OXFORD, Miss. – Chickasaw artist Dustin Mater was interviewed on the television program “TrueSouth,” Tuesday, Aug. 27, and the feature will be rebroadcast on several stations in the weeks ahead.
In its seventh season, “TrueSouth” is a program carried by ESPN, the Southeastern Conference football program network (SECN), ESPN2 and Hulu. According to “TrueSouth” host John Edge, Mater’s segment will be aired several times over the coming weeks.
“We were wowed by Dustin’s art and equally impressed with his knowledge of Chickasaw and First American history, particularly in the southeast before relocation to Indian Territory and Oklahoma,” Edge said.
“Our executive producer was so taken with Dustin’s work, he purchased a painting and gifted it to Mickey Hart, drummer for the Grateful Dead,” Edge said.
The episode is titled “Oklahoma City” and “explores the oil and cattle industries that put money in pockets and ribeye (steaks) on tables,” according to the show’s website. The episode, set in OKC, features Cattlemen's Steakhouse, open since 1910, and Junior's Supper Club, owned by the Shumsky family.
Executive producer Wright Thompson was researching Oklahoma when he ran across Mater’s eclectic imagination, which mixes elements of traditional Chickasaw art with contemporary pop culture themes such as “Star Wars.”
“We were astounded. We discovered Dustin through Instagram,” Edge said.
The show explores Mater’s Chickasaw roots, history and art, and how his art appeals to youthful art lovers through pop culture and attracts more traditional art enthusiasts through portraits and ledger art.
What struck “TrueSouth” executives was Mater’s “Cosmic Warrior II,” which was once displayed in the renowned “Visual Voices: Contemporary Chickasaw Art” exhibit. It is a helmet from “Star Wars” movies but with a First American transformation. Also of note were Mater’s recent portraits of Chickasaw and Cherokee students accepted into Vanderbilt University after petitioning school officials for acceptance into the Tennessee university’s school of law in the late 1880s.
“He brings excellence to the table,” Edge observed. “We feel very fortunate to have interviewed him for the first show of our seventh season.”
Mater said the interview was conducted at the First Americans Museum (FAM) in Oklahoma City. “I enjoyed it immensely. It also gave the show’s executives an introduction to Oklahoma’s federally recognized tribes,” he said.
According to Edge, “TrueSouth” has spent seven years exploring towns, communities, cities, restaurants and economic conditions in states having a college football team competing in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
The University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas began playing in the new conference this year after leaving the Big 12 Conference.
Since the show is broadcast across several networks and streaming services, Edge suggested interested viewers obtain showing schedules for the “Oklahoma City” episode by visiting local channels or the websites of ESPN, Hulu, ESPN2 and SECN websites.