Rural Majesty

Hattie Lee Mendoza is a multi-disciplinary artist who grew up in Fowler, Kansas and now lives in Peoria, Illinois. She has an MFA from Bradley University. Mendoza has been published in the #155 Midwest Issue of New American Paintings, Excellence in Fibers VII & VIII by Fiber Art Now, and Art Focus Winter Issue 2004. She has been in exhibitions in thirteen states, with two 2024 solo exhibitions at Oklahoma State University and Cameron University.

Mendoza is influenced by her great grandmother and namesake’s Cherokee heritage and stories, desiring to revive and continue that legacy within her family after generational loss of cultural connection. She spent three years living in Thailand, as well as traveling to various countries, while working with a non-profit organization on its fine art and media team. Afterward, she returned to the United States and was motivated to connect to her own ancestral heritages. Her maternal grandmother’s frugal values, stemming from a depression era childhood, are also reflected in Mendoza’s practice by including repurposed and recycled personal, family and community items, as well as thrifted and found objects.