This year marks 20 years of art at the Southeastern Art Show and Market (SEASAM), hosted during the Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival, and Daniel Worcester hasn’t missed a single one. He has been exhibiting art during the Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival since before SEASAM, as he and other Chickasaw artists would set up their own art shows.
Since SEASAM began, Worcester has either been a participant or a judge every year, amassing quite the collection of medals in the process. This year, he will be back once again and is always happy to talk about art or even just life with anyone who visits his booth.
Worcester, an accomplished blade smith, has about every honor one can think of. He won the “Challenge Award” in 1999 at Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), which was given to artists who challenged the traditional artistic concepts. He was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2013, he was awarded the President’s Award at Red Earth as well as being named “Honored One.” In 2017, he received the “Chickasaw Silver Feather Award” and, in 2019, the “Oklahoma Governor’s Art Award for Community Service.” These are not even counting the numerous first place medals he has accumulated at SWAIA, Red Earth, the Artesian Arts Festival and SEASAM. He is as much a force of nature as the fire that heats his own forge.
While Worcester loves attending all the art shows and markets, as a proud Chickasaw citizen, SEASAM holds a special place in his heart. Since it is hosted during the Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival, people come from across the United States.
“I love it because you get to meet so many people that never come here,” Worcester said. “You get to meet with relatives, friends and make new friends.”
This also allows people to see Chickasaw art in person when they might not otherwise be able to. However, because they are coming to Oklahoma for the Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival, they have a chance to experience Chickasaw art and meet Chickasaw artists, making it a unique experience for artists and attendees alike.
Worcester finds so much joy in his experiences at SEASAM. He said it is like a family reunion.
“It is a great time of fellowship with people we have known for so long,” Worcester said.
The event will take place Friday, Oct. 3 from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 4 at 11:30 a.m. on the Chickasaw Nation Historic Capitol Building grounds in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.
Friday gives the artists, both young and old, time to talk to one another and look at each other’s work. Saturday is often the busiest day of SEASAM as crowds gather to hear Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby’s State of the Nation Address.
“When I first started, I was encouraged a lot by older artists, and I enjoy encouraging the younger artists and looking at their work,” Worcester said. “Their work is new and vibrant. It inspires me, and then hopefully I can inspire others as well.”
When the crowds converge in Tishomingo, Worcester and the other artists get a chance to show their work and talk to the attendees. While Worcester loves this part of SEASAM, he particularly sees a benefit to the younger artists.
“I have seen a lot of young Chickasaw artists that have grown from the experiences of other Chickasaws – not just artists, but people from all across the United States,” he said. “It gives them a chance to explain how their work is done, what’s inspired them and share their stories.”
Even though Worcester is already an accomplished artist, he appreciates learning from other artists and individuals because he is constantly pushing himself to be better and more creative. He has been making blades since 1989 and the most challenging part is making each piece different and unique, yet he accomplishes this by letting his work evolve into something that surprises even him.
Each piece starts with an idea, usually inspired by the materials he finds, and then he starts creating. If he gets blocked, he takes a walk in the woods to step away for a while and breathe in nature to clear his head. It is also in nature where he finds much of his inspiration.
“I feel I am in tune with the land, the animals, nature. I like to bask in nature and let that flow into my work,” Worcester said. “Being Chickasaw gives a real appreciation for the land and your surroundings and the people. I like that I can connect with nature, art and with people.”
Even though he had carried around a pocketknife from the time he was 5 years old, it wasn’t until his 30s when he became a blade smith, though he knew he was meant to do art of some kind. He painted and made jewelry but then realized he wanted to learn how to make a blade for himself. He found a school in Arkansas that taught him how to craft blades and started experimenting with the handles himself, using whatever materials he could find to craft one-of-a-kind designs, many times inspired by nature or other Chickasaw designs.
You can find Worcester and his unique work at SEASAM this year, where he will have a booth.
For more information about SEASAM, visit SEASAM.net. A complete schedule of events and locations is available online at AnnualMeeting.Chickasaw.net. The event schedule is subject to change.