DURANT, Okla. (KXII) -A wonderful achievement within the Choctaw Nation.

Janie Semple Umsted has just been appointed by President Joe Biden to the Institute of American Indian Arts Board of Trustees.

“I feel very, very honored,” Umsted said.

Umsted has lived in Durant her whole life and comes from a long line of artists.

“Not just art, but Native American art has been my love from the beginning,” Umsted added.

And she’s the descendent of two Choctaw chiefs.

“I’m so proud to be a Choctaw and that’s been part of my whole family’s source of pride for many, many years,” Umsted said.

So she depicts Choctaw history through her vibrant paintings.

“For instance, I painted a very large piece that’s at Tuscahoma, at the Choctaw National Historical Museum,” Umsted said, “and it is of the trail of tears, which there’s not a sadder story in all the world, but I chose to use bright colors because that’s who I am but I also put those colors in to give a hopeful, positive way of looking at the trail of tears.”

And if you’ve ever stepped foot into a Choctaw facility, you’ve probably seen her work.

“At the headquarters alone, she has artwork in the interior but the thing that we’re most proud about, that we have on showcase of Janie’s artwork is the leaning pole sculptures which, again, just tells the migration story of the Choctaw Nation,” said Shauna Williams, Executive Director of Communication at the Choctaw Nation.

Umsted is eager to take on her new role as a trustee, “this, to me, is an opportunity for me to network and learn more that I can do to support our tribe, and particularly through the arts, which there’s a never-ending need for that.”

Her life’s devotion to art enters a new phase with a presidential appointment and surely more people looking at her work.

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