry is the same in the Chippewa language as heart and love. Was part of the Mid Michigan Art Exhibit 2018.

The shawl represents body, mind and spirit by the three heart images. The colors of blood, and sky are used to highlight the importance of a woman's life.

I had the experience to work with several tribes of the Southwest and integrated the importance of the bear, and the southwest design fabric. The bear is in the process of teaching her young cubs how to survive. There are three images to represent body, mind, spirit.

The Three Butterfly shawl was made to lift spirits during this difficult time during the pandemic. Several tribal nations view the butterfly as a rebirth, renewal, and change. Creating this shawl was enjoyable and provides a positive outlook for the future.

This shawl was created to celebrate a young woman's life as she contributes to her tribal nation. It is full of color to represent the many positive actions she will take in her life. This shawl was on display at the 30th Hoop Dance Exhibit in Phoenix, AZ 2020.

This shawl was created to celebrate the return of the white buffalo to highlight the prosperity of Native People. The Eagles are included as they are closes to the Creator. This shawl was on exhibit at the Midland Art Center, in Midland Michigan 2019.