OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Red Earth, Inc. is proud to announce Choctaw artist Jane Semple Umsted as the 2026 Honored Artist for the 40th Annual Red Earth Festival, taking place August 1–2, 2026, at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. Jane Semple Umsted is a nationally respected artist and a 1969 Fine Arts graduate of the University of Oklahoma whose career spans more than five decades. She also earned a master’s
in education from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1989. Working across sculpture, painting, batik, and large-scale public art, Umsted is known for her extensive research, historical accuracy, and commitment to telling Choctaw stories through art. Her work appears in public spaces, museums, and private collections throughout Oklahoma and beyond.

In recent years, Umsted has completed several major public commissions, including The Two Brothers, a seventeen-hundred-pound sculpture installed at Southeastern Oklahoma State University that reflects the shared origins and long relationship between the Choctaw and Chickasaw peoples.

In May 2025, the Choctaw Nation also installed and unveiled Umsted’s iconic life-sized bronze sculpture honoring three World War I Choctaw Code Talkers at the entrance of the Choctaw Cultural Center in Durant, Oklahoma. Depicted in authentic WWI military uniforms and positioned in action as they transmit coded messages in the Choctaw language, the sculpture honors the vital role Choctaw Code Talkers played during the war.

In addition to her work as an artist, Umsted is also a teacher, curator, and community leader. She helped establish the Semple Family Museum of Native American Art, and her contributions to the arts have been recognized through numerous honors, including her induction into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame and her appointment to the Institute of American Indian Arts Board of Trustees.

“Jane Semple Umsted’s work represents a lifetime of dedication to Indigenous art,
history, and education,” said Chelsey Curry, Executive Director of Red Earth, Inc. “Honoring Jane during our 40th year feels especially meaningful. Her career reflects the values Red Earth has stood for since the beginning.”

The 40th Annual Red Earth Festival marks a major milestone for the organization and will return to downtown Oklahoma City at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. The Festival will feature a juried art market with Native artists from across the country, cultural demonstrations, educational programming, and special events celebrating four decades of Native art and culture.

As the 2026 Honored Artist, she will be present at the Red Earth Festival, offering visitors a chance to meet her, engage in conversation, and experience her work within the context of one of the nation’s premier Native art events.

Held annually, the Red Earth Festival is one of the nation’s leading Native American art markets and cultural events, drawing artists, collectors, and visitors from across the United States. The move to the Convention Center allows for expanded programming and increased iaccess for the public during this landmark year.

Additional details about the 2026 Red Earth Festival, including artist applications and programming announcements, can be found on our website at www.redearth.org

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The Oklahoma Arts Council is the official state agency for the support and development of the
arts. The agency’s mission is to lead in the advancement of Oklahoma’s thriving arts industry.
The Oklahoma Arts Council provides hundreds of grants to organizations in communities
statewide each year, organizes professional development opportunities for the state’s arts and
cultural sector, and manages the art collections at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Additional
information is available at arts.ok.gov.