Cherice Harrison-Nelson is an educator, narrative visual artist, Maroon Queen, performance artist, and arts administrator. As the co-founder and curator of the former Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame, she co-edited 11 publications and coordinated numerous exhibitions and panel discussions focused on African-inspired cultural traditions. Her creative expressions have been performed, presented/exhibited throughout the city and world. She performs annually at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Guardians Institute’s Donald Harrison, Sr. Museum. She contributed to original hand-beaded Carnival Day attire acquired by the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Museum in Washington, DC. Her production credits include: a DVD documentary, music CD, original plays, and the award-winning narrative short film, “Keeper of the Flame.” She is the recipient of several honors including: Fulbright Scholarship, 2016 United States Artist Fellowship and a 2020-21 Joan Mitchell Artist-in-Residence award. She approaches her art as a cognitive provocateur, with the specific intent to engage observers through imagery and performance that simultaneously explore classism and other limiting/confining norms. Her work is primarily autobiographical and simultaneously ancient and contemporary. Currently, she has a solo show, Maroon Queen Reesie, at the New Orleans African American and appears as a contemporary Plague Doctor character in performance installations at sites of injustice. In collaboration with the Queens Collective and other New Orleans-based artists, Cherice works to raise awareness of current political and social issues through her Plague Doctor performances. Harrison-Nelson, a beloved educator and acclaimed narrative visual and performance artist, explores themes of gender, class, and race through her work. The Queens Collective, composed of a Scribe, a Griot, a Spirit, and an Activist, specializes in demonstrations and advocacy that center women’s rights, human rights, climate justice, and the preservation of culture and spirituality. Together, Queen Ressie and the Collective will produce a series of site-specific performances that will be documented and archived for future generations. This body of work will contribute to preserving the historic events and sacred sites that have shaped the cultural fabric of New Orleans, while amplifying the voices of communities most affected by systemic inequities. As co-founder of the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame, Cherice Harrison-Nelson continues to serve as a cultural leader and steward of Black Masking Indian traditions. This series of Plague Doctor performances is co-presented by the Alliance of Cultural Equity at Ashé Cultural Arts Center. You can learn more about Cherice Harrison-Nelson on the AAW website.
Artists At Work (AAW) is produced and administered by THE OFFICE performing arts + film with generous support from the Mellon Foundation. Artists At Work is also supported by the Hearthland Foundation, Fresh Sound Foundation, and the WLS Spencer Foundation. Filmed & Edited by Joe Aidonidis Produced by: Great Sky Media
Filmed in October 2025, Cry in Your Mother Tongue captures a live instillation performed by The Queen Reesie Collective on the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
video by Nate Findlay
KEEPER OF THE FLAME is a feature short written and directed by Guardians of the Flame Big Chief Brian Harrison Nelson. It is the first narrative film about the Mardi Gras Indian culture of New Orleans produced from within the culture.
Learn more about Joan Mitchell Center Residency, 2020