Cherice Harrison-Nelson is an educator, artist, and third generation Mardi Gras Indian.  She is member of the Guardians of the Flame Cultural Arts Society and curator of the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame.  Her production credits include a video documentary on the Mardi Gras Indian customs, The Mardi Gras Indian Tradition: A View from Within, and a CD, New-Way-Pockey-Way, that includes the obscure Mardi Gras Indian chant from the 1920s, Chong Chong.  She is the writer and featured artist of the Mardi Gras Indian musical, “If You Don’t Like What the Big Queen Says, Just . . .” in New Orleans.

Cherice is affectionately known as "African Lady," "Jazz Teacher," or "the Queen" by her students. Harrison-Nelson strives to instill enthusiasm for learning and appreciation of their rich cultural history and legacy for the cultural traditions of Louisiana through the Indigenous Fine Arts Series, a program she developed in 1985. The program is currently in five schools in the Greater New Orleans area. Collaboratively, with her Mother’s organization, Guardians Institute, she has worked to distribute over 15,000 new books to area students through the Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. Book Club. She is the recipient of several awards and honors, including a Fulbright Scholarship, V-Day Warrior, OffBeat Lifetime Achievement in Education Award, the Mayor's Arts Award, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’ Elementary Level Teacher of the Year Award, and the Louisiana Federation of Jazz - Educator's Award.
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