Youth Art Show

The Choctaw people have always delighted in beauty and creativity. Our artforms go back thousands of years to the earliest pottery, baskets, and fabrics. The Youth Art Show is an annual event that celebrates our young Choctaw artists. If you’re looking for a way to show the world your artistic skill, apply for this year’s show.

IMPORTANT DATES

Applications open through May 20, 2026.

Register

  • 5/31 Statement Accepted/Rejected
  • 7/07 Art Submitted for Quarantine
  • 7/08 Art Submitted for Quarantine
  • 7/09 Art Submitted for Quarantine
  • 7/10 Art Submitted for Quarantine ~ LAST DAY
  • 7/11 Quarantine Starts
  • 8/10 Quarantine Ends
  • 8/24 Art Installation Begins
  • 8/26 Art Installation Ends
  • 8/27 Judging Complete
  • 8/28 Art Show Opens to the Public

ART SHOW ELIGIBILITY

  • Must be a Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Tribal Member
  • Must be a student in high school
  • Must reside within the Choctaw Nation Reservation
  • Must submit all artworks to be quarantined by the Cultural Center Collections Department

JURY PROCESS

All works will be juried by a committee and subject to review for inclusion in this show. Any work that violates the entry rules or does not reflect the show’s overall quality will not be accepted. Participants juried out of the show will be contacted by phone, email, or mail regarding rejection. Judges will determine the winning artwork.

AWARDS

Category Awards – First $300, second $200, and third $100
The work is judged by the artists’ ability to harness the respective medium of each category. Judges will evaluate each work by skill, creativity, and expressive qualities.

The Honorable Mention Award – Certificate & Ribbon
Given without regard to a category, to an artist whose work is determined to be meritorious of special recognition, and is a noncash award.

RULES

Choctaw Nation Youth Art Show Representatives reserve the right to:

  • No group projects.
  • Artists are limited to one entry each, and each work must visibly identify the artist’s name and title.
  • Artwork must be the sole property of the artist, and the artist must have the full unencumbered right, title, and interests in and to the artwork. Artwork must not have been commissioned.
  • All works must be original and produced solely by the student artist. Prefabricated forms, kits, imports, manufactured molds, and wholesale or mass-produced items are prohibited.
  • Digital artworks must include original works created using digital tools. No entries shall be accepted if generated by any AI technology.
  • All 2-dimensional entries must be ready to hang, i.e., they must have glass or Plexiglas covering if needed, and all work must be hung by wire. (Entries with cardboard or sawtooth-type hangers will be disqualified.) Unframed gallery-wrapped canvases are acceptable if the edges are painted or appropriately finished.
  • Artworks must not contain obscenity, violence, profanity, abuse, disrespect, nudity, copyrighted material, or parts of endangered species, or they will automatically be disqualified.
  • All artworks must be displayed at the Choctaw Cultural Center in Calera, OK.
  • All works submitted are subject to review for inclusion in this show. The Choctaw Youth Art Show panel reserves the right to reclassify any entry. Any work that violates the entry rules or does not reflect the show’s overall quality will be removed. Participants juried out of the show will be contacted by phone, email, or mail regarding rejection.
  • Disqualification for any artwork:
    • Consisting of Authentic Artifacts;
    • Utilizing a cardboard or sawtooth-type hanger;
    • Commissioned for any reason;
    • Containing any nudity, profanity, political, or sadistic artwork;
    • Containing parts of endangered species, such as owl parts and raptor talons, but not limited to:
    • Which is not the sole property of the artist;
    • Which the artist does not have the full right, title, and interest in and to;
    • Which has previously been awarded at a prior Annual Choctaw Nation Art Show;
    • Which is 3D printed (small 3D printed components are acceptable only if disclosed in the initial application);
    • AI-generated or AI-created works;
    • Copyrighted or published images by someone other than the artist;
    • Manufactured, commercially produced kits, patterns, or plastic components;
    • Plagiarism of ideas, concepts, designs, etc.;
    • Violating the entry rules, or
    • Not reflecting the show’s overall quality.

CATEGORIES

Traditional and contemporary artwork is acceptable in all categories as defined and listed below.

CULTURAL ARTWEAR

BEADWORK

Works on customary objects or traditional attire adorned with beadwork include but are not limited to cradleboards, necklaces, leggings, bags, pipe bags, moccasins, belts, sashes, and purses, and are hand-sewn/woven on fabrics such as trade cloth, velvets, wools, or animal hide.

  1. Allowable: Beaded jewelry. Jewelry must be handmade of genuine materials. Manufactured findings that adapt the piece for wearing, such as jump rings, clasps, leather for bob straps, etc., are permitted if stated on or attached to the ID form for the piece.
  2. Allowable with disclosure: Glass rhinestones, mirrors on beadwork, or other contemporary materials commonly accepted by the community.

TEXTILE ART

Works must be hand-woven textiles the artist created by hand.

    1. Allowable: Weaving with all dyes and yarns, including hand-woven clothing. Rugs and blankets must be handmade. Wearable Fiber Art includes textiles from all handmade items, such as ribbon shirts, Choctaw traditional clothing, historical replicas, contemporary clothing, shawls, etc. (sewing-machine work is acceptable). Embroidery and Needlework. Twining. Quilts and quilted artworks
    2. Non-allowable: Artworks which primarily rely on materials that do not align with the traditional definition of fiber.

      3. </ol type=”a”>

JEWELRY

Works must consist of stone, organic, and metal materials, including but not limited to bone, wood, natural stone, turquoise, coral, lapis, other natural untreated stones, or gemstones.

      1. Allowable: Sterling silver must be stamped or signed for authenticity. Method or production must be stated on the entry ID card or attached to the ID card
      2. Non-Allowable: Imported or non-Indian-made shell beads or fetishes. No plastic, imitation, or reconstituted stones (other than those named in the Allowable with Disclosure section above). No machine-made “liquid” silver, metal blanks, or plated metals. No plastic-stabilized, color-treated, or plasticized materials (stone, claws, bone, shell, wood, etc.) No commercially strung beads.

2D ART

DRAWING/PAINTING

Works must be manually drawn or by applying pigment to a two-dimensional flat surface.

      1. Allowable: Original works in ink, charcoal, pastels, marker, pencil, oil, watercolor, acrylic, gouache, tempera, etc.
      2. Non-Allowable: Entries with an image area exceeding 40 inches wide or 40 inches high. Entries painted on a non-recognized fine art surface, such as art on leaves, feathers, or saw blades.

GRAPHICS/PHOTOGRAPHY

Works must include multiple replica art forms. They consist of an original print or proof from a master plate created through a process such as lithography, etching, woodcut, engraving, or computer-generated artwork. Works must be signed and numbered. Photography includes images captured by either an analog or digital camera.

      1. Allowable: 3D Printing, traditional photography, film, or digital, digitally rendered or manipulated paintings, photographs, or graphics, assemblies, Collages, etc., with varied materials like cloth, wood, paper, etc. Prints must be signed and numbered, not to exceed editions of 50.
      2. Non-allowable: Any photomechanical reproduction, including note cards, posters, and T-shirts. Entries with an image area exceeding 40 inches wide or 40 inches high.

DIVERSIFIED ART

BASKETRY

Works must be made by hand, and materials must be made of natural plant fibers. Natural vegetal or mineral dyes are encouraged. Attachment of other natural materials.

      1. Allowable: Baskets that are hand-worked of natural fibers and reed, such as yucca, willow, three-lobed sumac, honeysuckle root, cottonwood, devil’s claw, splints, cane, ash, etc. Hand-worked materials, including horsehair, metal, yarn, horn bone, etc. Attachments of other natural materials – yarn, feathers, leather, clay, etc.
      2. Allowable with disclosure: Commercial dyes. Commercial processed rattan or reed.

POTTERY

Works must be handmade and hand-formed.

      1. Allowable: All handmade traditional and contemporary pottery forms.
      2. Allowable with disclosure: Kiln-fired and/or double-fired pottery. Pottery made with commercial materials, such as clay, glazes, and temper. All decorative stone, shell, metal elements, and glass or metal beads must be properly identified.
      3. Non-Allowable: Unfired pottery/Greenware. Slip mold or commercial pottery.

SCULPTURE

Works must be carved, sculpted, or molded and created by the artist by hand.

    1. Allowable: All hand-wrought materials such as stone, wood, metal, ceramic, paper, cloth, etc. Cast bronze sculpture in numbered editions. All must be signed and numbered. A certificate of authenticity must be provided. Hand-blown and fabricated glass or fiberglass. Sculptures must fit in an area no larger than 30” X 30” at the base X 72” tall.
    2. Allowable with disclosure: Fixatives can be used to stabilize pigment, but must be disclosed. Termite-bored or aged wood must be non-infectious and must be disclosed.
    3. Non-Allowable: Cast resins. Cast miniature sculptures intended for use as jewelry. Production cast open editions. 3-D Printed artworks, items, or components.

Contact

If you have questions about the quarantine or general inquiries, please use the form below or call 580-642-8864.

Name(Required)