About Jessica Leigh Gokey
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Jessica Gokey is from the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe near Hayward, WI and currently resides in the Twin Cities in Minnesota along with her husband and two children. She has been beading for more than 10 years. As a child, Jessica watched her aunt do beadwork, which was passed down to her by an elder. Over the years she has perfected her technique due to other artists and elders sharing their ideas and tips.“
It is Jessica’s desire to be of service by giving of her time and knowledge to teach beadwork to community members near and far. As an Ojibwe woman, it is very important to her to keep the tradition of beadwork alive and doing beadwork is a huge part of her life. Jessica is expanding her geographical teaching scope to include interested community and arts organizations by her willingness to travel and teach classes and workshops to their patrons and community members. Jessica’s beadwork of fine art can be found in local art galleries and she has been commissioned to create Fine Art pieces for collectors. |
"It is through my beadwork that I keep Ojibwe traditions alive by incorporating Ojibwe floral patterns. I strongly believe that sharing my knowledge of traditional Ojibwe beadwork helps to preserve a traditional art form for future generations.”
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Awards and Accolades
Jessica Leigh Gokey is the recipient of the following accolades:
•Best Traditional Art Winner from Ojibway Cultural Arts Festival 2013
•Fellowship Award from Minnesota Historical Society 2014
•Published the online beading course “How to Create Ojibwe Floral Beadwork”, hosted on Coursecraft since 2014 •Published author, “A Floral Journey: A Floral Coloring Adventure (Beading Traditions) (Volume 1)” 2016 (Available on Amazon.)
•Partnered with Tammy Beauvais Designs which features Jessica Gokey beadwork on a clothing line since 2017
•University of Michigan used Jessica Gokey’s designs for their official Native American Heritage Month T-shirts.
•Instructor of Traditional Ojibwe floral style beading classes in 2013 (Lac Courte Oreilles Community College) and in 2020 (Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College).
•Best Traditional Art Winner from Ojibway Cultural Arts Festival 2013
•Fellowship Award from Minnesota Historical Society 2014
•Published the online beading course “How to Create Ojibwe Floral Beadwork”, hosted on Coursecraft since 2014 •Published author, “A Floral Journey: A Floral Coloring Adventure (Beading Traditions) (Volume 1)” 2016 (Available on Amazon.)
•Partnered with Tammy Beauvais Designs which features Jessica Gokey beadwork on a clothing line since 2017
•University of Michigan used Jessica Gokey’s designs for their official Native American Heritage Month T-shirts.
•Instructor of Traditional Ojibwe floral style beading classes in 2013 (Lac Courte Oreilles Community College) and in 2020 (Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College).