DURANT, OK – The art gallery inside Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant’s Sky Tower has been updated to showcase the work of Choctaw women in time for Choctaw Women’s Month.
The exhibit, titled “Pakanli – To Bloom,” focuses on the relationship between Choctaw women and nature. Historically, women in the tribe were responsible for nurturing crops, as well as using natural materials to weave baskets and make pottery. In the traditional Choctaw story, Ohoyo osh Chishba, it is a woman who firsts gifts the Choctaw people corn.
“Pakanli – To Bloom” honors the longstanding bond between Choctaw women and nature, featuring the art of four Choctaw women: Kristin Gentry, Lauretta Newby Coker, Norma Howard and Jane Semple Umsted.
- Gentry has been a professional artist since 2005, using traditional clothing to create designs and patterns in paintings and prints. She is also a writer, photographer and curator.
- Newby Coker is an art teacher who specializes in stained glass mosaics and paintings, using ink, coffee and acrylic paint in her work. Her art has been displayed in the Oklahoma State Capitol, the Cowboy Hall of Fame and the White House.
- Howard, who passed away in 2024, was a Stigler native who specialized in watercolor paintings with incredible depth created by repetitive brushstrokes. Her work has been collected by numerous museums and galleries across the U.S.
- Semple Umsted is a Durant native and the descendant of two Choctaw chiefs, Peter Pitchlynn and William F. Semple. She works with oils and acrylics, as well as sculpting. Her work is known for its vibrant colors and dramatic designs.
“Pakanli – To Bloom” is free to view and will remain in the art gallery until the end of August. Guests can also tour the interactive art walk, which has been updated recently to include 19 additional works of art, and learn about each piece by scanning the corresponding QR code.
