The Seminole State College Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTI) grant program recently completed a permanent Native American art exhibit in the David Boren Library on campus.

Each year, the grant program establishes a theme. NASNTI’s theme for 2020-2021 is “Keeping Native Language Alive.” In line with that theme, the grant program wanted to create a permanent exhibit showcasing the work of Native American artists.

“We want to help examine the importance of Native Language preservation and the significance culture has in our community, state, county and worldwide,” NASNTI Engagement Specialist Kay Wallace said.

The project took six months to complete and features works from six different artists. Artists Phillip Coon, Amber Duboise-Shepherd, Edmond Joshua Jr., Gary Montgomery, Katie Scott and Tony Tiger all have pieces in the exhibit.

The exhibit was made possible through donations from Amber DuBoise-Shepherd, Bill and Karen Hooten, SSC Emeritus Art Professor Kelly Kirk and his wife Judy, Katie Scott and Tony Tiger.

In celebration of the exhibit’s completion, the grant program created a video entitle “Six Minutes and Thirteen Seconds of Your Time: The Making of the NASNTI Art Exhibit.” The video tracks the entirety of the project and can be viewed on SSC’s YouTube page.

The exhibit is available to view for students, faculty and staff. It will be open to the public on Nov. 1. Social distancing, limited group sizes, and face masks will be required of visitors.