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ADA, Okla. – Keegan Bellefeuille’s study of art and artistic disciplines at the Chickasaw Arts Academy has launched a promising career for the Chickasaw citizen.

She has been drawing since childhood, thrilling her parents, Chuck and Kendall Bellefeuille, with talent, imagination and creative zeal.

It never dawned on Keegan to enter her art in a juried competition to gauge how others would appreciate her efforts.

Last year she made the leap, entering youth competition at the 2023 Southeastern Art Show and Market (SEASAM) after learning about the seminal art show. It is hosted each year during Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival.

She won first place in youth art competition with a colored pencil portrait titled “Clear Bear.”

Today, Keegan is 18 years old and a student at East Central University (ECU) in Ada.

When SEASAM opens Oct. 4-5 in Tishomingo, she will be entering as an adult, competing with more than 100 of the most talented and seasoned artists of First American heritage in the United States.

Two pieces of art Keegan will enter in SEASAM’s juried competition are similar but with different media.

“I am working on a young boy of First American heritage stomp dancing. The second piece is of the same dancer only from a different perspective. I am working on it with Prismacolor pencils, and the other will be in acrylic paint,” she said.

“My dad and I went to a powwow at Myriad Gardens in Oklahoma City and I photographed the youngster dancing. He was such an inspiration to me, and I’ve looked at those photographs for inspiration many times. His regalia is stunning.

“I also plan to bring several smaller paintings, around 8 by 10, to the exhibit to engage patrons who drop by to visit and see my work.

“SEASAM was an awesome experience for me. It is the reason I am entering it again this year. I was able to interact with people who enjoyed my art. My art was recognized, and because of SEASAM I officially sold the first piece of art in my life,” she said with excitement.

“Clear Bear” was drawn with Prismacolor, a brand of colored pencil preferred by Keegan. The work encompassed two full weeks of her time at Chickasaw Arts Academy.

It was purchased by Chickasaw Legislator Charles Marris, who represents the Pickens District.

“One of the great things about the academy is you can devote a lot of time to a single piece of art and get expert advice while working on it,” she said.

One of the most important art instructors to her is Cherokee artist Bryan Waytula, whose colored pencil drawing titled “The Grass Dancer” won SEASAM Best of Show in 2023 and Best of Show at the Artesian Arts Festival in April 2024.

“I think it is wonderful how the Chickasaw Nation supports and inspires its artists,” Keegan said. “I want to be a part of that very much.”

She is majoring in studio art at ECU. She is living on campus and enjoying the college experience. She is excited about her future as an artist, with plans to earn a bachelor’s degree and then transfer to the University of Oklahoma to earn a master’s.

“My goal is to finish school and hopefully begin a career with the Chickasaw Nation,” she said.

Such aspirations run in the family.

Her father is a registered nurse at the intensive care unit at Chickasaw Nation Medical Center. Her mother is a medical family therapist with the Chickasaw Nation Department of Family Services. Her sister, Atley, 16, is a student at Latta High School.

“I come from a very artistic family. My father can build a race car from scratch. I consider that a work of art. My mom does crafts in her spare time, and they are beautiful. My aunt is quite artistic as well. We enjoy encouraging each other,” Keegan said. Her aunt is Chickasaw Nation Supreme Court Justice Cheri Bellefeuille-Gordon.

Not only is Keegan an artist, she also is an actor active in the drama department at ECU. She currently has a role in “The Insanity of Mary Girard,” a true story concerning a Philadelphia woman confined to a mental hospital for 25 years.

She also earned a role with Oklahoma City-based Act II when it presented “Bright Star,” a musical in summer 2024.

While Keegan’s creativity spans several genres, she was heavily involved in DECA during her high school education at Latta. DECA instructs students about business and entrepreneurial endeavors. Keegan was involved in the “team decision making event” where participants analyze businesses and develop solutions to address problems.

Developing a plan, defending it to judges in a public speaking setting, Keegan made it all the way to national competition in Anaheim, California.

“Making it to Anaheim was especially important to me, and while I did not qualify, the experience of competing was great. I enjoyed it and learned from it.”

Keegan is completing her SEASAM art and will have booth space at the event which opens Friday, Oct. 4, at 9 a.m. and again Oct. 5 at 11 a.m. SEASAM is conducted west of the Chickasaw Nation Historic Capitol Building in Tishomingo.

For more information, go to SEASAM.net.