ARTesian Arts Festival set for May 23 in Sulphur

This article appeared in the May 2015 edition of the Chickasaw Times

SULPHUR, Okla. - The Chickasaw Nation will host the annual ARTesian Arts Festival, Saturday, May 23, Memorial Day weekend, at the Artesian Plaza in Sulphur."

A community celebration of all forms of art, the ARTesian Arts Festival highlights Native artists and art.

Activities for all ages are planned, including a special area for children’s activities and a senior citizens’ arts and crafts booth.

The festival will highlight diverse art media. A variety of visual art will be on display at dozens of artist booths. The festival will feature paintings, basketry, jewelry, sculpture, metalworking, bead work, textiles and pottery. Artists will also be demonstrating, sharing and discussing their craft at the ARTesian Art Gallery.

Sixteen bands will provide continuous entertainment on two stages. The lineup includes noted musical act Injunuity. The band blends various musical genres into a unique Native sound. Injunuity has won multiple Native American Music Awards (NAMMYS) and is internationally recognized as a headliner at foreign music festivals.

More than 70 artists renowned nationally and across Indian Country are preparing for the festival.

They include Joanna Underwood, a Chickasaw potter whose work has been widely acclaimed for its beauty, quality and dedication to Southeastern tradition. She also is responsible for works of art displayed in Oka Chokmasi (Beautiful Water) Park, located southwest of the Artesian Hotel. Festival-goers may rest and enjoy her works which incorporate soothing sounds of water.

Chickasaw artist Margaret Roach Wheeler, whose textile art and historically accurate Native American fashions have been featured in national magazines and other media, will also be at the festival.

Also scheduled to participate is Chickasaw artist Mike Larsen, whose painting of an Oklahoma sunrise inspired a U.S. postage stamp and whose portraits and stories of 48 Chickasaw elders fill the pages of two books. Larsen also created “The Arrival” sculpture, which depicts a Chickasaw family arriving in Indian Territory during the 1830s removal from the homelands. “The Arrival” is a permanent fixture at the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur.

The ARTesian Arts Festival is open to artists from all federally-recognized tribes. Artists will compete in a juried competition in 21 categories.

A cash award of $1,000 will be presented for first, $750 for second and $500 third place in each category. “Best of Show” winner will receive $2,000.

A variety of food vendors are scheduled to delight patrons.

The ARTesian Arts Festival is free and open to everyone. More than 4,500 art enthusiasts gathered for last year’s inaugural ARTesian Arts Festival.

For more information about the ARTesian Arts Festival, contact Chickasaw Nation Arts & Humanities at (580) 272-5520, by email at artistinfo@chickasaw.net, or visit chickasawcountry.com/artesian-arts-festival. Follow #ARTesianFest on Chickasaw Country’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest information.

The Artesian Plaza is adjacent to the Artesian Hotel and Spa, 1001 W. First Street.