Northern Oklahoma College will be hosting an artist’s reception on Friday, Sept. 13 featuring the work of Native American artist Kristin Gentry.
The event will be held at the NOC Cultural Engagement Center from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Gentry is passionate about using her art to create different ways to preserve her traditional Native American tribal culture.
She has exhibited her artwork in numerous juried, invited, open, and group shows across the Midwestern United States. She works as a professional visual artist in the areas of relief and monotype printmaking, painting, jewelry and photography. She also works as a writer, designer, and curator.
She worked as a full time arts educator in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and now works full time as an artist. Gentry is an enrolled member and registered artist of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and will finish her M.S. degree in Native Leadership from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in the spring of 2020.
She received the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s 40 under 40 award in 2012. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in fine arts from Oklahoma State University in 2009, and graduated as a Senior of Significance denoting the top of her class.
She attained her Associate of Art in education from Tulsa Community College in 2005 as an Honor’s Scholar Graduate. She graduated from Berryhill high school in 2003.
Gentry was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband David, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and their daughter, Jewell Shooting Star. She is a professional member and has served as a regional and national board member of the Alpha Pi Omega Sorority, Inc., Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition member, Tulsa Artists’ Coalition member, Southeastern Indian Artists Association member, and a member in the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. She is in her second year as a member of the Matriarch Oklahoma-Tulsa Class.
She can often be found volunteering her time at AHHA Tulsa or at the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition. Kristin attributes her interest and love for the arts as instilled by her grandfather and woodcarver, James Oran Hoover, her family, her numerous fine arts professors, her mentor Benjamin Harjo Jr., and her beautiful heritage in which she draws her inspiration. Outside of her art career, Kristin is an avid gardener, often growing produce from heirloom seeds from the Cherokee and Choctaw Nations.
The exhibit, provided by a U.S. Department of Education grant through the Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) program, is supportive of the initiative to provide activities that highlight Native American culture. The exhibit is housed in the Cultural Engagement Center through the month, ending on September 27. The CEC opened in 2017 and includes contemporary learning spaces where students, faculty, and/or tribal leaders can meet; individual study or collaborative projects can be conducted; culture-based learning activities and community/cultural events can be provided; professional development can be held; and small group or individual tutoring can occur. Northern is continually striving to support the Native American student population and is pleased to honor Gentry at this reception.
“NOC: What’s Happening” September 6,2019