Luxiere - Oklahoma Lifestyle & Real Estate // Edition 44

JEWELRY DESIGNED TO BE THE ART YOU WEAR

JEWELRY DESIGNED TO BE THE ART YOU WEAR

JEWELRY DESIGNED TO BE THE ART YOU WEAR

JEWELRY DESIGNED TO BE THE ART YOU WEAR

JEWELRY DESIGNED TO BE THE ART YOU WEAR

JEWELRY DESIGNED TO BE THE ART YOU WEAR jewelry designed to be the art you wear .

32 ON THE COVER: OOH LA LA, BLACK SHEEP

Who says standing out is a bad thing? With a playful and eye-catching design that’s become a sartorial icon, this sweater — which just happens to have been a favorite of Diana, Princess of Wales — stars in an upcoming Sotheby’s auction.

STORY BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

26 LET THERE BE LIGHTS

An ambitious design bid paid off (eventually) for local glass artisans Tracey and Rick Bewley, as their immense, stunning light fixtures now grace the OKC Civic Center.

STORY BY ALEXANDRA BOHANNON

TRUE MASTERY

Auguste Rodin changed the world of sculpture, and the scope of his genius is on breathtaking display in a truly monumental exhibition at the OKC Museum of Art.

STORY BY MICHAEL KINNEY

56 SHEEP, MEET CHIC

Internationally renowned designer and Stillwater resident Alice Stella Thomas-Kelsey has gotten way into wool lately, a fascination that’s paying handsome fashion dividends.

STORY BY ALEXANDRA BOHANNON

62

INDIGENOUS INSPIRATION

With a new cookbook on the way, Chef Loretta Barrett Oden looks back on a career and life immersed in the diverse flavors, techniques and traditions of Native cuisine.

STORY BY GREG HORTON

70

SNEAKERS & SELF-DISCOVERY

A sneaker store owned and run by a woman is a rare thing, but that didn’t stop Venita Cooper — her expertise makes Silhouette in Tulsa an ideal place to get your kicks.

STORY BY MICHAEL KINNEY

FROM THE PUBLISHER

For us, as we hope it is for you, each edition of Luxiere is a tiny world unto itself. A small celebration of the interesting and the beautiful punctuated with bursts of delight. The sublime and the cerebral, dotted with smiles.

As we endure the hottest month in the Oklahoma calendar, nothing sounds better to us than strolling through the cool, serene galleries at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, where a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition, entitled “True Nature: Rodin and the Age of Impressionism,” is on view through October. Among this must-see assemblage are more than 50 sculptures by French artist Auguste Rodin, known to many as the father of modern sculpture, plus works by his Impressionist contemporaries including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas and Paul Cézanne. We encourage you to follow Michael Kinney’s overview in visiting, and top your visit off with a glass of something bubbly at the Museum Shop.

Speaking of cool bliss, writer Alexandra Bohannon caught up with Stella Thomas-Kelsey, a fashion designer making her home in Stillwater we first introduced you to several years ago. She’s worked with Vera Wang, Jimmy Choo and Carolina Herrera, and has now embarked in a new direction: couture woolens, set to grace the runway next month at the Western Design Conference in Jackson, Wyoming.

Esteemed Chef Loretta Barrett Oden, Shawnee native and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, has written a lovely cookbook, Corn Dance: Inspired First American Cuisine, and recently sat down with Greg Horton to chat about the exquisite diversity among Native cuisine and the life stories she also

shares in the book. Horton also traveled to Tulsa and spent time at one of our favorite spots, Amelia’s Wood Fired Cuisine, talking with owner Amelia Eesley about her culinary journey.

Writer Christine Eddington spent some time with Oklahoma Watch Executive Director Ted Streuli and brings us an examination of Oklahoma’s nonprofit journalism scene. Like many, we often find ourselves looking for “just the news,” and, as Streuli explains, removing advertising from the equation (financial support permitting) is a great way for an investigative news team to find focus.

On a much lighter note, if you’ve ever wanted a piece of sartorial history from England’s royal family, now is your chance: Sotheby’s will stage an online auction of one of Princess Diana’s most-recognized garments, the infamous “Black Sheep Sweater.” We’ll tell you all about it — and how to make your bid — in this edition.

Until next time,

STACY D. JOHNSON Publisher, Owner

JORDAN CLARK Photographer 12 LUXIERE

EDITION NO. 44

DESIGN | nvsble studio

ON THE COVER | Newly engaged Lady Diana Spencer wearing the infamous Black Sheep sweater in 1981, designed by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne of Warm and Wonderful. Photograph by Tim Graham, Getty Images.

CONTRIBUTORS

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CONTRIBUTORS

DR. ANGELA GRUNEWALD

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

It’s one of last days of summer vacation, and Edmond Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Angela Grunewald is making the most of it. She’s been soaking up some sun out by the pool and joins me for our Zoom interview smiling and relaxed … though she’s about to get a lot busier. Grunewald is responsible for the third largest district in Oklahoma, with more than 26,000 pre-K through 12th grade students and more than 3,100 employees, including 1,600 teachers.

“We have more teachers than we do support employees,” she says. And then, “It bothers me that I cannot call all of them by name or recognize every one of them. I struggle with that.” On its surface, that statement feels like something a classic Type-A overachiever might say. But as the conversation continues, it becomes clear that it’s Grunewald’s extraordinary appreciation and love for teachers that drives her wish for superhero-level memory skills.

“I think teaching is one of the most rewarding and important careers out there. So I do anything I can do to help our teachers. That is what I love about my job: providing for and supporting teachers, and that in turn makes our school district so strong,” she says.

Grunewald herself spent 14 years teaching. Her tenure at the chalkboard saw her teaching every grade level from second to eighth, at districts across the state including Edmond’s Charles Haskell, Mustang and Piedmont. “I grew up in Woodward and then went to Northwestern at Alva for college. And I met my late husband there. He was a coach.” She used to tell friends and family that he was going to win state championships and she was going to teach kids to read. After a few years, her late husband decided to move into administration. “So I kind of followed him all around the state, that’s why I’ve had multiple different jobs,” Grunewald explains.

Her own metamorphosis from teacher to administrator was less of a strategic career plan and more of a natural progression. “I really, truly, only just wanted to be a teacher. And then I found myself becoming more of a mentor. I stepped into that principal role to be more of a mentor and to help teachers,” she says. While she’s always been open to the next thing, she’s also always been perfectly happy right where she is.

Fortunately, her move into administration held pleasant surprises for her. “I think what was the most gratifying [thing] that I had not done before was helping parents. As a teacher, you have that small group of parents that you really bond with, because you’ve got their child for the whole day. But as a principal, I found that there were parents in my office that just didn’t know what to do; they really were against a wall. And I loved being able to help those parents find answers for their problems and be even better parents.”

As summer wanes, Grunewald, now happily remarried, is summoning her fortitude in anticipation of the coming hurlyburly. From August to May, the couple attends Edmond Schools events four evenings a week, on top of her intense daily schedule. “I will say during the school year, work is a lot. Every night, except for Wednesday night, we attend an event. Either a football or basketball game, a volleyball game, a play or an orchestra event, you name it,” she says. Her husband is great about it — he knew when she took the job three years ago that it would become central to their lives.

“He loves going along with me. He’s retired, so it’s perfect. He has a woodworking business on the side that keeps him occupied, and other than that, he is just a great supporter,” she says. He chooses much of what they attend, having become a full-throttle Edmond Schools sports fan. “He loves to pick. If there are three home basketball games, he will say, ‘Well, I want to go watch this

person play. This is going to be the best game of the night. We need to go to this game.’ And that’s what we do, pretty much, during the week with the agreement that on Saturdays and Sundays I really try my hardest not to work … and we have found that that works just really well for us.”

Her day-to-day is carefully planned to ensure she’s in the schools as much as possible. “I kind of have a weekly routine. I am out at school sites almost every Tuesday morning, and I try to get a board member to go with me if I can. I keep track … if I go to about four schools every Tuesday morning, by the end of each nine weeks I will have made it to all of them. Then on Thursdays, I schedule time with a teacher.”

She’s careful to work through the principals and schedule them way ahead of time, because she understands that a visit from the superintendent might be stressful. “I love to come and spend an hour in the classroom. And that way I really get to see instruction; I get to watch students as they’re learning. I get to see behavior, because we know that’s one of the biggest concerns that teachers are having right now.”

Behavioral issues have increased in schools nationwide. Grunewald and her team are vigilant, training constantly to learn how to deal with the full range of issues facing schools, including the horrifying reality of school shootings. She’s serious about prevention. “It’s about being observant and watching what you see, what you hear, what’s on social media. We know that when you see a threat, even if it seems like just someone posting something, you have to take every one of those seriously. You can’t say, ‘Oh, that’s just some kids saying something.’”

Grunewald relies on the entire community to help. “What we’ve been the most impressed with is how vigilant our students are. They know the world that we live in. They have been so good at reporting what they see or what they’ve heard on social media, or what they heard a friend say. That preventative measure has kept us safe many times,” she says. She is grateful, too, for the strong partnership between Edmond Public Schools and the Edmond Police Department. “No matter what time of the night, [if] it’s two o’clock in the morning, if we pick up on a threat they will immediately go to a house and check to see if this is a viable threat.”

Another tactic known to combat school violence is one of her district’s core values: a sense of belonging. “We know for students to feel like they belong, they have to have connections. And we also know the more that a student is connected, the more successful they will be with their grades and their graduation rate as well.” That’s where the myriad of student organizations and clubs fit into the picture. It’s an impressive array: chess, anime, sports, bass angling, book club, DECA, knitting, robotics, psychology, badminton and MANY more. Esports began as a club and is now a competitive team. “Any student, if they can find a sponsor, can start a club that they have an interest in, and then they can meet in our buildings and participate. It’s about building those connections and finding other students that like to do the same thing that you’d like to do.”

Connection and belonging are crucial for anyone’s happiness and satisfaction, including her own. “I always say be happy where you are and make the best of where you are and things will open up for you … not that you shouldn’t have goals, but there’s a lot to say about just being happy where you are. And I have found that that has worked really well for me.” •

LUXIERE’s Woman of Influence is presented by First National Bank of Oklahoma

UNLOCKING VOICES

A local speech therapy clinic’s caring and cutting-edge approach

BY KATI HANNA PHOTOGRAPHY BY JORDAN CLARK

Speech Pathway, a locally owned full-service speech therapy clinic, is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the most sought-after clinics nationwide. With a personalized and cutting-edge approach, coupled with a steadfast commitment to care and compassion, Speech Pathway stands out as one of a kind. Emily Hathaway founded the clinic before learning her son was autistic, and it was through her own personal journey to find support for him that she understood the need for a clinic that prioritizes both providing therapy and building human connection.

Under the nurturing guidance of Emily and her husband, Kent, Speech Pathway is more than a speech therapy clinic. It is a place where children receive the care, understanding and support they need to thrive. Beyond simply therapy, Speech Pathway’s mission is about supporting and enhancing each child’s success and quality of life.

Speech Pathway is helping hundreds of families, yet many people in our community are not aware of its work. Tell us about Speech Pathway and the work you do.

At Speech Pathway, we offer personalized speech therapy services, specialized feeding therapy and Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). Our team of caring, licensed professionals helps build the skills that allow our patients to have better social interactions, independence, stronger communication and an improved quality of life.

As a family-owned clinic deeply connected to the community, we understand the importance of building strong relationships and trust with our clients and their families. We collaborate closely with local schools and healthcare professionals, ensuring a comprehensive approach to treatment. At Speech Pathway, we don’t just provide therapy; we create a nurturing and supportive environment where our clients feel cared for and inspired to thrive.

Kent, what inspired the start of Speech Pathway?

Emily is a determined and ambitious woman who found herself inspired by the unwavering strength and compassion of her mother. Witnessing her mother’s tireless dedication to helping others … she developed a deep admiration for serving others. As she embarked on her own career as a speech-language pathologist, she encountered another influential figure; a supportive and encouraging boss who recognized her potential and nurtured her talents. Under their mentorship, and combined inspiration of her mother’s compassion and her boss’ guidance, Emily’s dream of establishing her own clinic began to take shape.

What do you consider to be Speech Pathway’s “secret sauce?” What makes it different from other organizations?

At the heart of this clinic lies a genuine commitment to care and compassion, thanks to our family-owned and -operated nature. Our second child is autistic. We vividly remember the struggle at the beginning of that journey. Our deep-rooted belief in the power of human connection and unwavering dedication to improving his life set the foundation for our exceptional patient experience. Speech Pathway is operated by a family like yours, for families like ours.

As a married couple that operates a business together, what are some of the things you do to make working, living and parenting together succeed?

You must establish clear boundaries between your personal and professional lives. Over the years, we have learned through error that sustaining our marriage has come from open communication, clear boundaries, respect for each other’s expertise, divided responsibilities and fostering a work-life balance.

We take turns feeling guilty for being wrapped up in work while the other is with the kids. It is crucial to find a work-free zone where no work takes place, like a specific room or a couch, a bed, whatever. Avoid letting work discussions dominate your personal time, as it can burn one of you out and really strain your marriage. If it is not on the calendar, it doesn’t happen, so we do our best to schedule date night and a board game once a week.

Kent and Emily Hathaway at Speech Pathway

You have a thriving company culture; tell us about your culture and what you have done to build and protect it.

Hire for culture, not talent. We look for people who will fit in well and have the same vision that we do. We are always on the lookout for someone we want to invest in, not just do the job.

Emily and I serve our people first and invest in their future, not ours. We give our best to the staff so they can give their best to the families. I also think because we serve families like our own, it makes a difference in our culture. We never set out to be the best clinic for pediatric speech and ABA; we just set out to have the best people on our team.

Our interview process is very transparent. We are honest when interviewing about the expectations of the role. We encourage everyone to fail quickly, fail often and talk about it. Everyone masters the first two pretty quickly — and with some effort we learn to discuss our errors openly and everyone is better for it. Never keep a mistake to yourself. There is always someone else who can learn from it.

Kent, I know you have a master’s degree in behavior analysis and organizational behavior management. How has that translated into your work at Speech Pathway?

Behavior science has been around a long time, and its application is mostly known for working with individuals with challenging behavior. Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) is a field that focuses on the application of behavioral principles to improve workplace performance and productivity.

The research is clear that the more we are encouraged, the more likely we are to continue doing the things we are encouraged for. At Speech Pathway, we do our best to remind every employee about the positive impact they have in the lives of their clients. There are no generic “You’re doing a great job” comments. It sounds more like, “This mother heard their child say ‘I love you’ for the first time and you made that happen. You changed two lives today, a child and a mother. YOU did that.”

Emily, many owners struggle with being a producer and a leader. How do you balance those two areas of focus?

This is definitely one of the hardest parts of my job. At my heart, I am a clinician, and I truly love speech therapy and intervention. But with a staff of more than 35, leadership is my primary role. It’s important that I ensure our team is fully supported so they can do their best. I still have the privilege of

seeing a few clients, and I do actively participate in our intense summer speech camps, so I am able to fill my cup.

The leadership aspect of my job is ever-changing … initially I was the only one … so I was just leading myself and guiding families. As we grew, my job shifted to leading more and more clinicians. At this point, it has shifted again to where I am now leading other leaders so that they can lead and guide clinicians and families. It’s definitely a challenge and never boring! And I am blessed to have an incredible team of passionate people who share our vision and believe in our mission.

I know you run camps that have been highly sought after by the families you serve; can you tell us about the camps and what makes them so desired?

Eight years ago we seemed to have an influx of patients with apraxia of speech. Our staff diligently researched this disorder and the evidence supported frequent, early and intense intervention, but this level of care wasn’t available anywhere in our community and actually very few places in the country. Our community had a need and we felt called to help. This is our 8th summer of Camp Communicate, which has evolved into three programs; Intense Academy, Speech Spot and Kid Connect. Families travel from all over the U.S. (and even a few international campers) to spend a couple of weeks with us. Many families have returned for multiple years.

Where do you see Speech Pathway in 5 years?

Our five-year vision isn’t any different than our current one: To be a transformative force in speech pathology and ABA therapy for children. To continue to decrease frustration in families and children by unlocking the power of communication. That’s all we’ve ever done, and it’s worked for us so far.

We all enjoy the different luxuries life has to offer. Tell us a little about what you consider your favorite “luxiere” in life.

Kent: Personally, it’s going to be sleeping in. At work, it’s hearing the echo of children’s laughter down the hall.

Emily: Are we talking personally here, or related to the clinic? Personally, my favorite luxury would be vacations to Disney. Clinically speaking, our “luxury” items are definitely our facility and its amenities like our playground, sensory gym, thematic pretend play area, feeding therapy kitchen and group spaces. •

Kati Hanna, a seasoned partner at The Mettise Group, has a proven track record with over two decades of consulting services to growth stage businesses. Through her expert coaching, consulting and leadership development strategies, she has made a significant and positive impact on hundreds of organizations, and has earned a well-deserved reputation as a trusted and valued advisor.

Setting the Standard.

As Oklahoma’s first board-certified dermatologist and fellowship-trained laser and cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Kimberly Jerdan wants you to reach your skin, hair, and nail health goals from a comprehensive medical and aesthetic approach. Specializing in general, surgical, and aesthetic dermatology needs, Dr. Jerdan is trained in skin of color and sees patients of all ages.

LET THERE BE LIGHTS

How Art Fusion Studio’s light sculptures illuminate the OKC Civic Center

BY ALEXANDRA BOHANNON

Visitors to the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall may be entering the lobby to see a show, but glass and mixed media artists Tracey and Rick Bewley have ensured that the word “dazzling” isn’t just reserved for the performances on stage.

Through the expert craftsmanship of two ambient light sculptures, the wifeand-husband art team has made a stunning mark on the $17 million renovation effort of the Civic Center. However, the year-long journey from technical drawings to installation wasn’t easy.

Rick Bewley, artist and co-owner of Art Fusion Studio, admits he was thinking, “I can’t wait to see how I do this” before submitting the proposal.

LOCAL ARTISTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The funding mechanism for the Civic Center renovations came in a 2017 bond issue passed by Oklahoma City residents. As a result of using public funds to restore the Civic Center, per city ordinance, 1% of the total renovation budget was required for public art. This led the Civic Center Foundation to issue a request for qualifications to develop light fixtures in the lobby.

After checking the requirements for organizations to submit pieces, the Bewleys decided that they and their fused and sculptural glass business Art Fusion Studio would qualify — even though they had never taken on a piece of this size and cost.

So they were excited (to say the least) when they were invited to submit their design for the $194,000 light sculptures. This opportunity presented a significant milestone in their artistic careers, offering them a platform to demonstrate their talent and creativity on a larger scale.

Going into the presentation, Tracey, who developed the sculptures’ design, extensively researched how their pieces would look within the larger context of the Civic Center’s renovation and restoration to its 1937 roots. This led her to explore a subset of Art Deco style called Streamline Moderne.

“Streamline Moderne evokes movement through linear elements,” she says, explaining that it shies away from the intense ornamentation that can signal other Art Deco styles. Tracey suggested their adherence to the specific school of Art Deco used in the Civic Center is one element that set their design apart from the other proposals.

As one of only three finalists, the Bewleys pulled out all the stops for the pieces’ elaborate and intricate design, emphasizing the importance of the local art scene in Oklahoma City. So when they learned that their proposal won and had beaten out an outof-state professional vintage lighting company that had worked on the Oklahoma State Capitol building, they were ecstatic.

ILLUMINATING CHALLENGES

Reality started to hit after they won the bid. Beginning in October 2022, the Bewleys had months of preparations ahead of them before they even started working on the sculptures. As the Art Fusion duo began creating the technical drawings of the fixtures, they knew they would have to build the two 10-foot by 7-foot light sculptures in pieces.

Despite the immense size of the Civic Center, there’s no direct way to get through the large load-in doors from backstage to the lobby. That meant that no part of the light sculptures could be larger than three feet, in order to bring the pieces through the front doors.

So piece by piece, Rick began to cut, weld and powder coat the aluminum that’s the primary metal used in these creations. Then, as masters of manipulating glass, he and Tracey used a process called slumping to create the white glass domes and panels. The duo laid sheets of white glass into stainless steel forms and fired them in their kiln, which left the convex side of the glass shiny.

But even with a strong plan, the Art Fusion team encountered challenges from day one. The Bewleys faced supplier delays of months from the project’s start. Their tried-and-true slumping method of 20 years was causing the glass to crack, a first in their studio’s history. Critical aluminum pieces had to be remade in the last 10 days of construction due to an error.

With these unforeseeable situations, which included external delays from the Civic Center’s other renovation efforts, the Bewleys missed their original deadline.

“We pride ourselves on being artists that actually do what they say and have it done when they say they’re going to have it done. That is important to us,” says Tracey. “And when we missed [the original deadline] — weren’t even close — we were really, really frustrated.”

Despite the setbacks, the Bewleys kept marching forward on their creation and construction efforts. Even though the pieces wouldn’t be formally assembled on site until the delivery date, they had a dress rehearsal of the installation process sooner. Smith and Pickel Construction, who would eventually install the pieces in the Civic Center lobby, gave the Bewleys access to an empty warehouse and to the team who would eventually install the 2,000-pound pieces in their permanent home.

“It wasn’t till the last three weeks, four weeks of final construction did we ever even see what it looked like,” says Rick.

Tracey and Rick Bewley with one of their light sculptures at the Civic Center Music Hall.

DEFYING GRAVITY

On June 14, the pieces were formally introduced to the world with the grand re-opening of the Civic Center Music Hall. The Bewleys report that visitors were “glowing” with enthusiasm for their ornate work.

“It was pretty fun to work on a project that long … and to get to the end and still be happy with the results, as opposed to ‘all I can see [are] the problems,’” says Rick.

A stellar feature of the pieces is the ability to control the LED lights within each sculpture using a smartphone app. Incorporating these LEDs brought a new level of versatility to the fixtures, allowing the Civic Center staff to be able to change the colors of lights in the sculptures to reflect the show taking place. (The Bewleys have already tested how changing the LEDs to an emerald green looks in anticipation of Wicked’s national tour coming to OKC in 2024.)

When asked about their future plans now that this massive project is wrapped, the Bewleys revealed they were “in talks” with the Civic Center Foundation to create additional Streamline Moderne light sculptures for the three other recessed areas of the lobby. This unwavering commitment to design and artistic expression sets the Bewleys apart. Despite a challenging path to completion, these glass and mixed media artists are undeterred from continuing to innovate and create, leaving an indelible mark on OKC’s artistic landscape for generations to come. •

To learn more about the Bewleys and Art Fusion Studio, visit ArtFusionstudio.com. Visitors can see the two permanent light sculptures hanging in the Civic Center Music Hall lobby at 201 N. Walker Ave. in downtown Oklahoma City.

PHOTO BY KACEY GILPIN

OOH LA LA, BLACK SHEEP

The star of Sotheby’s ‘Fashion Icons’ Auction

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

Bidders, start your engines! Sotheby’s is hosting an online auction, titled “Fashion Icons,” opening Aug. 31 and closing Sept. 14. Although this auction features many noteworthy pieces from influential people, or pieces that captured a cultural moment in time, the item we’re most excited about is a sweater owned and immortalized by the late Diana, Princess of Wales. It’s the cherry red Black Sheep sweater, which carries an estimate of $50,000–$80,000, and will be on view at Sotheby’s New York during the second week of the online auction.

We love an iconic piece of fashion history. This one is top-tier, right up there with Audrey Hepburn’s little black dress from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ sunglasses, Theda Bara’s 1917 Cleopatra costume with its snake-motif breast plates or Jayne Mansfield’s low-cut dress worn to a dinner honoring Sophia Loren. You know the one.

Side note: The photos from that particular evening in 1957 capture Loren’s side-eye in all of its glory. The actress later explained, “Paramount had organized a party for me. All of cinema was there, it was incredible. And then comes in Jayne Mansfield, the last one to come. For me, that was when it got amazing … She came right for my table. She knew everyone was watching. She sat down. And now, she was barely … Listen. Look at the picture. Where are my eyes? I’m staring at her nipples because I am afraid they are about to come onto my plate. In my face you can see the fear. I’m so frightened that everything in her dress is going to blow — BOOM! — and spill all over the table.”

But we digress. The Black Sheep sweater, which theoretically could soon be yours, is one of the most recognizable pieces worn by Princess Diana. Says Sotheby’s: In June of 1981, a newly engaged Lady Diana Spencer wore a red sweater dawned with a whimsical black and white sheep motif: one of the first designs by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne of “Warm and Wonderful” knitwear established in 1979. The newspaper coverage in 1981 was the advertisement of a lifetime and one Muir and Osborne would later accredit as the stratospheric launch of their small business.

After Diana damaged the sleeve of her beloved sheep sweater, Muir and Osborne were surprised to receive a letter from Buckingham Palace outlining the damage and enquiring whether Warm and Wonderful might be able to repair or replace the sweater. Naturally, the company immediately knitted a new one and delivered it to the Palace. Not long after, another royal missive arrived. It was an effusive thank-you letter sent by Oliver Everett, private secretary to the Princess of Wales.

Black Sheep Sweater designed by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne of Warm and Wonderful — worn by the late Diana, Princess of Wales — will be available starting Aug. 31 during Sotheby’s online auction.

Diana wore the sweater beautifully again in 1983, with crisp white painter jeans. Remember those? Multiple pockets and hammer loop? She styled it, naturally, with the requisite ’80s big white collar and pussy bow-style tie and wore it to one of Prince Charles’ polo matches. Because the marriage was already on the rocks, some sartorial speculation suggests that the choice was intentional, telegraphing to the world her feelings of being an outsider; a royal black sheep.

In 1993, the Victoria and Albert Museum acquired one of the sweaters for its permanent collection. The Warm and Wonderful company stopped making the sweater in 1994, but the Black Sheep never left the global sartorial vernacular. Among a certain subset, it’s something of an obsession.

These days, Rowing Blazers offers a facsimile of the Black Sheep Sweater (men’s and women’s styles), based on the original design, for $248, or less than 1/200th of what Sotheby’s anticipates the original will sell for.

Of course, there’s no substitute for the original’s cred: Cynthia Houlton, Sotheby’s global head of fashion and accessories, said in a statement that “this exceptional garment, meticulously preserved, carries the whispers of Princess Diana’s grace, charm and her keen eye for fashion.” •

Correspondence from Buckingham Palace to Joanna Osborne in reference to having a damaged sleeve repaired or replaced for the late Princess Diana.

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CANVAS, COLOR & CREATIVITY

The artistic voyage of Dennis Johnson

BY VALENTINA GUTIÉRREZ

Dennis Johnson, an extraordinary artist hailing from Oklahoma and displaying at the Howell Gallery, has ventured far beyond the traditional realms of canvas and brush, embarking on an enriching journey that encompasses abstract expressionism, a deep appreciation for impressionist landscapes and furniture design. From his early artistic revelations to the unique fusion of art and functionality in his furniture creations, Johnson’s artistic odyssey is a testament to unwavering passion and a relentless pursuit of creative growth.

Johnson discovered his innate talent for drawing before he even set foot in kindergarten. He found solace and fulfillment in his creative expressions, drawing freehand cartoon characters from the Sunday paper. As his kindergarten and first-grade years unfolded, a profound realization took hold: He knew deep within himself that he was an artist, and his unwavering passion for creation only intensified through his formative years.

Throughout grade school, Johnson received crucial support from a few insightful teachers who recognized his immense artistic potential. They not only provided him with the tools and encouragement to hone his skills, but also kindled the fire of curiosity within him. These mentors played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of his creative career. As he progressed through junior high, he further nurtured his creativity through a correspondence course that pushed him to explore techniques and concepts, laying the groundwork for the blossoming artist he would become.

Johnson’s artistic style underwent a significant transformation during his college years. Initially working with watercolors and producing picturesque landscapes, he soon found himself drawn to the mesmerizing realm of abstraction. Embracing change and experimenting with acrylics, he began creating abstract

watercolors on canvas, a turning point that led to recognition and appreciation from a broader audience. This shift marked a defining moment in his artistic journey, catapulting him into a world of abstract expressionism that resonated deep in his soul.

Beyond his success on canvas, Johnson’s artistic endeavors extended to the realm of furniture design, where he discovered a compelling intersection of functionality and creativity. The result was a stunning fusion that captivated onlookers, while also offering a unique and personal connection with the artwork.

His furniture designs took on a unique flavor, as most of his pieces were created through commissions. Collaborating directly with clients, Johnson delved into their preferences, discussing size, color and design elements to create bespoke furniture that resonated with their individual tastes. This personalized approach ensured that each piece became a distinct reflection of both the artist and the client, and provided an opportunity for clients to join in the creative journey, resulting in functional artworks that encapsulated their unique vision.

As an artist with a diverse array of styles, Johnson sought to distinguish his realistic works from his abstract creations by adopting the pseudonym “Jon Raymond” for his realistic paintings. (He attributed “Raymond” to his mother’s playful use

Oil on canvas by Dennis Johnson using the pseudonym Jon Raymond

of the name during his elementary years.) This subtle distinction allowed him to showcase the two facets of his artistic identity while maintaining a connection to his roots. Under the persona of Jon Raymond, he delved into the world of realism, breathing life into captivating figurative works and landscapes.

Inspired by the great impressionist artists, Johnson’s passion for painting landscapes was rekindled. The allure of the outdoors, the play of light and shadow, the harmony of colors on canvas became driving forces in his artistic exploration. His landscape paintings are a celebration of nature’s beauty, recording moments in time with an impressionist’s eye for detail and emotion. With each brushstroke, he captures the ephemeral essence of nature’s captivating landscapes.

Johnson’s artistic journey is a convergence of diverse influences, a tapestry woven from the threads of abstract expressionism, the harmonious fusion of art and furniture design and the radiant hues of impressionist landscapes. His admiration for the abstract expressionists, particularly Rothko and Diebenkorn, is evident in his abstract compositions that echo their emotional depth and artistry. Simultaneously, the legacy of impressionist painters has rekindled his love for landscapes, allowing him to channel their passion for the natural world into his own masterpieces.

As he continues to evolve as an artist and share his passion through teaching, his artistic tapestry will undoubtedly expand, weaving in new inspirations and discoveries. Drawing from the past while embracing the present, Johnson’s artistic odyssey remains an extraordinary voyage of creativity and growth fueled by boundless passion, painting his personal mark on the canvas of art history and inspiring generations to come, urging them to embark on their own artistic journeys. •

TOP: Oil on canvas by Dennis Johnson

BOTTOM: Oil on canvas by Dennis Johnson

CHASE 50” x 40” acrylic on canvas DENNIS JOHNSON

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TRUE MASTERY

OKC Museum of Art welcomes monumental exhibition of Rodin sculpture

BY MICHAEL KINNEY

In some respects, the world of Western art could be broken down into two periods: before and after Auguste Rodin.

Before the French sculptor burst onto the scene in the late 19th century, sculptures were primarily seen as thematic and decorative. But Rodin was more interested in a raw, unfiltered style that drew praise and criticism — both voluminous.

The master went on to create luminary sculptures such as “The Age of Bronze,” “The Thinker,” “The Kiss” and “The Gates of Hell.” All gained worldrenowned acclaim as he became one of the faces of the Impressionist era and the Father of Modern Sculptures.

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is currently hosting the exhibit “True Nature: Rodin and the Age of Impressionism,” which delves into the classical influences on Rodin’s sculpture, the artist’s focus on portraiture and his exploration of movement and the human body.

OPPOSITE: “Left Hand of a Pianist” by Auguste Rodin at OKCMOA

“Rodin was truly innovative and worked differently than sculptors who came before him. Rodin’s dramatic approaches to the human figure were best known to the public through his large, bronze statues,” says OKCMOA CEO and President Dr. Michael Anderson. “Additionally, the exhibition contextualizes Rodin within the work of his peers and addresses perceptions about the artist and his significance in art history,”

The OKCMOA got its hands on the Rodin exhibit through a stroke of good fortune. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which organized the exhibit, is going through major renovations, and decided to loan out “True Nature” to select museums around the globe.

However, when one of the two venues in Asia was unable to play host, the first call the LACMOA officials made in 2022 was to Anderson.

“We were contacted by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, who, through their partners, received a recommendation that we could take the exhibition,” Anderson says. “We actually already had something scheduled, so we moved our schedule around so we could accept this because it’s been years since we’ve done a large sculpture exhibition at this museum. Because of the logistics of sculpture, they don’t travel very often. They tend to be expensive, especially to transport.”

Despite the cost and rescheduling on such short notice, Anderson knew immediately this was an opportunity his museum could not pass on.

“When we received the news about the exhibition, for us it was a no-brainer,” he says. “We just had to do this one. We had been talking casually for a while about doing a sculpture exhibition, but the right one just never came up. There just aren’t many opportunities. So, for something like this to in effect fall in our lap, it was just too big of an opportunity for us not to pursue.”

ABOVE: “Jules Bastien-Lepage” by Auguste Rodin

LEFT: “Eve,” from “The Gates of Hell” commision by Auguste Rodin

OPPOSITE: “Monument to Balzac” by Auguste Rodin

The True Nature exhibit features more than 100 pieces of artwork that celebrate the life and career of Rodin. That includes 50 pieces that come directly from the master himself: A few of the celebrated sculptures visitors will see include “Saint John the Baptist,” “The Burghers of Calais,” “The Shade,” “The Crouching Woman,” “Eve” and “The Prodigal Son.” There are also works from other masters of the Impressionist age such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas and Paul Cézanne, who were contemporaries and rivals of Rodin.

Due to the size of some of the pieces, Oklahoma City is the only U.S. venue that will have the complete 100-piece exhibition. That includes the “Monument to Balzac,” which stands 9 feet tall and weighs more than 1,900 pounds.

“There just aren’t many opportunities to see historical, monumental sculpture in Oklahoma,” Anderson says. “Oklahoma City has a great public art tradition and it’s growing; we’re seeing more and more of it. But we don’t get a lot of opportunities to see these historical examples. There also isn’t the opportunity to see impressionist paintings like we have in this exhibition in many collections. There are a few in Oklahoma, but not many. So, it’s access to artworks that usually you’d have to travel to Paris or a few other cities to see, and that just doesn’t come along very often.”

When Rodin died in 1917, he willed to the French state his studio and the right to make casts from his plasters. In 1956, France created several laws that limit the number of castings that can be made from his plasters and still be considered his work to 12. No more can ever be made.

That means there are a limited number of venues on Earth where people can go see “Balzac,” “Eve” or any of Rodin’s work. And until Oct. 22, Oklahoma City is one of those sites.   Anderson is encouraging art enthusiasts and those who know nothing about Rodin to come to the OKCMOA to take in the exhibit, take photos and experience the works of a true game-changer.

“It relies a little bit on word of mouth, because until you see it, you don’t really conceive of how large these sculptures are and how large the exhibition is,” Anderson says. “In most places, if you hear there’s a Rodin exhibition, it’s not going to be 50 Rodin sculptures, and it’s not going to be monumental outdoor sculptures; they will be smaller sculptures for the most part. So this is a rare opportunity — even in the sense of what you’re actually seeing, not just the fact that it’s a Rodin exhibition, but that the quality of Rodin is pretty rare.” •

For more information or to purchase tickets to “True Nature: Rodin and the Age of Impressionism,” call 405.236.3100 or visit okcmoa.com.

The Only Place for Preston

AMELIA’S DREAM

Wood-fired deliciousness in the Tulsa Arts District

BY GREG HORTON

The first thing Amelia Eesley was good at was restaurant service. Well, there were probably other things from her childhood and tween years, but at 16, working at Tippin’s Restaurant and Pie Pantry in south Tulsa, she learned quickly that she was a natural at serving tables.

“Al Fusco, who now has Blue Moon Cafe in Brookside, was my manager, and he was a great mentor to me,” Eesley says. “I took to serving — so much so that he let me write the training program for his restaurant as a teenager.”

Long before there was Amelia’s Wood Fired Cuisine, and even longer before the James Beard nomination for then executive chef Kevin Snell, Eesley headed for New York City to study musical theatre at American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan. The stage was to be her future, but the 20-year-old also needed a gig to make money, so she jumped right back into serving … but this time, she went the fine dining route.

Honey Glazed Campfire Salmon with creamed spinach, wild mushrooms, pistachio

“Even then I saw food as a pass-through job, just something to make money,” she says, “but I was working with career professionals — managers, sommeliers, fine dining servers — and they’d made a good career of it. Talking to them and working with them, I began to see it as a legitimate way to make a living.”

While she tried to get a big break in musical theatre, Eesley worked at Del Frisco, which was “very busy, and a place where everyone was making good money,” as she describes it.

“That’s when it really hit me that I could do this,” she says. “Theatre wasn’t a great way to make money, but being a good server or sommelier was, so I left theatre.”

She made her way back to Tulsa, taking a job at Fleming’s Steakhouse — a chain famous for its wine list — in Utica Square. She spent seven years at Fleming’s, before jumping to Stonehorse Cafe, where she worked with Tim Inman, a chef-owner who would continue to educate her on what is required to run a successful restaurant.

“I knew I needed management experience before I opened my own restaurant, and working with Tim gave me the knowledge I needed to feel confident about what would be Amelia’s,” she says.

In 2016, she signed the lease for what is now Amelia’s Wood Fired Cuisine. The first task was design.

“The menu is the story you’re telling,” Eesley says. “The menu will tell you how the space should look, and so I had a good idea in my head of what I wanted, and I brought in Frantz Davies and Subha Sridharan [of] Forest for the Trees as the architects. I told them what I wanted, and they sketched the outline.”

What she wanted was very straightforward (as is she): plants, wood, open flame, central bar and open kitchen out front. “Parties in people’s homes tend to gravitate toward the kitchen, so it was important that the kitchen be right out front, so it would feel like a dinner party at a friend’s house,” she says. “I grew up with lots of plants in the house, and they’ve always felt like home, so I wanted plants to be prominently featured in the design.”

What designers and owners want has to be pushed through a sieve of pragmatism, though, because as elegant as they can be, restaurants are workplaces with high traffic (ideally) and intense wear and tear from servers, server assistants, dishwashers, cooks, cleaning crews and all the other team members that contribute to a meal landing on your table. To facilitate turning a plan into a working space, Eesley reached out to Gabe Telacios from Silo Design Build to, as she puts it, “… bring the design to life in terms of what can actually happen in a restaurant.”

ABOVE: Amelia Eesley with Chef Andrew Donovan at Amelia’s Wood Fired Cuisine

RIGHT: Prime Tomahawk Ribeye for Two with caramalized Brussels sprouts, sweet potato fries, bordelaise and chimichurri

Ultimately, however, it’s about the food, and with Snell, Eesley had a winner — the deserved James Beard nomination was also in part an acknowledgement that she’d chosen well. Looking back, she’s amazed at how many things, including Snell, went right from the beginning.

“We got lucky, but we also had worked and trained hard to be successful,” she says. “Still, Amelia’s was my first restaurant, and I’d spent a lot of time just sitting in the space before it was done, listening, because the space can tell you things about what it will be. I had trained for years, so I knew what I wanted and how restaurants actually worked, but putting it all together was a terrifying process.”

After opening, Eesley learned what to do and not to do in her specific space, not just a restaurant in general. “The food has to be very good,” she says. “That’s the first thing. We learned that bringing in whole pigs and breaking them down was laborintensive and not cost-effective. Things like that you have to work out as you go.”

Her new chef, Andrew Donovan, carries on the tradition of wood-fired food that is delicious and beautiful — Eesley calls it

“regional and South American cuisine with influences from the Midwest and South.” The team works together on menu prep, and Donovan with his back-of-house team workshops a few menus before he and Eesley make final decisions. Pasta and seafood will always be on the menu, because Eesley works with “slots” that need to be filled: pasta, poultry or pork, seafood, seasonal produce, beef, South American-influenced dishes, etc.

Logan Sweetwood, a bar veteran with experience at Tulsa lounge Hodges Bend, takes care of the cocktail menu, while Eesley oversees the wine list, which is heavy on French and American. Eesley said terroir is the most important factor in her choosing wines for Amelia’s.

She said she’s happy with the food, the drinks and the restaurant overall. It’s what she wanted when she imagined it.

“Hospitality has always given me a great sense of fulfillment,” she says. “I like the business side behind the scenes, and I love the machine that is dinner service, getting buried in a busy shift so that I’m watching people’s response to the food, meeting the challenges that always pop up, making a difference, making people happy. I just love the energy of all that.”

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SHEEP, MEET CHIC

Stella Thomas Designs’ couture woolens

BY ALEXANDRA BOHANNON

Textiles have been part of the fabric of human history for over 100,000 years, as early as the Paleolithic era. Since then, thanks to the ever-quickening pace of technology, there have been frequent innovations in how fabrics are made and the materials from which they are made.

But Alice Stella Thomas-Kelsey, known by her label Stella Thomas Designs, is bringing textile artistry back to its roots with her latest collection; it’s set to grace the Western Design Conference and runway show in Jackson, Wyoming, starting Sept. 7.

“There is amazing stuff here in Oklahoma,” says Thomas-Kelsey. “I’m glad to represent Oklahoma and what we can do.”

Thomas-Kelsey, a fashion designer for over three decades, has a prolific resume of accomplishments. Notable among them are working with fashion houses like Vera Wang, Jimmy Choo and Carolina Herrera, and even collaborating with the Queen of Thailand on a fashion show.

In the past, her medium of choice was primarily silk. But five years ago, her career pivoted when she noticed her neighbor had a sheep farm near her home in Stillwater. She was inspired by seeing tufts of wool stuck on a fence and began experimenting with wool. One of her earliest pieces was a 10-by-10 hanging wall piece.

“Sheep are amazing, beautiful animals,” says Thomas-Kelsey. “They require shearing; it makes them happy.” Thomas-Kelsey notes that on every sheep, there are 6-7 pounds of wool. In warmer months, without shearing, that amount of wool on their bodies can cause them to overheat and make them susceptible to disease and infection.

Considering that shearing doesn’t harm the sheep, as the process is similar to shaving in humans, buying and transforming the wool into beautiful pieces of art only helps the farmer and the wooly animal alike.

FELT IN THE HEART

When Thomas-Kelsey receives the wool — whether from her neighbor around the corner or from Austria, Ireland or Scotland — she begins by cleaning and sorting what she receives.

Not all sheep are the same, of course; quality varies by breed, and some farmers are breeding the animal for meat, not for their wool, which can make a drastic difference. While she primarily sources from sheep, Thomas-Kelsey has also worked with alpaca and llama wool.

At this point, she decides if she’ll be dyeing the wool with vibrant jewel tones, like a bright orange or deep amethyst, or leaving it in its natural color palette. After sorting, cleaning and potentially dyeing the wool, Thomas-Kelsey works on one piece for two to four weeks. This allows her to put her “full effort, heart and soul” into it, using her hands and water to felt the fibers.

Felt is the byproduct of manually manipulating strands of a given fiber to mat them together. After enough time physically agitating the filaments of the material, they will eventually fuse to create one cohesive piece of felted fabric.

With wool and felt as her primary medium, Thomas-Kelsey has completed almost every imaginable textile category — including

headboards, wall tapestries, rugs, bedcovers, hats, ponchos and capes. She’s also not left her roots in bridal couture behind, having designed bridal pieces using her felting process.

NEW TERRITORY

Thomas-Kelsey is embarking on new territory for Stella Thomas Designs by attending the Western Design Conference in Jackson. This exhibition is her first foray into being a featured artist at a prestigious Western design expo, and she’s already made a remarkable impact.

Stella Thomas Designs was invited to be one of the selected labels at the exclusive runway show Sept. 7. Her runway presentation includes a jacket, cape, skirt, coat and some surprises exclusively made for the conference.

Thomas-Kelsey is honored to be a part of the fashion show because she knows how important it can be for clients. She intentionally selects models ranging from size 8 to 14 to help show prospective buyers how her pieces drape on different body types.

“I always say to try it on and see how you feel,” says ThomasKelsey about her wool fashions and wearable art. She said that selecting models representative of an average person helps individuals be assured that they would be able to wear a piece with confidence.

But even beyond their immediate couture allure, Stella Thomas Designs’ wool fashions possessed a rare quality: they were made to last. A wool garment is a powerhouse textile that keeps the wearer warm and absorbs moisture, requiring minimal care besides allowing it to air dry. A fur coat that gets wet, in contrast, will likely need to be taken to a furrier to receive a proper care treatment.

“Unlike furs, fleece lasts forever,” says Thomas-Kelsey. “It’s a piece you can hand over to your daughter or granddaughter if you take care of it.”

Stella Thomas Designs’ wool pieces are intended to be more than mere fashion statements. Thomas-Kelsey aims to create future heirlooms, destined to be cherished and passed down through generations. •

To learn more about Stella Thomas Designs or to inquire about Thomas-Kelsey’s art, visit stellathomas.com

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INDIGENOUS INSPIRATION

Loretta Oden’s Corn Dance shares a life in Native cuisine

BY GREG HORTON

Chef Loretta Barrett Oden has spent most of her professional life introducing diners to the foods of the First Americans. The Shawnee native and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation grew up surrounded by Native women — mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunts and great aunts — who taught her how to forage and cook the traditional foods of the tribe, along with its lore. Cooking was a social event; the kitchen a campfire where stories were shared.

“I was very fortunate to be surrounded by so many strong women,” Oden says. “Having great grandmothers, great aunties, all the way down to me meant that I was able to learn how to prepare those pre-Contact dishes and hear the stories of my people and family. We’ve always been an oral people, and we’re losing our elders — and as we do that, we’re losing our stories.”

OPPOSITE:

Chef Loretta Barrett Oden at Thirty Nine inside the First Americans Museum

To help stem the losses, she’s written Corn Dance: Inspired First American Cuisine, published by the University of Oklahoma Press. The book is a collection of First American recipes and culinary wisdom, blended with stories from Oden’s personal life and professional career. It’s aimed at home cooks, not chefs, but Oden includes her nearly seven decades of experience in the chef world in techniques and pro tips. (She turns 81 before this issue goes to print.)

“Native cooks had all the cooking techniques we’re familiar with except deep fat frying,” Oden says. “There was just no big iron kettle to put all that bear fat in. Rendering fat did go on, and things were packed in batches, but mainly we’re plant-based with very small portions of meat. And of course, the agrarian tribes grew the Three Sisters: corn, squash and beans.”

Tribal differences make it difficult to talk about Native American cuisine as a monolithic genre — much as regional differences make Italian and Chinese food far more complex than Olive Garden and P.F. Chang’s would lead casual diners to believe. That difficulty is present in Oden’s role as culinary director for the First Americans Museum: How do you accurately represent 39 individual tribes, most of which were here due to forced relocation?

“One of the first things I had to push back against in representing so many tribes was fry bread,” Oden says. “It exists because of removal; it was never a traditional staple. As a kid we got the commodity packs from what we called The Agency, much like many Oklahomans got commodities in boxes each month. It was not the best food, so we made do. In Oklahoma, fry bread and Indian tacos are prevalent. The powwow circuit helped spread fry bread and Indian tacos. I felt compelled to push back against that because of the health issues in Indian country: diabetes, gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance, etc.”

Foraging is central to traditional Native dishes. Dandelion, sunchoke, poke salad, lamb’s quarters (an amaranth relative) and more wild, foraged plants end up in the dishes, so where you are matters. Some tribes, including Oden’s, make tea from corn silk and pine needles. They were originally medicinal, of course, but they can be enjoyed for the flavor, much like Italy’s amari liqueurs, which were also originally designed to be curative.

The analog to Italian is helpful here. A major reason Olive Garden thrives is because Americans believe they’re getting Italian food. In fact, we were raised to believe that it’s quintessential Italian: heavy pasta dishes, red sauces, breadsticks, all with tons of cheese and salad, of course. The actual cuisine of Italy is regional and seasonal. Olive Garden and its doppelgangers are offering an Americanized version based on pop culture and generic simulacra of “Italian food.” Native American cuisine has the same problem on a smaller scale. Ask someone what constitutes Native American food, and the most common response is likely to be Indian tacos, which certainly function as a symbol of Native ingenuity and determination — you have to eat to live and you can only eat what is available — but are not, strictly speaking, pre-Columbian Native cuisine.

“Native cuisine is very diverse, and it’s regional and seasonal,” Oden says. “You have salmon in the Northwest, chiles in the Southwest, Three Sisters everywhere, chocolate, berries, pineapple, papaya, potatoes, tortillas, buffalo, all kinds of fish, even dragonfruit. Translating it to non-Native diners should be easy because 80% of the foods enjoyed around the world today had their origins in America. They left here and came back as Irish potatoes, Belgian chocolates, etc., so our ingredient base should be familiar to everyone.”

To facilitate the writing — Oden calls herself a “not a disciplined thinker” — OU Press hand-picked James Beard Award-winning writer Beth Dooley, who previously co-wrote well-known Minneapolis and Native American Sean Sherman’s The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, to help with the project.

“Corn Dance includes a lot of my life stories, with recipes designed for the home cook, so I used audio files, and then Beth worked on it. I went to Minneapolis, where she makes me get out of bed, and then says, ‘Now talk,’” Oden says with a laugh. “The audio files have helped, but so have my composition books. I take notes and jot things down constantly. I have hundreds of composition books, so when I croak there will be a treasure trove of my more lucid thoughts.”

The book is set to debut Oct. 3, but to tide us over, the influences behind Oden’s food — the kind of food she served at her Corn Dance Cafe in Santa Fe many years ago — can be experienced at Thirty Nine, the restaurant at the First Americans Museum, 659 American Indian Blvd. in OKC.

“One of the great ironies of my life is that I got into food because I hate politics,” she says. “I thought cooking could help me make my way in the world, but nothing is more political than food: sourcing, access, sovereignty, preparation, etc. All human beings have it in common. Through the book, I hope that my story and these dishes will heighten people’s awareness of who we are as Native Americans, remind them that we’re still here and bring them together for conversations.” •

SNEAKERS & SELF-DISCOVERY

Venita Cooper on Silhouette and entrepreneurial success

BY MICHAEL KINNEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY MASON

Venita Cooper remembers exactly when and where she was when she first got bitten by the sneaker bug. The life-changing moment came in 1995, when her mother bought her a pair of Nike Air Swoopes.

The first-ever signature sneakers that featured a woman (basketball star Sheryl Swoopes), Nike Air Swoopes were red, white and blue high tops, with USA printed on the back and a Velcro strap that folded across the middle. Designed by Marni Gerber, they also came with a heel tab on the back — one that Swoopes herself had specifically asked for in order to help ladies with long fingernails slide their kicks on.    Cooper remembers what the sneakers looked like and how they felt on her feet. But more importantly, she remembers exactly how she felt walking through her Lawton middle school’s hallways and being showered with attention.

OPPOSITE: Venita Cooper in the back room at Silhouette

“I just remember begging my mom for them, and I always won if I begged for something,” Cooper says. “I’m an only child, so they give it to me. But I remember going to school and all the compliments and all the attention. Middle school’s a really challenging time for a lot of reasons; we’re seeking a community, we’re trying to express ourselves, trying to figure out who we are, our identity. And I just loved the energy and the vibes around me wearing these sneakers.”

Cooper said when she started wearing the Air Swoopes, she felt accepted and loved. Those are feelings that never left her.

Almost three decades later, Cooper now finds herself in a position to provide the same type of memories for up-and-coming shoe fans and old sneakerheads. She is the owner and manager of Silhouette Sneakers & Art at 10 N. Greenwood Ave., Suite C, in Tulsa. Since opening its doors in 2019 in the heart of Black Wall Street, Silhouette has become one of the premier high-end sneaker stores in Oklahoma.

Along with exclusive sneakers from Adidas, New Balance and Nike (including Jordans), Silhouette’s walls are lined with apparel that spotlights Tulsa’s historic Black community. It is also a venue for local artists to showcase their work.

“I think it’s been incredible,” Cooper says. “It’s honestly more than I could have ever anticipated, just in terms of the community that is now Silhouette. I love that we have people who have been shopping with us from the beginning. I love that we have people who reach out to us about sneakers. I love what we’ve been able to do in terms of our offerings and giving Black and Indigenousowned brands a platform to sell their products in our stores as well as in terms of apparel — helping to amplify a culture that has always existed in Tulsa.”

Yet running her own business was never Cooper’s goal growing up. In her previous life, she taught middle school English language arts in Oklahoma City before taking an administrative role in Tulsa. But her path changed one day in December 2018, when she was scouring the Internet for some new sneakers to purchase.

“Tulsa didn’t have the shoes that I wanted and a friend of mine was watching me shop for sneakers online, and they’re like, ‘Hey, you should open up your own sneaker store,’” Cooper recounts. “They’re like, ‘Just open up your own store so you can get the sneakers you want.’ I was like, ‘That is ridiculous. You can’t just open up a store because you don’t have the thing you’re searching for online.’”

But the more and more Cooper thought about it, the more appealing the idea became to her.

“I kind of like audacious ideas and the idea kind of marinated in my mind for a little bit,” Cooper says. “And I started kind of having some informal conversations with some people that I’d met in Tulsa who I knew were into sneakers. They were very enthusiastic about the idea.”

Unlike some small businesses, it didn’t take Silhouette long to go from just a concept to actually opening its doors for business. Much of that has to do with Cooper’s personality and ability to get people to believe in her dream.

“Tulsa’s the kind of place where everyone is like two or three degrees of separation away from each other,” Cooper says. “My third conversation was with the head of the City Council of Tulsa, who is a big sneakerhead. And my fourth conversation was with a woman whose organization would ultimately pay all of my startup costs. And then my fifth conversation was with my future landlord. It happened really quickly.”

Less than a year after not finding the sneakers she was looking for, Cooper opened Silhouette in November 2019.

However, in many regards, getting the store open was the easy part for Cooper. The sneaker resale market is an industry that was and is dominated by men. According to a 2021 report by Highsnobiety, of all the sneaker stores in the world — from boutiques to chain stores — fewer than 10 were run by women.

That included Cooper — and she was able to tell right away that there were those in the profession who were not used to the idea of working with a bi-racial woman who identifies as queer.

“There are certainly times, even still, that — despite the fact that we’ve been around for three and a half years, there are definitely times where I feel a little disrespected because I’m a woman,” Cooper says. “Like my knowledge of sneakers isn’t respected by like every man who walks through the door.”

When those times of disrespect occur, Cooper doesn’t let it dissuade her from the path she has set out on. She has been through too much in her life to let other people’s discomfort get in her way.

“I think if I was 10 years younger, it’d be different. But just because I’ve lived so much life and endured those things in different contexts, for me it’s like all we can do is the best we can do in an interaction,” Cooper says. “Present ourselves in the best way possible. And if someone is not ready to accept who we are, then that’s not something that we can control.”

Even though Cooper exudes a calm and business-like demeanor, she admits some encounters can be frustrating in the moment.

“I don’t want it to seem like I have no emotions about it,” she explains. “You just learn to kind of brush it off and keep moving. Life is full of several peaks and valleys, constant peaks and valleys. So just having the perspective to know that interaction doesn’t define who I am. It doesn’t define how my day needs to go, and that there’s a peak on the other side of that valley.”

Cooper has been at the peak more often than not lately. After her store survived the COVID-19 pandemic when many small businesses closed, it has been prospering. So much so that she is already starting a new venture.

“It’s called Arbit. I’m actually working with a couple of Nike engineers on this. This is totally different. Silhouette is brickand-mortar; Arbit is a tech company,” says Cooper. “It’s an app that provides the first pricing algorithm for sneakers. There’s this new market that is growing off these goods that are being sold post-drop. But pricing is kind of all over the place. And so Arbit functions to give people greater insights into what a shoe’s value actually is.”

With Arbit, Cooper will be diving headfirst into the deep waters of an industry that was foreign to her. But she does it with no fear or hesitation. It’s the mindset she would tell aspiring entrepreneurs they need to take in business and in life.

“I would tell them to try to and experience as much of life as possible,” Cooper says. “Find an opportunity to leave your hometown, whether that’s going to college somewhere else, whether that’s going on a service trip somewhere, or whatever it is. Broaden your horizon. And then when you get in situations where you are outside of your norm, investigate, explore, ask questions — because there’s nothing that is not within your reach. It’s all about the work we put in to open up doors and position ourselves to be successful.” •

OKLAHOMA WATCH

Local non-profit journalism uncovering stories and defending freedom of information

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

Although the recent spate of nonprofit news entities popping up around the state may seem like a new phenomenon, the concept of non-profit journalism (NPJ) organizations has been around for centuries. The idea is that a news organization which is operating without the pressures of making a profit, dealing with debt or worrying about dividends could better serve the public good as it was intended to do. In Oklahoma and across the country, NPJs have experienced something of a resurgence over the last 15 years or so, sprouting like well-researched, non-partisan, highly informative mushrooms.

Oklahoma Watch in particular has a sterling lineage. “About 13 years ago, Ethics and Excellence in Journalism, a part of the Inasmuch Foundation established by Edith Gaylord, joined with the Kaiser Family Foundation to explore setting up a non-profit news group in Oklahoma. Out of that effort, Oklahoma Watch was born,” says Sue Hale, whose own professional pedigree and journalism chops are legendary. She’s a former executive editor of The Oklahoman, former chair and current board member of Oklahoma Watch, a national leader in First Amendment issues and the senior journalism consultant for the Inasmuch Foundation. Hale also served as president of the National Freedom of Information Coalition and helped found Freedom of Information Oklahoma. She also chaired the First Amendment Committee of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. She was inducted into The Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2005. We could sing Hale’s praises all day long — she’s also an accomplished artist — but back to our examination of NPJs.

One of the very oldest, the Associated Press (AP), began in 1846 out of necessity. The Mexican War was raging. People needed accurate information as quickly as possible, and the U.S. Post Office couldn’t deliver it fast enough, so a group of five New York City newspapers joined forces and funded a pony express route through Alabama to get the news from south to north more quickly than the mail could do it—an early type of information superhighway, so to speak. Today, the AP operates 250 locations in 100 countries, bringing breaking news to light and sharing it with other news organizations.

Closer to home, the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) was founded in 1956 in a basement classroom. Today, it broadcasts all across Oklahoma and into surrounding states. It’s the most-watched Public Broadcasting Service network in the country, offering news and educational programming and bringing its audience shows like “Downton Abbey,” “Antiques Roadshow” and “All Creatures Great and Small.” Some 650,000 people watch OETA each week.

Newer NPJs, including Oklahoma Watch, have taken a traditional print news model and tweaked it. For one thing, there’s no print edition of Oklahoma Watch, it’s only online (oklahomawatch.org). And there are certainly no advertisers. Those two factors, said Oklahoma Watch Executive Director Ted Streuli, are crucial. With no set number of pages to fill, stories can develop at their own pace. Reporters can dig deep. And, as Streuli says, “We’re very transparent. Every single donor is on our website; you know exactly where the money’s coming from. We do not accept political ads. We don’t have an opinion section. We don’t have an editorial page. You can look at our [IRS Form] 990. It’s by law public record, but we don’t even make you wait for the 990, we’ve thrown it on our website.”

Streuli has worked as a reporter and editor for more than 30 years at newspapers in California, Texas and Oklahoma. He served as the editor of  The Journal Record in Oklahoma City from 2004 to 2018, and is a past president of the Oklahoma Press Association and winner of a slew of journalism awards, including the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ Will Rogers Award for Humanitarianism and the Carter Bradley First Amendment Award from the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists.

Oklahoma Watch’s mission is investigative journalism, focused on a handful of subjects: children and youth, criminal justice, education, government, immigration and poverty. “We identify societal problems,” Streuli says. “And we try to identify the causes of the problems — where the breakdown is — and we try to look for potential solutions and include those in the stories. And we look for stories that affect a lot of Oklahomans. And so, often, the stories we’re covering involve public money, somewhere along the line.”

Investigative journalism is expensive for a newsroom to fund. Stories develop in their own time, and they take a lot of legwork. That costs money that many small (and large) papers just don’t have. Here’s how Streuli explains it, in what he calls the two-minute version of his Rotary speech about democracy and journalism: “You’ve heard the press referred to as the fourth estate, and the history of that is in medieval Europe, there were three estates of the realm: the nobility, the clergy and the commoners.”

A century or so goes by and in England, the three-branch model of government forms, mirroring those three estates. It’s also the precursor of the three-branch government in the United States. Back in England, in a 1787 parliamentary debate, a gent named Edmund Burke argued that the press was the de facto fourth estate, saying famously, “There are three estates in Parliament but in the Reporters’ Gallery yonder there sits a Fourth Estate more important far than they all. It is not a figure of speech or witty saying, it is a literal fact, very momentous to us in these times.”

Oklahoma Watch Executive Director Ted Streuli

“In the early days, newspapers in the United States were largely mouthpieces for individual candidates. Those were the ‘yellow journalism’ days,” Streuli says. “We figured out pretty quickly that that wasn’t really the best way to do it. So the idea of independent journalism was born 200-and-something years ago, and we’ve been doing it that way ever since. And it was important enough to the Founding Fathers that we are the only industry protected by the Constitution.”

Hale says, “I have always believed our rights guaranteed under the First Amendment of the Constitution will be lost if we abuse or ignore them, or fail to teach their importance to our children and grandchildren. Freedom of information is focused on your right to know what your government is doing by being informed by a free press, and being able to discuss and express your opinion because of freedom of speech. These inalienable rights also come with responsibilities. We need to constantly remind ourselves that democracy will live or die depending on how well we protect these rights and how we exercise our responsibilities.”

Fast forward to 2023. “The hot buzzword in journalism right now, and especially in nonprofit journalism, is collaboration. And so since Oklahoma Watch’s inception, we make everything

we write available to any media organization that wants to use it,” Streuli says. His news outlet collaborates on producing stories, too, with organizations like News 9, The Frontier and others.

Streuli continues, explaining the pickle newspapers ultimately found themselves in. The government only does so much in a day for reporters to write about, which left for-profit newspapers that depend on advertising revenue with pages to fill. “So now you’re selling all these ads. And you’ve got to fill up all these pages. You can’t fill it all up with government watchdog stuff because there’s a limit to how much of that there is, so you add sports and you add business and you add advice columns, and you add crossword puzzles, and you add weather, which is also news. And it’s also information that people want and are willing to pay for.”

Most of that type of news is also much less expensive to produce than investigative reporting. And that’s fine, too. Except, Streuli posits, “If you strip it all away, what’s at the heart of it is, ‘Is the press looking out for the public and making sure that the public’s getting a fair shake?’”

For that most important question, on his watch, the answer is definitely yes. •

STANDING, LEFT to RIGHT: Whitney Bryen (reporter), Shaun Witt (audience development director), Lionel Ramos (reporter), Keaton Ross (reporter), Ashlynd Huffman (former reporter), Ari Fife (former reporter), Paul Monies (reporter), Jennifer Palmer (reporter). SEATED, LEFT to RIGHT: Mike Sherman (executive editor), Ted Streuli (executive director) in February 2023.

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