Newest art exhibitions now at Tourism Centers
Chickasaw Country, Okla. –New featured artist shows are on exhibit at the Chickasaw Nation Welcome Center in Davis and the Chickasaw Visitor Center in Sulphur through July 10. Chickasaw artist Micah Hart’s woodturning and sculptural vessels are displayed at the Chickasaw Nation Welcome Center. Chickasaw artist Lee Bowers’ paintings are featured at the Chickasaw Visitor Center.
Micah Hart has spent his entire life surrounded by creativity. Growing up, he watched his father, a woodturner, and his mother, an accomplished painter and illustrator, create works of art. He knew he wanted to be an artist, too. In late 2024, he began the craft of woodturning.
His specialty is hollow-form woodturning and sculptural vessels, primarily domestic woods with emphasis on natural grain, texture and form.
Hart describes his work as sculptural wood vessels that blend simple forms with organic imperfections into pieces that highlight the grain, natural movement and the story already present in the wood.
“I’m inspired by artists who let the material speak where the grain, knots and imperfections aren’t flaws but part of the design,” said Hart.
Hart has won awards at the Artesian Arts Festival, the Southeastern Art Show and Market and Hushtola. His works have been shown through tribal art spaces and events in Oklahoma and Mississippi, including the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur and the GumTree Museum of Art in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Lee Bowers specializes in oil paintings, pastel paintings, watercolor drawings and photography. She began drawing as a child when her parents enrolled her in life-drawing classes on Saturdays. Their encouragement and support are what led her to realize her dream as an artist.
Bowers describes nature as her muse.
“Nature is the driving force inspiring all of my artworks and always has been,” said Bowers. “I photograph the areas that I live in or visit, such as the beauty of Northern New Mexico, the impossibly green English Cotswolds and the hauntingly austere rolling Kansas Flint Hills near where I was born and raised.”
She describes her work as imaginary landscapes in the real world.
“I am not a plein air painter,” said Bowers, “but rather, I let the visuals and photographs define a sense of place and then imagine my own interpretation and edit of those places into paintings in the studio.”
Both exhibitions will be displayed through July 10. Artworks by both artists are for sale. For more information, visit ChickasawCountry.com.
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About Chickasaw Country
Nestled in the south-central region of Oklahoma, Chickasaw Country is a regional tourism organization representing 13 of Oklahoma's 77 counties. A division of the Chickasaw Nation, Chickasaw Country is a tourism resource for visitors and communities in the region, promoting local attractions, experiences and events. South-central Oklahoma is an easy, versatile, friendly and beautiful escape packed with First American and Western culture, outdoor recreation, local dining, breathtaking landscapes and one-of-a-kind festivals. For adventure-seekers, cultural lovers, and everything in between, Chickasaw Country is uniquely positioned as a go-to, spur-of-the-moment, easy-to-get-to, ever-changing vacation, for a day, a weekend, a week or longer.
Contact: Kelli West
Sr. Manager, Tourism Communications
(580) 272-5849
[email protected]