Atsei Cooper, a master’s student in anthropology at UT, was recently featured in Torchbearer magazine. The article, “The Art of Reclamation,” focuses on the strong connections between Cooper’s academic pursuits, her creative work, and her community. Cooper, who is enrolled in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is one of 17 contemporary native artists whose work is part of the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture’s new exhibition Homelands: Connecting to Mounds through Native Art. Her painting, Private Property, and the rest of the exhibition will be on display through December 2027.