Exhibit C Gallery highlights repurposed materials as artwork

Exhibit C Gallery opens “Between What Was and What Will Be: Art from the Unexpected” on October 31, 2025. The new featured exhibition in Oklahoma City’s Horizons District can be seen through Monday, March 2, 2026.

The exhibition showcases the work of seven First American artists who breathe new life into found and repurposed materials. From natural elements to everyday objects, these artworks explore transformation, memory and connection to place. Through sculpture, assemblage and mixed media, these artists highlight the beauty and meaning that can be uncovered in the overlooked.

This exhibition explores the meaning behind including found or upcycled materials in artwork related to the artist’s identity, creative approach, material preferences and environment. It invites viewers to see familiar materials in a new light—as vessels of creativity, tradition and personal story.

The seven featured artists are Alicia Roedell-Clark (Caddo), Daniel Worcester (Chickasaw), Dusty Gilpin (Choctaw), Hattie Lee Mendoza (Cherokee), Melinda Schwakhofer (Muscogee), Paige Busick (Chickasaw) and Tina Benavente (Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana).

Alicia Roedell-Clark is an award-winning mixed-media artist who uses ceramics, paints and other media to bring the stories of her great-great-grandmother, Anne Wilson, from the past to the future. Holding a master’s degree in education, Roedell-Clark educates others on her culture by creating paintings and mixed-media pieces illustrating stories passed down by her ancestors. While not all of her work is a story from her family, every piece of her art holds a story.

“It is an honor to recreate an art that has been lost and give it a new life,” said Roedell-Clark.

Daniel Worchester, an accomplished blade smith, forges works of art by hand from found objects like old wagon springs, tools and steel files. His one-of-a-kind knives feature handles made from various materials, such as dominoes, billiard balls, poker chips and sterling silver utensils. His work has won many awards, including eight first-place awards at the Santa Fe Indian Art Market, the President’s Award at Oklahoma City’s Red Earth Festival and first place in miniatures at the Artesian Arts Festival in Sulphur. Worchester is also an accomplished author of four books.

Dusty Gilpin is a third-generation commercial mixed-media artist and member of the Choctaw Nation. He is influenced by typography (a technique used to make written language legible, readable and visually appealing), nature, cartoons and graffiti. He uses this to create large-scale facades and digital art. Gilpin is a family-oriented person who loves community and nature, and he often strolls through Oklahoma City’s Plaza District with his wife and his dogs.

Born in Fowler, Kansas, Hattie Lee Mendoza is a multidisciplinary artist and member of the Cherokee Nation who uses her art to demonstrate personal narratives, stories and heritage from her grandmother. Using these stories, Mendoza revives her family’s connections with their culture and heritage after generations of cultural loss. Mendoza’s art consists of materials such as beads, fibers, Cherokee pottery and basketry, incorporating stories from her community and ancestors. Mendoza has a master’s degree in fine arts from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas. She has exhibited her work in 14 states, with seven solo exhibitions.

Melinda Schwakhofer is an American artist and citizen of the Muscogee Nation with Austrian-American ancestry, who now lives and works on Dartmoor in the United Kingdom. Her work draws from her personal story, her family roots and her Muscogee ancestry. In it, she explores the intersection of the images we carry of ourselves, how these are formed, and how they can be changed over time through self-discovery. Her art began in textiles, but has expanded to include painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and photography. Schwakhofer has been involved in several socially engaged, community-based, collaborative art projects.

“Art making has given me a way to process and speak about emotions and events – both personal and historic – for which it may sometimes be difficult to find the right words,” Schwakhofer said.

Paige Busick, an Oklahoma-born and raised Chickasaw citizen, is a mixed-media artist. Her art, which consists of oil paintings, quilts and prints, showcases her knowledge of Chickasaw culture and dedication to the arts. Busick’s art further demonstrates her desire to share knowledge with others. Her art is based on personal experiences and reclaiming identity and aims to connect people with Chickasaw culture. Busick was a camp instructor at the First Americans Museum, which allowed her to grow as a person and artist.

“Through my work, I want to share and praise Chickasaw culture with those around me,” Busick said.

Tina Benavente is a multidisciplinary textile artist and fashion designer based in Louisiana. Her work is rooted in transformation, cultural memory and the balance between tradition and innovation. Benavente draws inspiration from her upbringing on the lands of her Koasati (Coushatta) ancestors in the Southeastern U.S. and the island of Guam, the homeland of her Chamoru heritage. With her designs, Benavente challenges colonial frameworks of fashion and emphasizes sovereignty, sustainability and storytelling through intricate detailing and a dedication to slow fashion. Benavente has a bachelor’s degree in fashion textiles from the University of the Arts London.

“I primarily use repurposed materials—worn garments, vintage cloth and discarded textiles—allowing their textures and histories to shape each piece,” Benavente said. “I create works that honor the past while exploring contemporary forms of expression.”

Exhibit C Gallery is open Wednesday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information on Exhibit C Gallery, visit ExhibitCGallery.com.

About Exhibit C Gallery

Exhibit C Gallery, Oklahoma City’s premier First American fine art gallery, is a 10,000-square-foot gallery space in the Horizons District of Oklahoma City. Proudly owned by the Chickasaw Nation, Exhibit C Gallery showcases a variety of fine art mediums by First American artists enrolled with a federally recognized tribe.

Exhibit C strives to generate awareness and offer exposure for First American artists through fine art sales and superior customer service.