CATOOSA – On May 18, the Route 66 Native Arts Alliance will host “Art at Ol’ Blue” at the Route 66 landmark Blue Whale of Catoosa with the goal of promoting Native arts and artists.

The event is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is one of three events planned by the group for the year.

“Our mission is to create opportunity for the education, display and promotion of Native art and artisans on Route 66. So, we thought the Blue Whale is a perfect place to have a spring outdoor show,” Crystal Hanna, Route 66 Native Arts Alliance president, said. “We’re going to have some music, and we’ll have food trucks. I’m going to do a make and take. We’ll have some more activities for all ages.”

Hanna, who is a Cherokee potter, said the event will feature 20 artists who are mainly from the Claremore, Catoosa and Tulsa area.

“We’re going to have, like I do pottery, we’ll have paintings, we’ll have baskets, we’ll have beadwork, we’ll have really a variety of art for people to come and enjoy and purchase and just really have a great day there,” Hanna said.

The alliance is a 501(c)(3), non-profit and has the goal to help “Native American artists to promote and teach.” By having these types of events, Hanna hopes to encourage more people to join the alliance and help fulfill its mission.

“We’re open to getting new members, that’s part of our process to have these events, to get new members … so that we can really try to fulfill our mission to create opportunity for our local Native artists,” Hanna said.

The group meets monthly at the D.W. Correll Museum in Catoosa and is open to all tribes.

“We meet … the second Thursday of each month at 1 p.m. If any new people want to join, our membership is only $50 a year,” she said.

The festival is located at 2600 N. State Highway 66 at the Blue Whale of Catoosa.

For more information, visit rt66nativeartsalliance.org/ or join the “RT 66 Native Arts Alliance” group on Facebook.