OSU Museum of Art receives contemporary Native artworks, grant from Coe Center
STILLWATER, Okla. — The Oklahoma State University Museum of Art has received three contemporary Native American artworks from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which it says will add to the university’s commitment to public engagement and appreciation of Indigenous art.
In turn, the gift from the Coe Center reinforces its mission to share its collection with institutions that support learning and community access to Native art and culture. The newly acquired works, which arrived at OSU in December, are already being used in college coursework.
Among the donations are Jamison Chas Banks’ (Seneca-Cayuga/Cherokee of Oklahoma) Imprint editions, which have been integrated into OSU’s ENG 4310: Modern Oklahoma Writers course. During a class visit to the museum, students examined the artwork alongside writings by Oklahoma authors, exploring the relationship between visual art and literary expression.
In addition to the artworks, the museum was given a $6,711 grant from the Coe Center, which will support exhibition development, interpretation and collection care, and help the museum expand hands-on, accessible learning opportunities for students and the broader community.
“This gift and grant provide an exciting opportunity for the museum to engage students, scholars and visitors directly with Indigenous art,” said Carla Shelton, associate director of the OSU Museum of Art. “It supports our mission to foster understanding and appreciation of both historic and contemporary works of art through exhibitions, collections and programming that serve OSU, the Stillwater community and audiences beyond.”
The museum’s dedication to Native art extends beyond its gallery spaces. Through student vault visits, online digital collections and partnerships with programs such as the Center for Sovereign Nations and the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program, OSU Museum of Art works to make art and culture widely accessible. Recent initiatives include the 2024 exhibition A Constellation of Color: The Art of Benjamin Harjo Jr. and the 2025 exhibition Community, Creativity, and Continuity: Native American Art in Everyday Life, curated by OSU students in collaboration with guest curator Amber DuBoise-Shepherd (Diné | Prairie Band Potawatomi | Sac & Fox).
More information about the OSU Museum of Art’s permanent collection is available here.
