Luxiere - Oklahoma Lifestyle & Real Estate // Edition 45 by Luxiere Magazine

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EDITION 45

CONTENTS

VALLEY GIRL Jeweler, entrepreneur and dynamo Valerie Naifeh is following the sun—and introducing her namesake boutique plus a shimmering spinoff to the posh resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho. STO RY BY CHR ISTINE EDDIN GTO N

42 THE ISLE OF BONES Vibrant and fun with an irreverent sense of humor and breathtaking beauty, Key West offers travelers abundant reasons to head south and visit the Conch Republic. STO RY BY JES SE DAV IS O N

STO RY BY A L E X A NDR A B O H A NN O N

OKC is in for a particularly tempting taste of Phoenix, as Chef James Fox is about to launch a second location of his James Beard Award-nominated restaurant, Vecina. STO RY BY G R EG H O RTO N

ON THE COVER: CULTURAL AWAKENING A deep dive into Tulsa’s turbulent history got artist and Texas transplant Rebekah Danae fired up about engaging with her community and creatively considering Oklahomans’ cultural identities. In conjunction with her artists’ collective A Creative House, she’s projecting her perspectives onto the artistic landscape.

THE CHEF FOX EFFECT

IN SIGHT, OUT OF MIND The painting is an American classic dating back to 1778, but a central detail in John Singleton Copley’s “Watson and the Shark” adds implications that continue to resonate today. STO RY BY MI CH A EL K INNE Y

INSIDE THE INDUSTRY Caleb Fountain wants to operate as a platform, not a secret society, so his Deep Deuce store 1032 Space is geared toward providing fashion inspiration and luxurious service. S TO R Y B Y A N D R E A S C H U LT Z

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T S O O P T I C A L .C O M

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45 EDITION

FROM THE PUBLISHER

We’re happy to report that the state of the culture in Oklahoma is absolutely brilliant. Our home is home to some of the sharpest creative minds in the world, and we’re proud of it. There’s something particular about the first wave of autumn in our state that feels extra creative and energized, a vibe we hope to have captured among our pages for you to enjoy. It’s a potent combination, and this issue is filled with the kinds of talent, daring and opportunity that we love. Oklahoma artist and jeweler Valerie Naifeh has opened a second iteration of her eponymous Naifeh Fine Jewelry and a first iteration of her gemstone gallery and boutique, Helios. Both new ventures are in Sun Valley, Idaho, one of the nation’s first destination ski resorts and — fun fact — home of the first ski lift chairs. It’s been a playground for Hollywood and the upper echelons of business leaders since the 1930s, whose combined net worth makes the small towns around the resort among the highest-income locales in the world. Rebekah Danae, also an artist, moved to Tulsa as a part of Teach For America; her creativity — usually freeflowing — slowed unexpectedly as she entered a period of self-healing and community organizing, taking a deep dive into the city’s history and the violence perpetrated there a century ago. From that immersion, she was moved to create once more, focusing on experiential art and the concept of social sculpture. Writer Michael Kinney spent some time in Washington, D.C., where his visit to the National Gallery focused on learning more about a pivotal piece of art: John Singleton Copley’s “Watson and the Shark,” whose implied meaning has been a source of fascination and study for scholars and art historians for more than 200 years. Our own senior designer (and talented writer) Jesse Davison takes us to Key West, the southernmost point

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in the continental United States and home to the “Isle of Bones,” so named for its original use as a communal graveyard by its first inhabitants, the Calusa and Tequestra tribes. Although Lt. Commander Matthew Perry “claimed” Key West for the United States in 1822, the isle has never relinquished its unique cultural personality, even going as far as declaring itself an independent micro-nation in 1982. Back in Oklahoma City, Chef Eric Smith, founder of The Crown Room, and fashionable purveyor of high-end streetwear Caleb Fountain are each at the top of their games; and we’ll introduce you to both. Fountain’s boutique, 1032 (pronounced ten thirty-two) is a curated assemblage of established and emerging brands from around the globe. We love his selection of Comme des Garçons PLAY footwear. We hope Luxiere Edition 45 moves you to celebrate your own creativity, whatever that means to you. It’s a beautiful season, and we are here for it. Until next time,

STAC Y D. JOHNSON

Publisher, Owner

S TAC Y@ L U X I E R E .C O

405 808 1332

A P P A R E L

A C C E S S O R I E S

B E A U T Y

I NTRODUCI NG

6 4 43 Avo nd a le D r ive, Nichol s H i l l s • w w w.b a l l ie t s.c om • 4 05.8 48.7811

EDITION 45

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITION NO. 45

M ICH A E L KI N N E Y

A L E X A N DR A BOHA N N ON

CH R ISTI N E E D DI N G TO N

Writer

STACY D. JOHNSON owner/publisher

DESIGN | nvsble studio ON THE COVER | Tulsa experiential artist and founder of A Creative House, Rebekah Danae

CONTRIBUTORS Special thanks to all of our Luxiere partners for your contribution of time and talent to make this extraordinary resource.

LUXIERE MAGAZINE CORPORATE OFFICE K ATI HA N NA

Writer

JO R DA N CL A R K

Photographer

G R EG HO R TO N

Writer

2123 N Classen Blvd Oklahoma City, OK 73106 info@luxiere.co www.luxiere.co

Luxiere Oklahoma is published bimonthly, direct-mailed to a curated readership and distributed at select retail locations free of charge for individual use. To request copies, please contact the publisher. For more information, visit www.luxiere.co.

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Advertising claims and the views expressed in this magazine by writers do not necessarily represent those of Luxiere Magazine. No responsibility is assumed for unsolicited materials. Originals of manuscripts, photographs, artwork or other materials should not be sent to Luxiere Magazine unless specifically requested to do so in writing. Luxiere Magazine is not responsible for the return of any manuscripts, photographs, artwork or other materials submitted. Luxiere Magazine shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for interpretations thereof. Luxiere Magazine shall have no liability for any infringement of copyright or other arising out of publication thereof. Luxiere Magazine reserves the right to edit submissions before publication. Reproduction in any form without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. All requests for permission and reprints must be made in writing to Luxiere Magazine, c/o Legal, 2123 N Classen Blvd Oklahoma City, OK 73106.

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WOMAN OF INFLUENCE

ERIN GOODIN BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

ooking back, it’s clear as a bell that City Rescue Mission like, ‘I have FIVE KIDS,’ so no, Debbie, I’m not interested.’” But President and CEO Erin Goodin was born to serve. It’s her her friend pressed the issue, explaining that the position was calling; where she feels she’s meant to be. In elementary perfect for her. “And after just, you know, praying about it for a school, she was the child who raised her hand to be partnered while, and my husband and I talking about it, he was like, ‘You with the children in special ed classes who needed the most know, you can always say no, but if you don’t at least investigate help. Today, she’s parlayed that passion — and that compassion the opportunity, you’ll never really know if that’s what you want — into a career that allows her to help thousands of the most to do.’” She interviewed for the CFO position at City Rescue Mission, vulnerable Oklahomans find shelter, kindness and the strength and was hired. As she says, “I knew when I walked in the door, to push through. Goodin came to City Rescue Mission by a roundabout path. this was where I was meant to be.” That was 14 years ago. Her journey to CEO was just as serendipitous: In 2018, the She grew up in Moore, attended the University of Central Oklahoma and earned a business management degree at Southern agency’s then-CEO announced his sudden retirement, so Goodin Nazarene University. While she was in college, she worked at stepped in as interim CEO with zero intention of making it OKC’s clubby little dining and events bastion, Faculty House, permanent. “I told the board, ‘I’m not interested in this position, and picked up an entry-level accounting job there which she took but I will step in and I will help in any way you need me to.’” For about six months, she did both jobs and served on the to like a duck to water. “I worked at Faculty House for a while, then I went to Chesapeake search committee, which found a good candidate and offered for a while, and then ended up at United Way,” she says. Her five him the job. But he turned it down. Goodin explains: “He said, years there cemented her conviction that her heart was in social- ‘You know, there’s just things going on in my mission, and I feel service nonprofit work, although there was one more (happy) like right now isn’t the right time for me to leave.’” The next detour she needed to navigate before she found her way to City thing he said sealed her fate. He told her that while it was true Rescue Mission: “When we found out I was pregnant with my that his mission needed him, he also said, “This isn’t my job. This son, which was our fourth child, we decided it was time for me is your job. You need to take that job.” Taken somewhat aback, Goodin, after a lot of prayer, went to to stay home.” She and her husband of 28 years now have five children, ages the board. “I said, ‘Okay, I will consider putting my name in the 15 to 25. On the day she spoke to Luxiere, she was prepping hat.’ And they’re like, ‘Done. You’re hired.’” And so here we are. Experiencing homelessness is incredibly frightening, difficult her home for a visit from a college recruiter for her son, a wrestler, and — having recently learned of her oldest daughter’s and extraordinarily traumatic. Homelessness can drive people engagement — was excited about planning the wedding. Goodin to use addictive coping mechanisms like drugs or alcohol, and it can cause or exacerbate depression and anxiety. And in seems calm amid it all … or maybe she’s just tired. But back to her career. Goodin stayed home with the kids for Oklahoma, homelessness happens to far too many of us. According to the most recent Point in Time count of the three years, and then one day the phone rang. “A friend of mine reached out to me and asked me if I would be interested in going unhoused, conducted by the City of Oklahoma City in January back to work.” Even in the retelling all these years later, you can of this year, there were 1,436 people counted, up about 100 hear incredulity in her voice as she recounts her reply. “I was from 2022. While best efforts are made to count every person,

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it’s a difficult task and the probability is that there are far more unhoused people than the count indicates. “What we estimate is that that’s maybe a third because you can’t count everybody. So that is really just a rough estimate,” says Goodin. By her count, there could be somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,500 unhoused people in Oklahoma City alone. Here’s another perspective. Each day, City Rescue Mission does 300 loads of laundry. That’s 109,000 loads per year, which translates into 850 gallons of laundry soap each year, along with 35,000 rolls of toilet paper. Keeping everyone fed for a year requires 135,000 pounds of produce and 25,000 pounds of meat. These days, about 350 people are housed at City Rescue Mission each night. “We usually have 100 single men, 100 single women, and then we have about 42 family units. And we’re averaging about 120 to 150 kids a night,” Goodin says. The agency is stretched beyond capacity. She began tracking everybody they are unable to serve in May of 2018. “Since then, we’ve turned away 565 households, which includes over 100 families.” City Rescue Mission’s clients run the gamut in terms of age, marital status, gender and ethnicity. “My oldest client was a 98-year-old woman whose children had moved in with her and had abused her so badly that they broke both of her hips. When the hospital discharged her, she couldn’t go back home to that environment because it was unsafe, and so they brought her to us.” Goodin’s team helped divert her Social Security check to a new bank account and found her a nursing home that has service animals, because she loves cats. “First and foremost, we’re an emergency shelter,” Goodin says. “Anybody that’s experiencing homelessness, we are that safe place for shelter.” City Rescue Mission offers people clothing, three meals a day and a safe place to sleep. After that, she explains, it gets complicated. “We also want to provide much more; we are very solutions focused. So when people come through our door, we want to figure out, what does that individual need to end their homelessness?” As you might imagine, that path is different for everybody. “We do have a recovery program. And some people really want to join that recovery program because they feel like an addiction is the cause of their homelessness … But if they just want to move forward to housing and maybe employment, they don’t have to join the recovery program. We will walk with them and work with them as they as they move forward to housing.” City Rescue Mission houses people for an average of 32 days, and there’s strategy behind that number. “It costs on average $6,000 to rehouse somebody, when they’ve been experiencing homelessness for a significant period, even just a couple of months; it costs an average of $1,500 if you can do it within the first 30 days,” Goodin says. Housing someone can make it easier to work through other difficulties they may be having, such as unemployment. It’s powerful, and Goodin knows it. It’s why she does what she does. “Once you get them into housing, you can then give them those wraparound supports and the services that they need to then begin addressing that depression, to begin addressing that addiction. More often than not, when they get into housing, they stop there with their addiction. Because they’re at peace.” • LUXIERE’s Woman of Influence is presented by First National Bank of Oklahoma Member FDIC

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EXPANDING IN STYLE

Introducing the Henry Home Interiors Design Center

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHEVAUN WILLIAMS

he newly expanded showroom now features a 3,000-squarefoot design center showcasing stylish, high-quality resources for designers, as well as a tranquil office space for the boutique’s

owner, Katelynn Henry, a kitchenette and two bold powder rooms that will instantly inspire you to refresh yours. “Creating a tactile experience using our favorite textiles, lighting and signature design style throughout was very important to us when cultivating this new space. We want our customers to be able to see the function as well as the beauty when they walk into our showroom and design center,” says Henry. From the pop of Gucci wallpaper in one of the resource nooks to the impeccable bubble-like sconces in Henry’s office, it’s a lot of beauty to behold and an outstanding source for ideas. Henry Home Interiors celebrates its five-year anniversary this fall. Says Henry, “We are thrilled to represent the future of the furniture and design industry, for Oklahoma and beyond!” •

To learn more, visit henryinteriors.com or follow @henryhomeinteriors on Instagram. Visit the showroom and design center: 3720 W. Robinson St., Ste. 112, Norman, OK.

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VALLEY GIRL

Valerie Naifeh brings her iconic bling to Sun Valley

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

t’s a Monday afternoon in September and the weather in Sun Valley is brisk. Valerie Naifeh — Luxiere’s first cover girl and still striking as ever

— is leading a quick tour through the second of two shops her eponymous

Oklahoma City brand, Naifeh Fine Jewelry, is launching in the luxe Sun

Valley Resort, longtime Hollywood playground and extremely wealthy Idaho enclave. Though Naifeh has vacationed and held trunk shows here for decades, she never planned to launch one boutique here, much less two. “My husband George and I were up here last September vacationing, and we were on our way to get a cocktail. We walked by the jewelry store and there was a sign on the door that said ‘This business is for sale,’” Naifeh says. Intrigued? Yes, but she’d always been adamant that one retail operation was plenty for her. “I’ve had opportunities to open stores in Dallas and Tulsa. And the immediate, unequivocal answer was always no.”

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Valerie Naifeh with her husband George Catechis in Sun Valley, Idaho

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So what changed? “That I love it up here so much and I’ve spent so much time up here and have considered this to be a place where I would like to semi-retire. It just made sense. Plus, after doing all the trunk shows all these years, I know the potential … for me it was just a no-brainer.” Naifeh’s husband George Catechis, who sold his interest in his own business, The Fleuriste, during the height of the pandemic, was immediately on board and has been up to his chin in the Sun Valley projects for more than a year. “He has taken on the projects up here in Sun Valley. Like with gusto. He has been up here since May 29, and has only been in Oklahoma three days since then,” she says. Naifeh Fine Jewelry Sun Valley opened July 1, 2023, after a whirlwind renovation of its location. It opened amid a flurry of events and parties, in keeping with the high style of the Valley and thanks in no small part to Catechis’ panache and expertise. It was a huge undertaking executed beautifully within a very compressed timeline. But why stop there? An idea Naifeh had been experimenting with since 2022 found its footing just steps from her Sun Valley jewelry shop. Set to open in late November, Helios: Treasures from our Gilded Earth was inspired by Naifeh’s experience at the Tucson Gem Show, a massive industry event at which she’s had a booth for years. “In 2022, I couldn’t find anybody to be in my booth because COVID. You know, the Omicron variant came back, and people were freaked out.” The show allowed her to take the year off and retain her location, “So George and I went out and I did something that I hadn’t had time to do, which was to go to some of the fossil and gem mineral shows.”

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She loved what she saw, and decided to try some new items in her Oklahoma City location. “I bought a selection of the onyx merchandise, the different smaller bowls and chargers and different vessels, and we put them on display in Oklahoma City and they sold very, very well for us.” Naifeh knew that a small retail space next to her Sun Valley shop would soon become available, and so Helios (Helios was the god and personification of the sun in Greek mythology) was born. Or reborn. “I want it to be really, really experiential for people,” she says, in large part because Sun Valley is such a family destination, and she wants it to be a fun place for children and their parents. “I have a supplier who I get whole geodes from, and then we’re going have these little hammers, and for $25 you can crack open your own geode and then we’ll have special packaging that you can take it home.” Naifeh also plans to have less expensive jewelry for men and women in Helios. “So probably price points will be from $25 to $2,500.” Gem minerals, in the form of lamps, countertops, bars and other large-scale home wares, will make up a large part of the Helios inventory. “Right now we have this huge, beautiful quartz throne …we bought it at the Denver Gem & Mineral Show, and the price tag on that’s going to be $185,000, and when you walk in it will be our showpiece.” Eventually Naifeh and Catechis plan to live half the year in Oklahoma City and half in Sun Valley. It’s a plan she’s excited about. “It’s so beautiful to be up here … Last night we were sitting outside with a glass of wine and all of a sudden we saw this big object move, and it was a giant owl. And we sat there for the next 25 minutes just watching it. It was just amazing.”

T H E LU X I E R E L I S T

ABOUT SUN VALLEY Oh, it’s glam. Its pedigree is pure Hollywood mixed with American royalty and titans of business. Originally home to the Shoshone, Bannock and Lemhi tribes, the valley’s town of Ketchum became a booming mining town by the 1880s. By 1936, however, the town had dwindled to a mere 100 citizens. Sleepy. But not for long. Count Felix Schaffgotsch arrived in Ketchum on Jan. 16, 1936, and changed the sleepy little town forever. Schaffgotsch grew up in a small market town in Upper Austria where, in the 1920s, he first encountered Averell Harriman, the millionaire playboy from America. By 1930, the Count, a champion “ski rider” as skiers were called back then, had moved to New York to work under the tutelage of Harriman, who sent him west to find the perfect location for America’s first luxury destination ski resort — the Sun Valley Resort. In its early days, celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Ernest Hemingway, Clark Gable, Lucille Ball, Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper and several members of the Kennedy family skied at Sun Valley, which helped the resort secure a glamorous reputation. It continues to draw notables to this day, with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Ashton Kutcher, Clint Eastwood, Demi Moore, Tom Hanks and others owning vacation homes in the area. •

SUN VALLEY, IDAHO Curated by Valerie Naifeh

Best Place to Stay: The Sun Valley Resort Best Cocktails: The Duchin Lounge in the Sun Valley Resort Best Places to Dine: During the summer, outside on the fabulous patios at Knob Hill Inn, The Vintage or Michel’s Christiana Best Spa: Zenergy Best Breakfast: The Kneadery Best Clothing: For women, Elle Rose or Panache; for men, the Brass Ranch Things to Do: Take the gondola up to the Round House on Bald Mountain for lunch. Enjoy expansive views of the Pioneer, Boulder and White Cloud mountain ranges as well as the entire valley floor. Visit the Hemingway Memorial, then hike Trail Creek to Proctor Mountain, where you’ll reach a ridgeline that gives you spectacular views of Bald Mountain. Afterward, have lunch outside on the patio of The Sun Valley Clubhouse, overlooking the 18th hole of the golf course. Play a round of golf at the Sun Valley Club or Elkhorn, or hire a guide at Silver Creek Outfitters to experience some of North America’s best fly fishing. Rent bikes for the entire family at the Elephant Perch and take advantage of 100+ miles of groomed bike trails throughout the Valley.

Drive north 60 miles to Stanley, Idaho, where you can spend a half or full day white water rafting on the Salmon River. Sun Valley has been voted America’s #1 Ski Resort more than once, so if you love winter sports, ski Bald Mountain or enjoy miles of Nordic tracks at the Sun Valley Club and beyond December through March.

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ART WITHOUT STOPPING

The evolution and hip-hop inspirations of Tulsa’s No Parking Studios

BY MICHAEL KINNEY

few years ago, Antonio Andrews had a problem. At the time, downtown Tulsa was under major construction, and finding a parking spot felt like a never-ending nightmare. But Andrews also recognized that the

construction meant growth and possible prosperity for the city he grew up in. Those elements inspired the multidisciplinary artist to create No Parking Studios LLC. “We’ve been going for five years now, and now it’s starting to grow into a team of artists that’s starting to just grow into a real company,” Andrews says. “So now it’s just me empowering artists that I work with and want to work with, so I can just give them a platform.” With NOPS, Andrews wanted to create a sanctuary that could not only spark his own artistic journey, but also be a home for others with different talents, but the same mindset.

OPPOSITE: “What Will Be Said, When I Can Not” by Antonio Andrews

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ABOVE LEFT: “The Road To Zion Is Windy” by Antonio Andrews ABOVE RIGHT: “IN24RE” by Cruz Thompson

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Antonio Andrews shares a stage in Tulsa with Steph Simon.

“No Parking Studios started out as an idea, just a way to express myself creatively outside of music,” Andrews says. “Just wanted to do something, try some new stuff. Always been a creative person. So, I was trying to make an outlet to do that and that’s what No Parking turned into. Honestly, the way I do it with No Parking, it’s how we did it with the hip-hop community.” The idea for NOPS came to Andrews in 2016 (the first studio home didn’t come until 2018) when he was in a rut. He was making music, but he didn’t feel like he was tapping other talents that were lying dormant. “I just didn’t want to be boxed in. At the time, music just wasn’t serving the same purpose and I just wasn’t feeling music at the time,” he says. “I’ve always been into architecture, just different types of photography. At the time I didn’t know it.” To fill the need that was inside him, Andrews turned to painting. While he had no formal training, it was something he had an interest in. Andrews quickly sold his first painting and assumed that was how the art world worked. But when he didn’t sell another one for two years, it taught him a lesson about the business side. He currently has paintings for sale on the NOPS website, noparkingstudios.com, that range from “Golden Skies” ($100) to “What Will be Said, When I Can Not” ($12,500). He describes his style as abstract realism. “The painting really opened my mind and I started noticing how all these other elements work with it as well,” says Andrews. “A couple of years after I started, I’m just thinking, ‘This is hip-hop. This is what the elements of hip-hop are.’ So now I’m just looking at it from carrying on the tradition of hip-hop.” That meant growing NOPS beyond just his own boundaries. Over the past five years, Andrews has added like-minded friends and artists to the collective, including Tyler James, Deren Walker, Cruz Thompson and De’Raisha Smith. While some of their artistic

approaches overlap, they all have their own areas in which they specialize. So much so that if Andrews is offered a job that he feels is better suited for someone else, he gladly passes it on. “I’ve given all of them probably one good job to do that I came across and ever since I did that, it’s like they’ve been snowballing with that one job,” Andrews said. “It’s like everybody has stuff to do. So, it’s just the more I give, the more it comes back to me.” NOPS has had its fits and starts. Andrews has watched the company grow and branch out into other areas, which he said has been great, but despite its success, the company currently has no home — the rental market in Tulsa has priced it out of where it had been working. “It’s been a lot of learning for me, honestly, because right now we’re in between studios,” Andrews says. “It went from a time [when] I didn’t even know how I could afford a studio, and then last year we were working out of three different studios, and now we’re back to no studios. So, it has just been a learning process for me, just honestly getting used to being uncomfortable, and I’m just embracing it now.” NOPS is exploring different options moving forward; everything from just renting out Airbnbs to work in or buying its own building to transform into a studio is on the table. Regardless, the end goal is still the same for Andrews. “If I could make up the perfect scenario, I would get my own No Parking Academy where all these different artists are coming in and working on projects, and it just gives them their foot [in the door] and to go out into the world and be who they are,” Andrews says. “We are always going to keep this core collective doing different exhibitions and projects, but I want to be able to make a space that’s like — they know when they come to that space, they’re going to see some next-level art, some next-level artists, just a part of the city that’s like nothing else out there. The perfect plan is being a prominent studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma.” •

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A WORLD OF CONNECTION The well-traveled art of Thomas Conrad

BY VALENTINA GUTIÉRREZ

apan, France, Spain, Iran, India … Thomas Conrad has called many

corners of the world home over the years, and since moving back to Tulsa two decades ago he has continued to find inspiration from

those far-flung travels to act as continued influences on his engrossing art. From famous influences in centuries past to plans for his current and future creative evolution, our conversation with the contemporary painter and printmaker — whose works can be seen at OKC’s Howell

Gallery — covers quite a bit of ground.

“FLORENTINE KOI” 30x60” acrylic

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Can you describe how the pop art movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s influenced your art during that time? I lived in Tulsa at that time, and the pop art movement of the ’60s and ’70s was a huge influence on my life. This was the heyday of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, among others. While working on my M.A. in painting at the University of Tulsa, I began my journey in my artistic expression — inspired by American pop art as well as traditional European artwork. Your work often incorporates Middle Eastern, Asian and William Morris [1834-1896] patterns. How did your travels and experiences in Japan, Spain, Iran and India contribute to this pattern integration in your paintings? Hitchhiking, taking trains and buses traveling across Europe from England in 1977 through the Middle East to India and Nepal made me aware of the interlocked sense of design in all Islamic cultures — some going back to the Persian empire. As the world of Islamic design spread east and west from the 8th century, I resonated with this visual connection and began incorporating these design elements and patterns into my work. How has your technique evolved since the 1990s, particularly regarding your focus on Asian, Arabian and European patterns and the use of koi and bird imagery? Until the 1990s, I worked exclusively in oils, but as I began to use intricate patterns as my infrastructure for oil, birds and figurative imagery, fast-drying acrylics better suited this approach. Could you share the inspiration behind integrating images evoked by Kitagawa Utamaro [1753-1806] and Caravaggio [1571-1610] in your recent figurative pieces? Utamaro, the most famous Japanese painter of women, fascinated me with his use of line and patterns, and that I’ve incorporated and even copied as an homage in my paintings over the last three decades. Caravaggio’s dramatic dark backgrounds were the inspiration for my most recent realist portrayal of koi fish in oils. Many of my paintings feature a William Morris pattern known as “Marigold.” In fact, this pattern serves as the infrastructure of the entire painting in many cases.

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How does your art reflect the unique cultural and artistic elements from the places you have lived or traveled to, such as Japan, Spain and Iran? Unique cultural and artistic elements such as koi fish, water lilies, figurative representations — and of course, the patterns found architecturally — as well as in fabrics, wallpapers and more … become my own when I interpret these established patterns in a wholly new way, such as when they are applied to human skin tones and koi fish scales, for example. Do you have a favorite piece of artwork that you’ve created, and what makes it unique to you? Currently, I am working on a large-scale painting (5’6” x 6’6”) that features the figures from Botticelli’s “La Primavera.” Due to its scale, it has taken quite some time and patience to work on it, although I am nearing completion! This, I believe, is my favorite painting. It incorporates floral patterns over each figure and in the background.

ABOVE: “SERENITY IN THE DEEP” 40x40” oil on canvas OPPOSITE: “DUTCH STILL LIFE” 11x9” oil on canvas

What directions do you see your art taking in the future? Are there new themes, techniques or mediums you’re eager to explore? I am always open to inspiration, and find it in many areas of life, generally travel. Recently, I have visited northern New Mexico and have been working on a series of landscape paintings using ancient petroglyphs and tribal symbols in the skies and backgrounds. •

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THE STARS BECAME LILIES 40” x 30” oil on canvas TOM CONRAD

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THE ISLE OF BONES

A peek into the historical and hysterical Conch Republic

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSE DAVISON

iscovered by the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León and claimed for Spain in

1513, a small island he called Las Martines rests approximately 90 miles north of Cuba in the Straits of Florida. It is believed the island’s native Calusa and

Tequesta tribes used the cay [small island] as something of a communal graveyard prior to its Spanish discovery, earning it the name Cayo Hueso by early settlers, which is roughly translated as “bone island.” Following some back-and-forth transference of ownership between Spain and Britain between 1763 and 1783, Juan Pablo Salas acquired the island in 1815 for his service to the Spanish Crown. He would later sell it to John W. Singleton of Alabama in January of 1822 for $2,000. In March of that same year, Lt. Commander Matthew C. Perry sailed to the

“Island of Bones” and planted the American flag, claiming it along with a string of islands Ponce de León referred to as Los Martires (meaning “the martyrs”) as U.S. property. With no formal protests made over the American claim, Cayo Hueso — or Key West — and the rest of the Florida Keys became the de facto property of the United States.

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Today, the Overseas Highway (US-1) stretches 164 miles from Miami to Key West. It’s a lazy traverse, hopscotching from one “martyr” to the next, beginning with Key Largo, while boasting one of the longest overwater roads in the world with 42 bridges — including the Old Seven-Mile Bridge — providing easy access to restaurants, island shops, beautiful resorts and stunning views. At the end of the line — and in a category all its own — is Key West. The island is beautiful, vibrant and fun; delightfully quirky with a splash of irreverence. In 1982, the island declared itself to be independent from the United States, becoming a tonguein-cheek “micro nation” called The Conch Republic. This was in defiance of a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint put in place to crack down on illegal drug smuggling and immigration. It’s said they even declared war on the federal government by firing a loaf of Cuban bread at a U.S. Navy officer. While largely symbolic, the Conch Republic still exists. And in an effort to further poke fun at the federal government’s strict immigration policies, it began issuing its own passports (also symbolic) in 1985. A Conch Republic passport pays off with each stamp offering “Diplomatic Discounts” to restaurants, bars and other island attractions. A once heaping pile of bones, Key West has become a wildly eccentric, culturally rich, historically relevant party island filled with breathtaking sights, beautiful sounds, intoxicating flavors, free-range roosters and intriguing behavior. When speaking of the people of Key West, the late Jimmy Buffett — a long-time resident of the island — said, “[they] really fed the creative soul.” The “Margaritaville” mogul went on to say, “[Key West] has a uniqueness that’ll always be there, whether I’m there or not.” So, if you find yourself in The Conch Republic, do yourself a favor and snag one of those passports, strap a Go-Pro to your chest, foot it on down Duval Street and let ‘er roll. •

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T H E LU X I E R E L I S T

KEY WEST, FLORIDA Here are a handful of hundreds of things to do and see while vising the Isle of Bones. This tiny island is packed with fun, culture and adventure! DUVAL STREET For a solid taste of the Key West experience, you need not venture much further beyond Duval Street. Its 1.25-mile stretch connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean packs it all in. From the beautiful Bahamian and Spanish influenced Victorian mansions to one of the countless souvenir shops selling cheap t-shirts — from 801 Bourbon Bar to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Duval Street is buzzing with activity, live music, shopping and entertainment. SOUTHERNMOST POINT Just one block west of the southern end of Duval Street is the buoy marker for the southernmost point of the United States. This colorful landmark makes for a popular photo opportunity with its painted stripes and inscriptions. Adjacent to the marker, you’ll find a yellow concrete structure built in 1917 to protect the connection between the land line and 125-mile-long underwater telegraph cable lines linking Key West and Havana, Cuba. After selfies, enjoy some breakfast at the Southernmost Beach Café only a stone’s throw from the buoy. HEMINGWAY HOUSE The most popular tourist attraction in Key West is the Ernest Hemingway House. The French Colonial style home was built in 1851 and inhabited by Hemingway and his wife from 1931 to 1939. While restoring and adding on to the residence, Hemingway wrote some of his best works, including For Whom The Bell Tolls. After their deaths, the house was auctioned and converted into a museum in 1964 where it has since attracted thousands of tourists as well as many, many cats. SANDY’S CAFE For a snack and a pick-me-up, stop in to Sandy’s Cafe for some authentic Cuban coffee and a hot loaf of Cuban bread … and please resist the urge to throw it at anyone. The “war” is over. The Conch Republic is strong. HARRY S. TRUMAN LITTLE WHITE HOUSE Originally built as the first officer’s quarters on the U.S. naval station in 1890, the now Harry S. Truman Little White House became a command headquarters that would accommodate the likes of former President William Howard Taft in 1912 and Thomas Edison during World War I. In 1946, President Harry S. Truman spent a doctor-ordered vacation in the house, which led to a second vacation in 1947. Eventually, Truman posited that wherever the President was, the White House was. He spent 175 days of his presidency working from the Little White House. Since Truman’s presidency, other former Presidents such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton have used the house for either work, summit meetings or simply a place to rest. LATITUDES For the most optimal sunset dining, Latitudes is the place. Located on Sunset Key, reservations include transportation by boat to the small, private island where you’ll experience a breathtaking view from your table on the beach. The tenderloin and lobster risotto are solid choices and, of course, you can’t not try the key lime pie for dessert, topped with its Swiss brulée meringue. You won’t regret it.

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CULTURAL AWAKENING

Rebekah Danae’s artistic view of Oklahoma’s future

BY ALEXANDRA BOHANNON

rtist Rebekah Danae has a lifelong deep connection with open spaces — and a knack for filling them with art. Growing up in the expansive prairies of Midland, Texas, she spent

her youth and early adulthood experimenting with various mediums like ceramics,

textiles and paint. After earning her B.F.A. in painting from Baylor, she moved to Oklahoma to join Teach For America in north Tulsa. It was during this time that she experienced something completely foreign to her: Her artistic expression slowed. “I definitely had a lot of shame around not making art at the rate I anticipated coming to Tulsa,” says Danae. “I was thinking I’d come to Tulsa and have a show in the first couple of years I was there.” But this unexpected lacuna from artistic creation allowed her to begin her journey into self-healing and community organizing, diving deep into Tulsa’s history. This led Danae to begin actively engaging in her community, giving her a fresh outlook on art and its potential significance to herself and potential audiences. Recognizing that her skills in community organizing could become a part of her artistry, she started exploring the world of experiential art and the concept of social sculpture.

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The idea of social sculpture was developed by artist Joseph Beuys in post-war Germany. In essence, it refers to any activity that contributes to shaping or transforming society. Danae cites Beuys, and the community organizing work President Obama led before going to the White House, as influences as she began this next artistic chapter of her life. AN ARTISTIC AND CREATIVE HUB After this period of respite, Danae began a marathon of intense creation beginning in 2019, starting with a series of five self-portraits in oil. “The 2019 series shows me processing a lot of the community organizing work, a lot of the things that I learned and that I was angry and frustrated about,” she says. Amid that self-portrait series, Danae founded A Creative House in 2020, an artists’ collective described as “a matriarchal container for conscious world-building using traditional and innovative artistic mediums.” Collaborators work in mediums ranging from oil painting and leatherwork to augmented reality, fashion and performance art. Danae then worked with Dreamland Music Festival in 2022. Originally branded as the World Culture Music Festival, founder Steph Simon renamed the art and music fest post-COVID to pay homage to the Dreamland Theater that was burned during the Tulsa Race Massacre a little over a century ago. The festival’s pivot also seeks to offer attendees a new way of understanding Tulsa’s promise as an artistic and creative hub — which resonates with Danae, who both exhibited at and curated for the festival. Danae, in tandem with A Creative House, fashion designer Parker D. Wayne and Oklahoma City-based artist Mat Miller, exhibited work under the title “Westernwear and Liberation For All” which featured Danae’s portraits, Miller’s geo-dome and Grammy-nominated artist Lester Shaw’s vintage Chevy Apache among many works. The title of this exhibit — designed to resemble the ubiquitous green highway signs that punctuate Oklahoma’s landscape — showcases Danae’s deep fascination with reclaiming imagery and aesthetics linked to Oklahoma, like camo print, trucks, cowboy boots and the fluorescent orange associated with hunting. “It’s taking imagery that may have represented something different and claiming it as our own,” explains Danae. “I think [the Oklahoma Futurist Movement] has the potential to create more belonging where it’s lacking.”

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PERSPECTIVES ON OKLAHOMA’S IDENTITY Danae and A Creative House’s work at Dreamland turned out to be more fruitful than they could imagine. A curator saw their work at the festival and invited the art collective to apply for the 7th Annual Satellite Art Show during Miami Art Week and Art Basel — and a handful of Tulsa artists were selected to exhibit, including Danae. At this exhibit, Danae presented her self-portrait and westernwear series, which included hats and her custom, handcrafted cowboy boots. Wayne and performance artist Alexander Tamahn exhibited as part of A Creative House, and other Tulsa artists like No Parking Studios (Antonio Andrews, Tyler James, Cruz Thompson, Deren Walker) and Trueson Daugherty presented their art at the Satellite Show. Keeping the momentum, Danae and A Creative House began a collaboration with the Oklahoma Fashion Alliance (OFA), led by Wayne. For months, Danae immersed herself in this artistic journey that culminated in the Oklahoma Futurism exhibit featuring The Infinity Barnstorm, hosted by Art House Tulsa on May 6 of this year. The Infinity Barnstorm is a modular, freestanding barn installation. On the outside of the barn, audiences were invited to explore Danae’s works and OFA’s fashions, which showed differing perspectives on what Oklahoma meant to them and what it could mean in the future. On the inside, visitors were transported into an infinity mirror room, cushioned by a ground of straw and enhanced with projections contrasting the rustic, unassuming barn façade. Danae cited Yayoi Kusama’s infinity rooms as an influence on this work. “The idea of the barn is that it’s some sort of womb-like portal or imagining the future of Oklahoma. It has this very grotesque, dilapidated outside … and then the inside is reflective of ourselves,” says Danae. The two-night exhibit culminated on May 7, with OFA designers, models and artists putting on a fashion show that Danae describes as a barnstorm: “a theater term, in reference to performances (usually featuring short action pieces to suit vulgar tastes) in upstate New York barns.” The turnout for the exhibit was significant, and included notable attendees from across the country, like the international punk band Pussy Riot. “I really believe that Tulsans in the middle of the country, postTrump presidency, have something to say,” says Danae. “I’ve been in and out of museums from New York to L.A. … our voices aren’t in these spaces. Our voices have just as much to say, if not a more powerful and unique perspective as to what is going on now.”

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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE After the Infinity Barnstorm, Danae has taken a creative pause to rest and reflect on where her practice has taken her in the past four years. She’s in talks for The Infinity Barnstorm to be exhibited at museums, while applying for artist residencies across the country and completing commissions. And, finally, a massive 9-foot canvas has been calling her name — the one canvas she had been saving as the closing punctuation of her 2019 self-portrait series. One thing is clear: Danae is not afraid to take up space. She’s showing audiences the promise of Oklahoma, whether exhibiting amid galleries across the globe or the spacious plains of her home. • Members and co-collaborators in A Creative House artist collective include Alexander Tamahn (multi-disciplinary artist and dancer), Jenee Stacier (multidisciplinary artist), Chris Vanndy (VR artist and founder of Studio66), Robert Miller (carpenter and multi-disciplinary artist), Cooper Harrison (photographer), Fivish (photographer), Josh Daniel (installation assistant), Wyatt Fulton (installation assistant) and Atlas Fielding (media and film artist).

To learn more about Rebekah Danae, see or purchase her artwork, visit rebekahdanae.com or follow her on Instagram @rebekah__danae.

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THE CHEF FOX EFFECT

Oklahoma dining getting a bigger Southwestern infusion from the minds behind Vecina

BY GREG HORTON

hef James Fox’s life changed the day his friend handed him a carne asada burrito. Up until that moment, his life had consisted of what he calls “homey” cooking. “We were kind of a Hamburger Helper family,” Fox says. “Neither of my parents

were great cooks, so we ate pretty humble food growing up.” Fox and his wife Raenee (pronounced traditionally, like Renee) are the owners of the

James Beard-nominated Vecina in Phoenix. She’s an upstate New York native, and he’s originally from Garden City, Kansas, but they met in Phoenix when both were involved with a restaurant opening. Fortunately for our part of the country, they have partnered with OKC-based Provision Concepts (Broadway 10, Hatch, Sidecar, etc.) to bring Vecina to Oklahoma City in spring 2024, and Riserva Bar + Tapas to Cherry Street in Tulsa late 2024. It could have gone a different way, though — because at the end of his high school football career, Fox had to choose between his first love and his most recent love.

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Albacore Tostada

P H O T O G R A P H BY P H O TO F U S I O N S T U D I O

“I started playing football when I was about 10, and I loved it,” he says. “I played offensive tackle, but in high school, I started taking culinary classes, and I loved cooking from the moment I started.” Combined with a carne asada burrito, it was enough to push the nascent chef away from football and into culinary school. He chose Scottsdale Culinary Institute, which at the time was accredited by Le Cordon Bleu. “I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to cook as a chef, but it was important to pick something I loved that wasn’t football.” If you think of culinary school as elementary education for Fox, then the downtown Hyatt in Phoenix was middle school. “I worked in every concept they had, and I absorbed as much as I could,” he says. “When I finished my time there, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to cook. So my ‘high school’ experience was at a French bistro. It was a crash course in French techniques — many of which I’d learned in culinary school — as well as developing specials, prep work, etc.” Clarity started to coalesce when Fox worked at The Mission in Old Town Scottsdale, where he worked his way from fryer to broiler in about six months. It was at The Mission that he first discovered swordfish Veracruz style, and aji rocoto, a member of the capsicum family of nightshade peppers common to Central and South America. The peppers look like miniature bell peppers, but they pack far more heat-carrying capsaicin than their milder cousins. Common usage in Latin America — aji amarillo, aji verde, aji rocoto — is similar to the U.S. method of distinguishing bells: red, green, orange, etc. While at The Mission, Fox met a hostess whose family in Mexico needed a private chef. “They were ranchers and tequila producers, and they flew me down for an audition,” he says. “I got the job, but I only stayed a year. Cooking and meal prep for three meals seven days a week is a lot of work, and while it was a cool experience for my 25-ish self, I mainly asked the family what they wanted for the week, and then cooked it: everything from modern American to French to Asian. There was very little traditional Mexican cooking, because Abuelita was always around for that.” James met Raenee after returning to Phoenix. She was a bartender who had moved there with her sister to escape smalltown life. The two cycled through ideas and opportunities before deciding Phoenix was where they belonged. “For Vecina, we just created a concept around the food we loved, our go-to dishes,” she says. “We went heavy on agave spirits for the list, and then focused on food we liked to eat.” She now functions as a DOO of sorts, overseeing admin and front-of-house operations, as well as taking part in high-level planning for Vecina and the newly growing family of restaurants. As for the Fox family, their daughter Rowan will be three when Vecina Oklahoma City opens. Both seem excited about the potential of OKC. In 2022, Fox and Provision Concepts founder Jeff Dixon announced that they would partner on Culprits in the Bricktown Renaissance Hotel. It was quickly followed by Riserva in Chisholm Creek, a serious candidate for Oklahoma City’s best new restaurant in 2023. “Oklahoma City has a ton of charm,” Chef Fox says. “In my wildest imagination I never saw myself here until Jeff and Edd (West, culinary director for Provision Concepts) showed up and we had a conversation. I’m looking forward to spending more time in Oklahoma City, exploring the food scene, because so far, it’s been mainly a lot of work when I’m there.”

Arroz Chaufa

P H O TO G R A P H BY P H O TO F U S I O N S T U D I O

Skirt Steak Tacos

Vecina - OKC will be at the intersection of Memorial and Portland, with easy access from OKC and Edmond along the Hefner Parkway and Kilpatrick Turnpike. The new space is three times the size of Vecina - Phoenix, which is going to allow for a menu expansion. “We’re going to keep it pretty identical at first,” Fox says. “Sourcing makes that a little tricky, since much of the food in Phoenix relies on specialty suppliers, but we’ll make it work, and eventually we’ll add some dishes that localize us in OKC. We’d like to do lunch and possibly brunch, too.” If the Phoenix menu is any indication — and the James Beard nomination — we’ll be experiencing eclectic, delicious dishes from a variety of inspirations, with a solid core of Latin American and Asian ingredients: mussels, ceviche, duroc pork tacos, short rib barbacoa, octopus, hiramasa collar and carne asada rib eye. Raenee Fox said the beverage program (they’re both involved with tasting and choosing) will feature beer, wine and spirits, the latter of which will be heavy on agave spirits as in Phoenix, and the wine list will have a preference for natural or low-intervention wines. “With Vecina - Phoenix, we were just starting out, so we had to use the space and budget we had,” Fox says, “but now we’ll be able to add much more and do much more in this larger space.” We’re already hungry to see what that brings to OKC’s table. •

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IN SIGHT, OUT OF MIND

An 18th-century masterpiece and its long-overlooked narrative

BY MICHAEL KINNEY

t more than 82,000 square feet, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is massive. It takes up 6.1 acres on the north side of the National Mall. But it feels even bigger once you step

inside its doors and try to locate one particular work of art out of the

150,000 sculptures, decorative arts, prints, drawings, photographs and paintings in its permanent collection. Despite having visited the gallery many times, on a recent trip I came upon a piece of art I had never seen before. It was created more than two centuries ago, and is still speaking about the world today. On its face, John Singleton Copley’s “Watson and the Shark” recounts the true story of a young orphan boy who was saved by a group of sailors from being eaten by a shark in 1749. But it is the implied, unvocalized meanings that have interested scholars and art historians for 200 years.

OPPOSITE: View of the dome from inside the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

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“It is a striking work,” says Charles Brock, the gallery’s associate curator of American and British paintings. “It’s actually a work that probably has been the subject of more interpretation and more research than almost any other American painting — it’s both an American and British painting. It really captures a lot of people’s imaginations.” While a celebrated artist’s dramatic reenactment of a 14-yearold Brook Watson being saved from the jaws of a great white was strong enough to bring adulation, the presence of one of the sailors is, according to Brock, what turned it into something particularly special. “I think there are three very powerful kinds of stories or narratives that are feeding into the painting,” says Brock. “There’s the story of Brook Watson. There’s the story of Copley, the painter. But there’s also the story of the Black sailor at kind of the apex of the painting there. His plight is just as dramatic because this is set in Havana Harbor, which was one of the centers of the slave trade.” A central figure in “Watson and the Shark” is an African sailor standing tall in his white uniform with scarf blowing in the wind. Despite the choppy seas, he appears to be reaching out his hand to Watson, while also holding the rope that the young boy is trying to grab for dear life as the shark approaches. While there are eight other figures (not including the shark) in the scene, everything seems to revolve around the Black sailor and Watson. At the same time, a third, and just as important, element is in the background, where possible slave ships go in and out of Havana Harbor. The triangular trade was at its height when the painting was created in 1778. “I think it makes you immediately recognize what’s happening, but then you feel that it’s saying something more,” Brock says. “And that was the ambition of great painters at that time, to paint what are called history paintings. Paintings that were full of ideas, full of intellectual work that alluded to all types of art — historical precedents, but also to greater histories. The painting is full of Copley’s ambition to do something that speaks not just to this particular incident, which is very dramatic, but to speak to grander historical realities. It does everything.” That is what makes the painting revolutionary. Finding any British or American artwork from the 18th century that had any Black people featured is a tough task in itself. But finding one in which a person of color is the hero is nearly impossible. “Watson and the Shark” has proven to be the outlier. “History, of course, has been so distorted over time. And I think that this painting speaks more directly to the predicaments and also the centrality of Black lives to that history, which of course in most of the painting of the time is not acknowledged,” Brock says. “It’s very much in the moment. It hits on the historical level, but it also kind of speaks directly to what of course is an ongoing issue. And that’s where it also works at this kind of allegorical, philosophical level.”

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Copley, who left America for London in 1774 just as the American Revolution was percolating, never explained what his mindset or thinking was when it came to “Watson and the Shark.” That includes why the central sailor in his original sketch was white but was changed to Black in the final product. It has been left to art experts like Brock to try to explain the meaning and importance of the painting. “There’s been a lot of people who’ve reacted to that. In terms of the scholarship, a lot of it by prominent African American scholars that’s recognized that this is very unusual that you are prominently featuring an African protagonist in the middle and [who] is key to the whole drama,” Brock says. “A central part of the whole drama that was in many ways unprecedented. And it spoke in a more truthful, direct way to the reality of an individual like that. And that is something; it’s a powerful portrait of him. And you can almost read the dilemma. His dilemma is kind of etched on his face. So that is something many people have reacted to and is historically almost unprecedented.” The lives of both Copley and Watson were chronicled in great detail, including that young Watson eventually became a prominent merchant, served in Parliament and gained his wealth through the slave trade. However, that privilege was not afforded to the Black sailor — we don’t even know if he was an actual person, or if he was free or a slave. His name was wiped out of history. But that also makes the painting a true representation of American and British legacies in terms of erasing people of color from the history books. “We don’t know the name of the Black sailor, even though people have been trying to figure out who the individual is. But of course, that’s the strange erasing of history that takes place, even though we know how central the slave trade was,” Brock says. “I believe 800,000 were enslaved in Cuba and imported. We know how absolutely central Black lives were to that history, and yet we can’t speak directly to the history of who that individual was. I think it makes plain these disparities and these problems with the telling of these stories.” The National Art Gallery took possession of “Watson and the Shark” in 1968. While it has been on display since then, it wasn’t until recently that the gallery saw it had an opportunity to use the work to spark conversations about history and society today. “I think we’re engaged at the gallery with trying to tell more stories to diversify our collections, to be more representative of the history both culturally and historically,” Brock says. “And I think this is a great starting point; it’s kind of a foundation as we try to build out. This in some ways is a painting that is foundational to that effort. We’re hoping that over time our collections will get stronger, the stories we tell will be more honest and speak to these more complex histories. We’ve got a way to go, but I think we’re certainly pointed in the right direction.” •

“Watson and the Shark” by John Singleton Copley, 1778

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INSIDE THE INDUSTRY Meet OKC fashion hub 1032 Space

BY ANDREA SCHULTZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY KENNON BRYCE

ronounced “ten thirty-two” and located at the corner of NE 2nd Street and Oklahoma Avenue in the Deep Deuce district of downtown Oklahoma City, 1032 Space opened

its doors in October of 2018 and offers a curated selection of

established and emerging designer brands from across the globe. Beyond being a luxury store, 1032 has established a home for the greater Oklahoma City fashion community.

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The store began with its focus mostly aimed at a younger male audience into high-end streetwear, but has grown into a more inclusive space that should appeal to almost anyone who follows the zeitgeist of fashion and the culture that comes with it. “I could say that the store is a general multi-brand clothing store that leans more streetwear / contemporary, but I feel like that is the most general explanation of it,” says owner Caleb Fountain. “In a more expansive sense, we have everything from brands similar to what you would find at an Urban Outfitters, like Pleasures and Brain Dead, and then we go upward into designer pieces.” 1032 also carries a variety of lifestyle and home products from niche brands that match the standards and taste levels of those who are seeking out this genre of clothing. Your introduction into a larger, more intentional lifestyle can all start with a graphic tee. If you are buying nicer clothes, you’re likely to care about how you feel in those pieces, and may want to create an environment where you feel connected to each of the elements that create that feeling. Fashion is not just about the clothes, after all — it expands into skincare, candles, furniture, art and all of the related pieces that contribute to having a life rooted in intentionality. “When I was in high school, I could wear a certain pair of sneakers when I played basketball to signify that I knew about sneaker culture,” says Fountain. “Then my interest in sneakers began to progress into clothing, then designers — and then the overall lifestyle that comes as an extension of these interests.” Thanks to the internet, it’s fairly easy to find information about new and trending aspects of fashion, even as some aspects have remained relatively removed from the Oklahoma retail fashion world. “When I was becoming interested in brands, whether that be designer or underground brands circa 2014, [they were] only accessible online or in major cities like New York or L.A., maybe Chicago or Miami, but it was not very common. Being born and raised in Oklahoma, I ran into that experience: If I found something I wanted, I knew I would not be able to find it in-person anywhere near me,” Fountain remembers. In Oklahoma, the fashion retail industry is still small enough that customers can walk into a store and see merchandise, but not know how it got there or where it came from. Shoppers might not even think to ask these questions. Fountain was exposed to this idea when he got his start in clothing retail at another local store, Blue Seven, and then at The Factory until its close in 2017.

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“You hear people talk about going to trade shows in Las Vegas, L.A. or NYC,” he says, “and then it becomes understood that there are these conventions each season where a brand can present new designs to those within this industry.” This works for a majority of retail, but reaching brands that are more exclusive requires a little more effort. At 1032 Space, many of the brand relationships are made and maintained during showroom meetings at Paris Fashion Week. “Going to Paris is a gesture of seriousness to show your commitment to a brand; that the store has the right intentions behind wanting to carry and represent their brand,” says Fountain. “I don’t just go because it is fun and cool” —though it is — “but because I am investing in the reputation and future of our store, which solidifies the relationships with the brands and the people behind it. It’s like a trust fall.” Having this access into the larger world of fashion on a global scale provides a fresh level of inspiration and influence from some of the most important fashion players each season. “I was able to go to places that only exist in Paris, France, and experience a culture that is totally different than America, let alone Oklahoma City. This helps inform our direction for the store — including everything from our store layout to our merchandise to our customer service.” Beyond picking up a piece similar to what you may be able to find at the mall or one totally unique, the experience of shopping from a luxury retailer at an accessible price point continues to set 1032 apart from other local retailers. “I remember the first time I bought a luxury item at a luxury store and what it felt like to be treated with that level of service. Getting the full white-glove treatment through shopping at a high-end retailer made me realize I had never experienced anything like it. Here we are able to provide that level of service no matter what you purchase.”

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When you enter the store, you are welcomed by cream-colored walls, white oak shelving and concrete floors contrasted by “1032 green” hangers evenly spaced on brushed steel clothing racks that trace the perimeter of the store. The store was remodeled in 2022 in collaboration with the OKC/NYC based furniture and object company Studio Artifact. “The Scandinavian style of architecture doesn’t exist much in OKC, so we’re able to be a portal,” says Fountain. The store is also currently hosting a curated selection of home good pieces for sale from the store Art. Object. Design. Having a modular interior, 1032 remains in a constant state of change. The goal is that you never experience the same store twice, even though it might contain some of the same furniture and merchandise. “I want our existence to be a source of inspiration to someone; that they can create a business like this here and it can succeed,” says Fountain. “We’re trying to be a platform instead of a secret society. OKC is pretty small, so we get to connect people through a common interest in an accessible way. A place where you can meet someone and have that moment where you click and go, ‘How do we not already know each other?’” •

To stay up to date with the newest merchandise, displays and events, stop by the store, follow along on social media (@1032space) or shop online at 1032space.com.

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CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT

Chef Eric Smith creates feasts in, and for, every sense

BY GREG HORTON

hen an origin story begins with the late Aubrey McClendon and Chef Kurt Fleischfresser — as The Crown Room’s does — you make time to hear the whole story, even at dinner. Or maybe especially at dinner. To

quote Fleischfresser, his protege Chef Eric Smith, founder of The Crown Room, “… is part of the show.” “The show” is a private dinner in The Crown Room, Smith’s dining space tucked inside Pachinko at 7204 N. Western in OKC. With the sale of the building that had long housed VZD’s, Smith had to find a new home for his passion project, so he utilized what could easily have been a simple private dining room, transforming it into the venue — or theatre, if you will — for his multi-sensory dining experiences that began in 2015. For 26 years, Fleischfresser operated an apprenticeship program at The Coach House for would-be chefs. Forty-five chefs graduated — including Smith, who was the fifth to finish the program. It could have gone very differently, and very badly, because, by Smith’s own estimation, he had a “massive drinking problem.”

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Chef Eric Smith

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The Velma, Oklahoma, native grew up on a family farm and ranch, and attended school in Duncan. In addition to farming and ranching, his father also worked for a New Mexico oil company; his mother is a nutritionist, and per Smith, an excellent cook. He and his father, who passed away 20 years ago, enjoyed hunting quail and grilling. (To this day, Smith has quail-hunting regulars who bring him birds to cook for them.) “I grew up with quail — my dad trained bird dogs — catfish, food from the family garden and our own beef,” Smith says. “I started cooking when I was about 10, and a lot of my cooking was just me experimenting with different ingredients.” When he finished high school, he enrolled in the hotel-restaurant management program at Oklahoma State University, and his time in a fraternity there exacerbated what was already a nascent drinking problem. He never finished the program. “I’d been in Payne County jail so many times, I just needed to get out of Stillwater,” he says. During school, he had worked as a weekend chef at a sorority house, and he hoped to continue cooking. The plan was to enroll in Scottsdale Culinary Institute, but he first took a job in OKC at Portobello, a long-closed restaurant owned by Fleischfresser and Chris Lower, which Deep Fork eventually used as its eponymous flagship restaurant. “Someone told Kurt about this kid who loves to cook working front of house,” Smith says. “Kurt told me he’d been a chef in Scottsdale, and he was familiar with the program I was considering. He said he could do a better job of training me if I joined the apprenticeship program. I’m pretty sure we jumped in the car right then and drove to The Coach House. It was lust at first sight, and in five days, the entire trajectory of my life changed.” Fleischfresser remembers the 1993 Smith as a kid with “a lot of passion, but who could be his own worst enemy. “I wanted to help him get across the finish line, so to speak,” Fleischfresser says. “Now, if anyone I know in the industry is trying to get sober and stay sober, I refer them to Eric. It’s so common in the industry, and I’m not the best guy to talk to about it, but Eric is.” The other major contributor to Smith’s story is Aubrey McClendon — and while many people don’t know what a huge contributor McClendon was to OKC’s culinary growth, The Crown Room would have had a more difficult genesis but for his generosity. “Aubrey’s assistant for 17 years was my cousin, and his legal counsel, Martin Stringer, was my father’s fraternity brother,” Smith says. “I was looking for a place to open The Crown Room in Plaza District, when Stringer called to tell me VZD’s was coming open, and Aubrey wanted to help.” They called Fanny Bolen to help with the design, and McClendon purchased the enormous zinc-inlaid table with oil derricks for its base that is central to a Crown Room experience. Experience is the right term: Fleischfresser remembers that Smith was always obsessed with aromas, even in the early days, and now the Crown Room’s multisensory approach includes a spritz of citrus, herbal or floral notes with each course, and every

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dinner ends with Smith circling the table with a boxful of Cuban cigar smoke, which he lets slowly escape so the result is aromatic, not offensive. Music is part of every dinner, and the selections are based on the age and preferences of the average diner in the party or the guest of honor. Smith is an unapologetic music nerd, but he said he learned early that people like what is familiar, exciting and comforting — doses of pure nostalgia, mostly — rather than deep cuts of the kind preferred by introverts who frequent vinyl shops. Every dining experience is a team effort, and Smith is quick to praise his cousin and sous chef Avery Cannon, his “cocktail chefs” (his words), Dylan Peacock and Michael Raiden, and his full-time sous chef at Pachinko, Shannon Sinard. “Everyone gets input,” Smith says. “Sometimes it’s just tweaks or suggestions, but sometimes they come up with brilliant cocktails or dishes, too. I don’t believe anything is at its best with only one person driving it.” The approach is refreshing in an industry rife with micromanagers and control freaks. In spite of his sobriety, Smith estimates he handles 95% of the beverage pairings, and he credits longtime wine professional Clayton Bahr — now of Premium Brands — for helping him over the years. He begins with mocktails, which he can sample, and then trusts Peacock and Raiden to choose spirits that don’t interfere with the flavor profile. Unlike a menu tasting restaurant, the portions are large enough that no one leaves hungry, but similar to the other model, diners don’t have to make choices. They report allergies, dietary restrictions, etc. beforehand, and then enjoy Smith’s creativity, humor and skill. Smith himself is part of the show: He learned young that diners tend to like being made fun of — just a little bit — or featured in a schtick, something every experienced female bartender knows. “They want to be included, to be part of the experience, and I’m really good at two things: being funny and cooking.” About both those things, he is correct, and The Crown Room is Smith’s id, externalized but now mostly tamed, on display for our benefit. •

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Luxury Is Attention & Care in Every Detail

B U Y | S E L L | R E N T | P R O P E R T Y M A N AG E M E N T

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Lauren Toppins

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Founder | Broker | Realtor

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L I S T I N G BY J OY B A R E S E L | E N G E L & VO L K E R S

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Sage Sotheby’s International Realty 1047 NW 68th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73116 405.532.3800 DAVIDOLIVERHOMES.COM

© 2023 Sage Sotheby’s International Realty. All rights reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark and used with permission. Each Sotheby’s International Realty office is independently owned and operated, except those operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. All offerings are subject to errors, omissions, changes including price or withdrawal without notice. Equal Housing Opportunity.

LUXI E R E 89

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619 NE 5th Street 3 BR | 3.1 BA | 2,754 SQ. FT. | $1,399,000 This sleek, modern home offers the perfect blend of contemporary design, privacy, and breathtaking city views. Special features include: a 100+ bottle wine rack, an exquisite illuminating island, three bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, multiple balconies and a rooftop, a private entrance, private parking for 5+ cars, a dog wash station for the pups and so much more. All with effortless access to the heart of the city. It’s time to redefine your idea of urban living.

© 2023 Sage Sotheby’s International Realty. All rights reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® and the Sotheby’s International Realty Logo are service marks licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC and used with permission. Sage Sotheby’s International Realty fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each office is independently owned and operated. Any services or products provided by independently owned and operated franchisees are not provided by, affiliated with or related to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC nor any of its affiliated companies.

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ENGEL & VÖLK ER S P ORT FOLIO OF FINE HOME S

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| 102 S. Broadway, Edmond 405.888.8701

©2023 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.

Protect Your Sprinkler System.

WINTERIZE NOW.

Contact us today before the temperature drops! • Shut Down of Water Supply & Controller • Evacuate Water from Entire System • Inspect All Heads • Winterize Vacuum Breaker • Provide Comprehensive Winterization Report

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www.conservairrigation.com | 405.259.1648

LIVE WORK PLAY MODERN URBAN LIVING 24 Custom Single Family Gated Homes | Executive Garden Offices from 3,000+ SF Gated Executive Garage Condos | Walking Trails, Ponds, Fountains, Parks “74” Full Service Restaurant

DAVI D BO HAN O N J D, D E VE LO P E R - B RO K E R D BO HAN O N @ B L ACKSTO N ECO M .CO M 405 . 8 50.09 87

NW 72nd & N Classen Blvd East of Nichols Hills WilshirePoint.com

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T HE

JOY BA R ESEL P ORTFOLIO OF FINE HOMES

2530 W WILSHIRE BLVD, OKLAHOMA CITY $2,500,000 | ACTIVE

1831 DRAKESTONE AVE, NICHOLS HILLS $1,500,000 | ACTIVE

3900 PLUM CREEK CIR, OKLAHOMA CITY $1,500,000 | SOLD

325 NW 15TH ST, OKLAHOMA CITY $1,490,000 | SOLD

5016 WATER OAK WAY, EDMOND $1,249,000 | ACTIVE

1309 REDBUD HOLLOW, EDMOND $1,229,000 | ACTIVE

1121 NW 42ND ST, OKLAHOMA CITY $850,000 | ACTIVE

312 CROWN COLONY LN, EDMOND $625,000 | ACTIVE

400 E 5TH ST, EDMOND $475,000 | ACTIVE

Joy Baresel / CEO

joy.baresel@evrealestate.com

Private Office Real Estate Advisor, Broker

joybaresel.evrealestate.com

+1 405-826-7465

Instagram: @joybaresel

3309 Quail Creek Rd | Oklahoma City 4 BED | 6 BATHS | 4,300 SQ FT

$1,379,000 The architect Herb Greene’s “Cunningham house” is a landmark Mid-century modern treasure built in 1962. It was photographed by American architectural photographer Julius Shulman and was featured on the cover of the May 1965 issue of Progressive Architecture and Architectural Digest in 1971. Greene studied architecture along with Bruce Goff and Frank Lloyd Wright, and lectured at The University of Oklahoma and established the American School with Bruce Goff.

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