Jane Semple Umsted

Jane Semple Umstead is a professional artist and owner of the Indian Territory Art Gallery in Durant, Oklahoma. She currently serves as curator of the Semple Family Museum of Native American Art and is a registered and enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. A retired art educator, she has devoted her life to advancing both art and education throughout the region.

Her teaching career spanned Oklahoma, Colorado, and Texas between 1969 and 2007, with a focus on fostering creativity and cultural appreciation in young artists. From 1990 to 2000, she served as Director of Alumni and Public Relations at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where she also earned her Master of Education degree. She previously earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Oklahoma and is a proud graduate of Durant High School.

Her work as an artist has earned wide recognition, including multiple First Place and Heritage Awards at the Five Tribes Art Show and numerous honors at the Choctaw Nation Art Show in Tushka Homma, Oklahoma. She has presented three solo exhibitions and continues to be an influential figure in the regional art community as President of the Red River Arts Council and past president of both the Durant Artist Guild and the Longmont, Colorado Artist League.

In 2024, she was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame and named to the Oklahoma “55 Over 55.” She also serves on several arts and university boards, continuing her lifelong advocacy for Native art and education.