Pakanli – To Bloom
Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant (Oklahoma) has unveiled a new exhibition in its Sky Tower Art Gallery celebrating Choctaw Women’s Month. The exhibit, titled “Pakanli – To Bloom,” explores the deep-rooted relationship between Choctaw women and the natural world.
The exhibition highlights the historical role of Choctaw women as nurturers of crops and skilled artisans who transformed natural materials into baskets and pottery. This connection is further emphasized in the traditional Choctaw story, Ohoyo osh Chishba, which recounts how a woman first gifted corn to the Choctaw people.
“Pakanli – To Bloom” features works from four distinguished Choctaw women artists:
- Kristin Gentry, a professional artist since 2005, incorporates traditional clothing elements into her paintings and prints. Gentry’s multifaceted talent extends to writing, photography, and curation.
- Lauretta Newby Coker, an art teacher specializing in stained glass mosaics and mixed-media paintings using ink, coffee, and acrylic. Her acclaimed work has been exhibited at prestigious venues including the Oklahoma State Capitol, the Cowboy Hall of Fame, and the White House.
- Norma Howard (1958-2024), a Stigler native renowned for her watercolor paintings characterized by extraordinary depth achieved through meticulous, repetitive brushstrokes. Howard’s work is featured in numerous museum and gallery collections across the United States.
- Jane Semple Umsted, a Durant native and descendant of Choctaw chiefs Peter Pitchlynn and William F. Semple. Umsted creates vibrant, dramatically designed pieces using oils, acrylics, and sculpture.
The exhibition is free to the public and will remain on display through the end of August. Visitors are also invited to explore the resort’s recently expanded interactive art walk, which now features 19 additional artworks. Each piece is accompanied by a QR code that provides detailed information about the work and artist.
