Shan Goshorn

Goshorn attended the Cleveland Institute of Art in Ohio because of their silversmithing department. She was the only Native American student and did not find support in exploring Native American customary arts.[3] Goshorn left the Cleveland Institute of Art and went to the Atlanta College of Art where she finished her Bachelor of Fine Arts. She found inspiration upon discovering American Indian Art Magazine and artists such as Fritz Scholder and T.C. Cannon. After these discoveries, Goshorn moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1981 to start her career.[3]

Goshorn has woven over 200 baskets since 2009. She has been identified by the Museum of the Cherokee Indian as the 14th living Eastern Band Cherokee to master the difficult double-weave technique. A few examples of her double-weave baskets include Sealed Fate (her first double weave), Educational Genocide, Reclaiming Our Power and Precious Holding. A few examples of her single-weave baskets include No Honor, 10 Little Indians, Prayers for Our Children, and Why We Dance. Goshorn also modeled some of her baskets after those that would have had specific uses in the tribal community. Examples include her Phishing Basket, modeled after a Southeastern Woodlands fishing basket, Cherokee Burden Basket, modeled after a basket that would have been used to carry wood, corn or other heavy burdens and Separating the Chaff, modeled after a sifting or winnowing basket. In her later work, Shan Goshorn experimented with novel shapes, moving more in a direction of sculpture. Hearts of Our Women was woven in a way to mimic the flames of a fire, The Fire Within was woven in the shape of the Cherokee seven-sided star, and Swept Away was woven as a three-dimensional representation of the weaving pattern called "Water."

Before her focus on baskets, Goshorn's work consisted largely of drawings, paintings, photography and hand-tinted photography. With her work, Goshorn presented historical and current issues with the portrayal of Native American people.[4]

Molly McGlennen writes of Goshorn's baskets that they "reveal Indigenous versions of history, which necessarily uncover – rather than enshroud -- the chasms of division between Native and non-Native peoples."[5]

Honest Injun is one of Goshorn's series that addresses human rights issues specific to Native Americans. She chose a multitude of hand-tinted, black-and-white images of brands that use Indian images and names to sell their product. This collection was made in response to America's quincentennial celebration of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the Americas.

This collection consisted of 36 black-and-white documentary style images of Native American people living every day life. This series worked to challenge the way that Indian people are portrayed by the media.

This double-exposed, hand-tinted black-and-white photograph helped to raise awareness of Duke Power's plan to build a power plant overlooking the Kituwa mound, one of the most sacred locations to the Cherokee people.