Great Energy

Caddo potter Chase Kahwinhut Earles takes home the Best of Show prize at this year’s Cherokee Art Market.

The 14th annual Cherokee Art Market, which ran from October 12 to 13, had yet another successful year of celebrating diverse Native American art. Representing tribes throughout the country, artists brought to the show works in two-dimensional art, jewelry, basketry, beadwork/quillwork and much more. Council of the Cherokee Nation Speaker Joe Byrd, left, alongside Best of Show winner Chase Kahwinhut Earles and Cherokee Nation Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner with Earles’ winning piece Kee-wat: Caddo Home.

The prestigious Best of Show award went to Chase Kahwinhut Earles for his elaborate pottery piece showcasing Caddo culture, titled Kee-wat: Caddo Home. The award was announced the evening of Friday, October 11, during the awards reception, which also happened to be the artist’s birthday.

In addition to Earles’ Best of Show piece, which was part of the pottery classification, the following artists were honored with Best of Class awards at the 2019 market: Karen Berry (Textiles B), Tony Tiger (Painting, Drawing, Graphics & Photography), Troy Jackson (Sculpture), Ken Williams Jr. (Beadwork/Quillwork), David McElroy (Basketry), Peter Nez Nelson (Jewelry) and Glenda McKay (Diverse Art Forms). The Culture Keeper Award went to Tyra Shackleford, while Rae Minoka Skenandore was given the Innovator Award and Carrie Lind the Anna Mitchell Award.1. Jerry Brown (Navajo) demonstrates his painting process. 2. Cherokee/Choctaw artist Paul Hacker’s booth showcases a display of knives. 3. A display of jewelry by Navajo artist Ira Custer. 4. Beaded necklaces and other jewelry by Jolene Bird. 5. Cherokee artist Karen Berry’s Best of Class piece, Ebb and Flow, for the Textiles B classification. 6. Designer Leslie Deer gives a talk during the 2019 Cherokee Art Market. 7. Painter Ron Mitchell chats with a market attendee.

“All of our artist talks and demonstrations were very well-attended,” says Cherokee Art Market coordinator Deborah Fritts. “Dana Warrington did a talk and demonstration on quillwork...We like having [these programs]. It educates the public on the process and they can ask questions,” she says. “We also had Ira Custer do one on tufa casting.”

Fritts adds that it was also wonderful to see young artist Emma Sherron, who won Best of Show at the spring youth competition, attend the Cherokee Art Market with a booth right next to her aunt, artist Dorothy Ice. “It’s really neat to watch [these kids] get so excited to have their art at the Cherokee Art Market,” says Fritts.

Next October 2020, the Cherokee Art Market will celebrate a landmark of 15 years running. —