Milestones and major anniversaries offer opportunities to look back into the past—into history and tradition. But they also offer the chance to set a course forward into the future. Cherokee Art Market, now in its 21st year, has set its sights beyond the horizon.
“Twenty years gave us permission to look backward. Twenty-one years is letting us ask what is next,” says Joseph Cloud (Cherokee Nation), cultural programs and events project manager for Cherokee Art Market. “We will be deepening the experience, not just making it bigger. And also strengthening the caliber of art, bringing more collectors into the room, creating connections between artists and institutions and much more. Cherokee Art Market is a destination for Indigenous art.”
Visitors view artwork at the 2025 Cherokee Art Market in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
This year’s market will take place on October 10 and 11 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to the market, which will include more than 170 artists, the event will feature other activities that will complement the art at the booths. These additional events include the awards reception on October 9, the Bubble & Bites Lounge for VIP guests, the Magic City Books pop-up bookshop and lounge, author talks, artist presentations and art demonstrations.
The market takes great pride in connecting collectors and art enthusiasts with artists. “Cherokee Art Market brings artists into direct contact with artists from all around Oklahoma and the country,” says Cloud. “The art quality of the artists is really astonishing…It’s difficult to define Native art through any specific aesthetic. There is not one visual language. What people will see here is really next-level art, and a great showcase for contemporary Native artists.”
Saige LaFountain (Navajo (Diné)), A Raptors Inception, New Mexico alabaster with granite base, 35 x 10 x 9 in.
Arla Marquez (Seneca Cayuga Nation), Awenhai & Jihsò-dak, beadwork/quillwork, 5½ x 1¾ x 3½ in. and 15 x 8 x 2 in.
Cloud adds that Cherokee Art Market also shines a spotlight on Tulsa and the surrounding region in Oklahoma, as well as the Cherokee Nation itself. “Tulsa sits at a beautiful intersection of tribal communities, a strong collector community, art organizations and art institutions. After the market, visitors can keep exploring Tulsa, whether it’s the Gilcrease or Philbrook museums, Native-owned businesses and galleries, or cultural sites. This market helps connect those dots,” he says. “Our goal is not to bring people out for two days of market, but for a weekend in a place where important conversations about Native American art are happening. We want to build a constellation of businesses, culture and community.”
Cloud continues, “One of the things I hear from our artists is how important it is that this show represents what a fine art market looks like when it’s run by a tribal nation. It’s a great opportunity for the Cherokee Nation to build this for artists,” he says. “It’s an honor for me to be part of that as a citizen of Cherokee Nation. It showcases our nation, even as we welcome artists from all kinds of tribes from around the country.”
Chase Kahwinhut Earles (Caddo), Traditional Caddo Disc Jar, native clay, incised. Private collection. Courtesy King Galleries.
Featured artist Chase Kahwinhut Earles (Caddo).
This year’s featured artist is Caddo artist Chase Kahwinhut Earles, who “creates traditional pottery to help inform and carry on the culture of his people—the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma,” the market writes about the artist. “Born in Oklahoma, Earles has been an artist since his art teacher in kindergarten pulled him aside to draw something for the school. From then on, he was always drawing and painting, but didn’t find a voice or a reason until he found pottery. Even after deciding to pursue pottery with a more hands-on style and embrace a closer-to-earth approach to art, he still longed for meaning. That meaning evaded him until he connected with his tribe and his heritage. Earles learned of the true grandeur of the Caddo tradition and how it has been lost and hidden from the public, setting him forth on a mission to learn the methods and designs of his people, creating works of art that are modernized, to educate both his tribe and the public about Caddo traditions.”
Arla Marquez (Seneca Cayuga Nation), The Messengers: Transformation Bolo, beadwork/quillwork, 10 x 5½ x 1½ in.
Although he uses traditional methods and designs, Earles is also pushing pottery forward, revealing the artist’s unique voice. “With the help of the only living Caddo pottery revivalist, Earles started down the path of artistic expression through Caddo traditional pottery to help current and future generations of Caddo people understand the beauty, craftsmanship and uniqueness of ancient pottery methods and culture,” organizers say of the artist. “The Caddo’s ancient traditional pottery was hand-coiled from clay that was handmade from the local river source, which most notably included the Red River and the Arkansas River. The pottery pieces are then hand-burnished with a rock to look like glass without any glaze. The final touch before firing is the hand carving of the scrolling ancient designs, which include motifs centered around the origin stories of the Caddo people. Objects in the motifs include feathers, serpents, the sun, the moon and the everlasting fire. Earles is motivated and challenged to push the limits of describing the Caddo culture in his art with the driving desire to truly educate the public about what sets the Caddo traditions apart from all the other Southeastern tribes.”
Artwork on view at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa during the Cherokee Art Market.
Saige LaFountain (Navajo (Diné)), Bison Echoes, Texas limestone with American black walnut base, 30½ x 18½ x 4½ in.
A new component to this year’s market is the inclusion of a special VIP Collector Experience, which Cloud says is meant to transform how collectors interact with a show of this caliber. Components of the experience include early-access hours that give collectors additional time to browse art, the Bubbles & Bites VIP lounge, access to the awards reception, curated hospitality, brunch opportunities with invited artists and a special museum tour at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa. “It’s about relationship building between artists and collectors,” Cloud says. “We want to move past the transactional part of buying art and bring collectors directly to the artists.”
The VIP Collector Experience can be purchased as an all-inclusive package through the Hard Rock Hotel or by scanning the QR code on this page.
General market hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both October 10 and 11. The VIP early access starts at 9 a.m. on October 10. —
October 10-11, 2026
Cherokee Art Market
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa
777 W. Cherokee Steet, Catoosa, OK 74015
www.cherokeeartmarket.com
Schedule of Events
All events will be held at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa
October 9, 6-8 p.m.
Awards Reception
Multi-Purpose Room
October 10, 9-10 a.m.
Early Access Hour (special ticket required)
Sequoyah Convention Center
October 10, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
General Market Hours
Sequoyah Convention Center
October 10, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday Bubble & Bites Lounge (VIP access only)
Bear Room
October 10, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Magic City Books Pop-Up Bookshop & Lounge
Deer Room 1
October 10, 11 a.m.-noon
Magic City Books Author Series (Authors TBA)
Deer Room 1
October 10, 12:30-1:15 p.m.
Yasmine Del Rosario: Traditional Methods in a Contemporary World
Deer Room 2
October 10, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Magic City Books Author Series (Authors TBA)
Deer Room 1
October 10, 2-4 p.m.
Saturday OU Game Viewing Area
Bear Room
October 10, 3-3:45 p.m.
Naataanii Tahnibaa: The Life of a Navajo Weaver
Deer Room 2
October 11, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
General Market Hours
Sequoyah Convention Center
October 11, 11-11:45 a.m.
Marvin Gabaldon: Beading on the Loom, Pueblo Style
Deer Room 2
October 11, 12-5 p.m.
Magic City Books Pop-Up Bookshop & Lounge
Deer Room 1
October 11, noon-4 p.m.
Sunday Bubbles & Bites Lounge (VIP access only)
Bear Room
October 11, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Magic City Books Author Series (Authors TBA)
Deer Room 1
October 11, 2-2:45 p.m.
Troy Jackson: Gel Plate & Linocut Printmaking
Deer Room 2
October 11, 3-4 p.m.
Magic City Books Author Series (Authors TBA)
Deer Room 1
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