CATOOSA, Okla. – “It is through our artistic expression that we can express our highest aspirations…our greatest concerns and worries, our greatest hopes, our greatest memories about where we came from, and great pride about where we’re going,” said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskins Jr. (Cherokee Nation) as he addressed artists and guests at Cherokee Art Market awards reception on October 11, 2024.
The juried market showcases the work of more than 150 artists representing more than 50 federally recognized tribal nations. This year marks its 19th year at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa, located in Catoosa, Oklahoma, on the Cherokee Nation Reservation.
Best of Show
Caddo Story of the Flood
Chase Kahwinhut Earles (Caddo)
In his 11th year participating in the Cherokee Art Market, Chase Kahwinhut Earles (Caddo) received Best of Show for Caddo Story of the Flood.
Like much of Earles’ work, this piece is made from clay that Earles harvested by hand from the Red River. He hand-processed the clay tempered with crushed mussel shell. Then he hand-coiled it into pot, burnished its surface with a rock, and fired it in an open-ground wood fire. The pot’s surface depicts the Caddo story of a great flood in four panels separated by cross symbols that Earles used to represent, for him, both the Caddo’s ceremonial log fire and Ah’ah-Hiyo (sometimes translated as “Our Father Above”). He says this Best of Show award is dedicated to his tribe and their young artists, like his daughter, Elizabeth BahNoos Earles (Caddo), an emerging potter.
“More than anything, [receiving this award]is so important not just for me but for our tribe,” he says. “Tonight was especially amazing because my daughter is here. I hope it shows that not only our tribe, but our youth can do this and make something of themselves. There are so many Caddo youth who just don’t know that. … I didn’t know when I was growing up that this was something that you could do. Being able to show them that is what this award has accomplished; for me, that is just huge.”
Classification Awards
Painting, Drawing, Graphics & Photography:
Kindra Swafford (Cherokee Nation), Director’s Chair: We Tell Our Stories
Sculpture: Regina Free (Chickasaw), Osi (Eagle)
Beadwork/Quillwork: Della BigHair-Stump (Apsáalooke), Indigenous Couture
Basketry: Jacob Waytula (Cherokee Nation), A Basket
Pottery: Chase Kahwinhut Earles (Caddo), Caddo Story of the Flood
Textiles: Valerie Kagan (Cherokee Nation), Modern Day Beloved
Jewelry: Joe Reano (Santo Domingo Pueblo), Eclipses of Shades
Diverse Art Forms:
A. Wayne TaySha Earles (Caddo), Tah’-Na-ha Hakáayu’ (White Buffalo)
Tah’-Na-ha Hakáayu (White Buffalo)” by A. Wayne “Tay Sha” Earles (Caddo).
Special Awards
Culture Keeper Award:
Valerie Kagan (Cherokee Nation), Modern Day Beloved
Valerie Kagan is a retired active-duty soldier and artist who works in many media, several of which were involved in this piece, including a feather cape, beaded moccasins, and a skirt twined with hemp.
“I learned to twine eight years ago, and I wanted to start out with a big elaborate project, as is Valerie’s style to do,” she says. “I don’t do something simple to learn. I just jump right in with both feet. And that twine skirt took me seven years to make. I knew it would be the piece of my life, and I wanted to make it worth it. I’m completely humbled and surprised to receive this award.”
Innovator Award: Monica Silva Lovato (San Felipe Pueblo), Three Sisters
Anna Mitchell Award
Lillie Vann (Cherokee Nation), Exposed
Lillie Vann is the granddaughter of renowned pottery and Cherokee National Treasure Jane Osti (Cherokee Nation), who was mentored by Anna Belle Sixkiller Mitchell (Cherokee Nation, 1926–2012). The award was presented by Mitchell’s daughter Victoria Vazquez. Because of her family connection, she says, “Receiving this award means the world to me.”
Vann explains the title of the piece: “The top and bottom of the pot have a similar motif. It’s very pretty, very detailed, artsy.” She continues: “In the middle, you can see where it was carved away, and it doesn’t look like the rest of the pot. It has a rough feel to it. It’s kind of like seeing the deeper side of someone or something. It may seem fine on the surface, but inside there’s something a little rough, and that’s what is exposed.”
Jesse Hummingbird Award:
Michael Toya (Jemez), Winter Hummerz
This is Michael Toya’s second Jesse Hummingbird Award. He also won in 2023. Of this year’s winner, he says, “It shows the story of two hummingbirds who stuck around to face the cold winter months. They made friends with the Pueblo deer dancer, and they are guiding him, giving him that good blessing.”
Native American Art Magazine Editor’s Choice Award:
Sayokla Kindness-Williams (Oneida Nation), Takwehya’lak: Remember Us All
Youth Best of Show Award:
Anita Mitchell (Cherokee Nation), The Journey Home
Youth Bill Rabbit Art Legacy Award:
Victoria Rouse (Osage), Cold Bison
Links
- Cherokee Art Market, cherokeeartmarket.com
- Visit Cherokee Nation, visitcherokeenation.com
- Caddo Pottery by Chase Kahwinhut Earles, caddopottery.com
- Cherokee Art Market 2023 | link
- Cherokee Art Market 2022 | link
- Cherokee Art Market 2019 | link
- Caddo Nation, mycaddonation.com