Artesian Arts Festival draws thousands to Sulphur, honors top First American artists

SULPHUR, Okla. — Downtown Sulphur was alive with a flurry of color and sound May 2 as the annual Artesian Arts Festival attracted thousands of art patrons and families.

More than 160 First American artists from across the United States showcased an array of colorful original art in tents along the brick streets of the Artesian Plaza. More than 10,500 people attended the festival.

Artists from four different tribes earned top awards at the 13th annual Artesian Arts Festival.

Cherokee artist Ron Mitchell’s drawing, titled “Removal, Day of Thunders Now,” was awarded Best of 2D by Artesian Arts Festival judges.

“Willow Elder,” a wooden sculpture created by Chickasaw artist Micah Hart, was named Best in 3D by festival judges.

Best of Culture was awarded to Muscogee artist Robin Fife Jenkins for “Nokose Cefkekot’to” (Don’t Poke the Bear), a bandolier bag with a bear design made of beads.
Caddo artist Chase Kahwinhut Earles’ work “The Caddo Story of Night and Day” was named Best of Show by Artesian Arts Festival judges. The 22-inch-tall jar is made entirely of hand dug clay. Earles hand carved the ancient Caddo story of night and day on the body of the vase and placed an architectural model of a koo hoot kiwat — traditional Caddo grass house — at the top.

“I call it a traditional piece, because it was made in a traditional way,” Earles said, referring to his jar’s creation from start to finish. “I go and hand dig the clay myself down at the Red River. I go hand collect freshwater mussel shell and crush that up and put it in the clay.”

Earles’ method is rooted in Southeastern Indian pottery traditions, building his piece slowly by hand. Using clay, he coils the vessel upward overtime. The process allows the clay to dry more evenly and helps prevent cracking.

Once the piece fully dried, Earles began burnishing the project — rubbing the surface repeatedly with a stone until a soft, reflective sheen developed. The step requires patience, repetition and strong hands.

“I have to do that three times over to get it to be that shiny, so it’s really painful,” Earles said, referring to the burnishing process for “The Caddo Story of Night and Day.”

He fired the jar using an open-ground wood fire, forgoing modern kilns for a more traditional method. The vessel is placed directly on the ground and surrounded by fire. After firing, Earles engraved his design into the clay, cutting through the smoke-darkened surface with a metal spike to reveal the lighter clay beneath. Earles said his imagery on the jar represents an old Caddo story.

“The elders told the hunters to go out and either catch a white or a black deer, or both, in order to help regulate night and day, but don’t catch or kill the spotted deer or we would stay in chaos forever,” Earles said. “It’s just origin of how things came to be and how they dealt with trying to make order of everything.”

Earles has been creating pottery for 17 years. He took his passion full time seven years ago. Earles said his mission as an artist is to bring awareness to Caddo culture through his pieces.

“My main purpose and statement is really about trying to educate people about Caddo cultural identity, and in the greater idea of that, to promote Southeastern Native arts,” Earles said. “I think there is quite a bit of Southwestern exposure. I don’t think a lot of people know how much art and culture there is in the Southeast.”

Throughout the day, the crowd was drawn in by dynamic dance demonstrations from the Chickasaw Nation Dance Troupe, Wahweah Crew, Southern Plains Dance Troupe and Pueblo Enchantment Dancers. Students from the Chickasaw Nation Dance Studio also took the stage multiple times.

The main stage pulsed with a wide range of live musical acts, keeping energy high across festival grounds.

Learn more

The Artesian Arts Festival is an annual cultural event featuring original First American art, music, dance, food and a family-friendly entertainment. Visitors can browse an art market displaying jewelry, sculpture, beadwork, paintings, basketry, metalwork, textiles, pottery and more. Indigenous dance demonstrations, children’s activities and elders’ arts and crafts are also available.

Located on the beautiful Artesian Plaza in downtown Sulphur, Oklahoma, the Artesian Arts Festival is nestled among the Artesian Hotel, Casino and Spa, the ARTesian Gallery & Studios, the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, and numerous boutiques and shops. For more information, visit ArtesianArtsFestival.com.