Demond Melancon

Big Chief Demond Melancon is a contemporary artist based in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. As a Big Chief, he is the leader of the Young Seminole Hunters, a tribe of the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans, a hidden culture that dates back to the 18th century. Melancon creates elaborate beaded suits and portraits that depict historical and cultural narratives of African and Indigenous people. He works solely with a needle and thread to sew glass beads onto canvas, using beading techniques he’s refined over the past 30 years as a Black Masker. His suits are sculptural forms that are worn only by him a few times a year, where he engages in ceremonial wars of beauty with other tribes. Big Chief Demond Melancon is credited with pioneering the intersection of the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans with the larger contemporary arts sector. His beaded portraits are also exhibited in museums and galleries around the world. Melancon is a 2023 Joan Mitchell Fellow and has received international recognition for his work.