Artesian Online Art Market a success; Virtual SEASAM & SEASAM Youth to launch online market

ADA, Okla. – Many of the artists participating in the Artesian Online Art Market deemed the event a success, according to James Wallace, director of visual arts, media and design for the Chickasaw Nation Department of Culture and Humanities.

"It went really well. Especially since this was the first online art market we have ever hosted. It was really a group effort with several departments working together," Wallace said. "I feel that teamwork really paid off and allowed us to give the artists and the public a nice online experience."

Many artists enjoyed success, selling items they submitted to the online market. Artists rotated inventory to offer options to patrons and were rewarded with sales.

With pandemic numbers climbing in Oklahoma and in many other states, the Chickasaw Nation is preparing to showcase artwork online again for the Southeastern Art Show and Market (SEASAM), taking place annually during the Chickasaw Nation Annual Meeting and Festival.

SEASAM began in 2005 and has become a staple of the Chickasaw Nation Annual Meeting and Festival.

"We are working on some things for Virtual SEASAM & SEASAM Youth that will make it a little different. The overall market experience will be remarkably similar, and we will allow the artists and buyers to connect directly.

"There are two main components that I'm really looking forward to, including SEASAM Youth and a competition component," Wallace said. "We're still working out the details on everything for Virtual SEASAM & SEASAM Youth. Our goal is to have judges' awards for both SEASAM Youth and the adult market. Each artist will be allowed to enter one item for judging. The competition component will change things up a bit from our most recent online market and adds another component for the artists to enjoy.

"We will launch this online market Thursday, Oct. 1, and the virtual market will remain up through Dec. 31. This will give the artists and buyers an outlet for sales through the holiday season," he said.