Art Focus Oklahoma, July/August 2014 by Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition

ArtOFocus k l a h o m a

O k l a ho ma V i s ual A r ts C oal i t i on

Vo l u m e 2 9 N o . 4

July/August 2014

Art OFocus k l a h o m a from the editor One of the things I admire about artists is the ability to turn something ethereal – a feeling, experience, or idea – into something visual and tangible. Several artists in this issue of Art Focus Oklahoma share internal experiences with viewers through their artwork. Suzanne Henthorn (cover, p. 4) doesn’t illustrate her physical surroundings. Instead, she paints what she considers to be psychological self-portraits, offering insight into living with mental illness. By incorporating humor in her work, she attempts to lift the veil of darkness that often hangs over this issue. Tessa Raven (p. 6), a young artist in Oklahoma City, also creates portraits. These portraits aren’t drawn from life, however. Instead, the figures express the feeling of things from her everyday life; reality sifted through the filter of her own mind. They are essentially the personification of emotions. Sharon Montgomery (p. 10) has worked as an artist for 30 years, beginning her career creating realistic paintings, drawings and etchings. A series of life experiences led her down a more spiritual path, which surfaced in her artwork. Now her mixed media works, which incorporate various cultures and recycled materials, illustrate meditative visions, dreams and even past lives. Her work places her “in another dimension” and she invites viewers to come along for the ride. Imagination and satire play an integral role in John Bryant’s work, featured in two related upcoming exhibitions in Tulsa (p. 16). These two bodies of work serve as propaganda of sorts for an elaborate fictive enterprise, known as the Ministry of Reality. Based on Bryant’s own interests in satire, magic, occult, and the power of words, the exhibitions blur the lines between reality and fiction. I hope these stories offer you, the reader, a new perspective as seen through the eyes of an artist. And I hope you enjoy the view.

Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition 730 W. Wilshire Blvd., Suite 104 Oklahoma City, OK 73116 ph: 405.879.2400 • e: director@ovac-ok.org visit our website at: www.ovac-ok.org Editor: Kelsey Karper publications@ovac-ok.org Art Director: Anne Richardson speccreative@gmail.com

Art Focus Oklahoma is a bimonthly publication of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition dedicated to stimulating insight into and providing current information about the visual arts in Oklahoma. Mission: Supporting Oklahoma’s visual arts and artists and their power to enrich communities. OVAC welcomes article submissions related to artists and art in Oklahoma. Call or email the editor for guidelines. OVAC welcomes your comments. Letters addressed to Art Focus Oklahoma are considered for publication unless otherwise specified. Mail or email comments to the editor at the address above. Letters may be edited for clarity or space reasons. Anonymous letters will not be published. Please include a phone number. OVAC Board of Directors July 2013 - June 2014: Margo Shultes von Schlageter, MD (Treasurer), Christian Trimble, Edmond; Eric Wright, El Reno; Suzanne Mitchell, Renée Porter (Vice President), Norman; Susan Beaty (Secretary), Bob Curtis, Gina Ellis, Hillary Farrell, Titi Nguyen Fitzsimmons, MD, Michael Hoffner, Kristin Huffaker, Stephen Kovash, Carl Shortt, Oklahoma City; Dean Wyatt, Owasso; Joey Frisillo, Sand Springs; Jean Ann Fausser (President), Susan Green, Janet Shipley Hawks, Tulsa. The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition is solely responsible for the contents of Art Focus Oklahoma. However, the views expressed in articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Board or OVAC staff. Member Agency of Allied Arts and member of the Americans for the Arts. © 2014, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. All rights reserved.

Kelsey Karper publications@ovac-ok.org

View the online archive at www.ArtFocusOklahoma.org.

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On the cover Suzanne Henthorn, Bethany, I Don’t Want to Be the Crazy Cat Lady, Acrylic, 24” x 24”. See page 4.

contents

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Lifting the Veil Bethany artist Suzanne Henthorn expresses internal experiences in her artwork, offering insight into living with mental illness.

Illustrating Life as She Feels It: Tessa Raven at DNA Galleries In her upcoming exhibition, Tessa Raven presents emotional portraits of imaginary characters.

Jeffrey Palmer, Storyteller Filmmaker Jeffrey Palmer discovers and shares his Kiowa ancestry through his creative process.

10 The Mystic Artist Guided by spiritual experiences, Oklahoma City artist Sharon Montgomery creates mixed media work with deep symbolism.

p re v i e w s 12 Oil and Wood: Oklahoma Moderns George Bogart and James Henkle An upcoming exhibition at the Fred Jones Jr Museum of Art in Norman highlights the work of two Modernist artists who both served on the faculty at the University of Oklahoma.

14 The Life of Vinyl: Jason Willaford at Oklahoma Contemporary Repurposing outdated billboards, Dallas artist Jason Willaford creates new shapes, patterns and meaning.

16 Satire and Sleight of Hand: Two Tulsa Shows by John Bryant In two upcoming exhibitions, Tulsa artist John Bryant satirizes government, religion, consumerism and even art with his own brand of sci-fi–inspired hoax.

f e a t u re s 18 Inside the Studio: Amy McGirk Amy McGirk, who recently moved to Tahlequah from New York, shares a conversation in her studio with writer Molly O’Connor, discussing environment, practice, creative frustration and more.

22 Ekphrasis: Art & Poetry

In a new column, a poet responds to work by local artists. In this issue Caitlyn Paley responds to a mixed media piece by Denise Duong.

business of art 24 Ask a Creativity Coach: Decision-making Tips and Traps How to overcome decision-making paralysis when faced with important questions about your artistic career.

at a glance 25 StART Norman Jump-Starts Creativity in Community A recent placemaking initiative in Norman transformed a dilapidated lumberyard into a hub of creativity.

OVAC news 26 OVAC News 26 New and Renewing Members 29 g a l l e r y

guide

(p. 6) Tessa Raven, Oklahoma City, Sickly Sweetness, Watercolor, Acrylic, Colored Pencil, Graphite, Paint Marker, 9” x 12” (p.10) Sharon J. Montgomery, Oklahoma City, The Lollipopman Follows the Butterfly to the Eclipse of the Sun, Wood, metal, canvas and acrylic paint (p.16) John Bryant, Tulsa, Panel from ‘an occult exhortation’, Archival inkjet print mounted on board.

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Lifting the Veil by Isaac Miller

For some, artistic expression is a way to illustrate the outside world, to show the beauty of nature or the human form, and to present a physical to the viewer. The work of Suzanne Henthorn, on the other hand, means something very different to her. “I don’t draw my physical surroundings, I draw what is in my mind,” she said. “My current work I am going to call selfportraits, not of my physical self but of my psychological state of mind.” Using a number of different methods and materials, Henthorn creates art that depicts what is going on in her head, and she is very open about the fact that what goes on in there, and therefore what goes into her work, is affected by her mental illness. In 1983 at the age of 21, she was diagnosed as bi-polar and schizophrenic. As she puts it, “As a youth, I broke many bones. As a young adult, I fractured my mind.” From an early age, Henthorn knew that she wanted to be an artist so that she could express the way she saw the world. “My identity had always been that of an artist,” she said. “I could not live without making art. I had my own idea of terror — going blind or losing the use of my hands. I never thought of the possibility of losing my mind. That isn’t what really happened, though. I didn’t lose my mind, I just had to relearn to see it with some adjustments.” Her diagnosis came while she was studying art at the University of Oklahoma, during a time when she was severely depressed and experiencing schizophrenic episodes. “I hid my illness with a certain amount of desperation, but while I was hearing command voices I became obsessed with the idea of suicide. Somehow a part of me found the strength to call a suicide hotline, and that led to my first hospitalization for mental illness.” Her struggles continued and were visible in her art. After her diagnosis, Henthorn described, “I was at sea with no rudder, no wind and no stars to guide me. I was making art, but I was channeling all the bad stuff in me and letting it loose on paper.”

This led to an episode that revealed to her how her work affected those around her. One night she was sitting at her dining room table, working feverishly on a drawing of vicious dogs digging up a buried woman. Her father also sat at the table, drinking and reading. “I didn’t think he noticed,” she said, “The next day, my sister told me that my drawing really upset my father.” She continued, “In my quest to remove my pain, I realized I was not dealing with it constructively and I was hurting those that love me. I began to paint pictures of my struggle with illness, not of giving up, but pictures that highlight the strength I have developed while working towards recovery.” In the decades since her diagnosis, Henthorn has prolifically created work, often during manic periods in which she will produce several pieces. Her art forms a part of the therapy that helps keep her grounded. “Over the years I have had many therapists and they almost all want me to journal,” she said, “but I am not a writer and I would give up on the journal after just a few entries. Then I discovered my own method of journaling.” This diary of the mind that Henthorn shows in her artwork is no longer as bleak as what she drew at the kitchen table that night. “Now, I will take an issue I am struggling with, sort through my reference materials, and produce a painting that illustrates my insight into an issue. I lifted the veil of darkness and I have tried to include some light-heartedness when appropriate.” This light-heartedness can be seen in work Henthorn has done featuring toys, animals and family members. These works express the way she sees and relates to those things. “Of course, not all my art is about a struggle,” she said. “Being mentally ill is not all doom and gloom, and you don’t have to be a tortured soul to have a story to tell. Being a tortured soul is hard work and difficult to maintain. I am like most artists in that I want to share my story, my struggle and successes. Now, though I sometimes experience pain beyond my control, I am happy to share the

Suzanne Henthorn, Bethany, I Was Here, Acrylic, 24” x 24”

positive path of my recovery and hopefully encourage others down the path of their own version of enlightenment.” In an effort to realize this hope, Henthorn plans to form an art group with others who share similar experiences, or who know and work with those who do. Visual art does not have to simply showcase outer beauty. It can also be a path to inner healing. This path is one that Suzanne Henthorn continues to travel with her head held high and her hands working. To see more of Henthorn’s work, visit www.suzannehenthorn.com. n Isaac Miller is a former Oklahoma City resident and participant in its art scene. He currently lives in Nevada City, California.

Suzanne Henthorn, Bethany, Can You Hear Me Now?, Acrylic, 24” x 24”

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Illustrating Life as She Feels It: Tessa Raven at DNA Galleries by Lucie Smoker

“As we go through life, there are things that we all experience and we all feel,” reflects Tessa Raven. “Things that connect us.”

for me, to observe and collect features about people and then expel them in my work.”

On August 8th, DNA Galleries in Oklahoma City will open an exhibit of Raven’s illustrations, like portraits of emotions brought to life. What is most striking about these distorted works is their openness—there is no distance in them, and there are no intellectual walls.

Raven continues, “I like doing the single figure in a piece because it’s all about their own sense of place, their world all to themselves, a world that’s more based in their heads than in reality. I like focusing in on one person and seeing how they are alone ... Maybe it’s about identity, I don’t know, I just like to focus and to see the individual character, to relate to them.”

“I aim to live and experience life purely, and my artwork helps me accomplish that by giving me a way to express without being self-conscious. I feel that to live fully I must express myself while I live, so that, like a filter being washed out, I may live life more purely again.”

For the exhibit at DNA Galleries, she has combined acrylics and watercolors with graphite, charcoal, water-soluble pencil, paper, fabric collage—and experimentation. She wants to instigate creative community, to learn from more experienced illustrators, and to collaborate and sustain other artists wherever she can.

At nineteen years old, Raven is “filtering” through the prism of youth. Just as she gathers unusal buttons, bits of wallpaper and her grandma’s fabrics for texture, she is still collecting bits of life experience and growing as an artist.

“In those times in my life where I was reclusive, I would run out of steam because I wasn’t collecting enough, there wasn’t enough life in me to get out, if that makes sense.”

“The key is to observe and keep your eyes open. I observe a lot. Then I portray odd, sometimes contorted or colorful figures to express the feelings of things I see and experience in everyday life; the real through my own strange filter.” With hard work, her technique has begun to blossom. Last year, she had a stint at The Illustration Academy in Kansas City, a rigorous, month-long summer intensive presented by The Art Connection Academy. The program places some of the nation’s top illustrators in a room with emerging talents. Raven credits this workshop for giving her both techniques and focus, but her work hints at underlying talent. As these illustrations depict personified emotions, I asked Raven if the physical characteristics were based on real people. “If they are, it’s never intentional. Sometimes I realize after the fact where a certain person came from, a co-worker or someone I met in passing ... but it’s more of a natural thing, it’s become second nature

Of course it does. Her goal is to bring out things that connect us, and she will succeed by first connecting to herself. Ironically, her exhibition opening correlates with a community-building event, the Plaza District’s 2nd Friday Live on the Plaza. So make a night of it. Start with the gallery opening, then check out the Plaza events and the local community of artists. You might just connect with something. Tessa Raven’s (untitled exhibition) opens August 8th, 2014 at DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St in Oklahoma City. For more information, visit www.dnagalleries.com or www.tessaravenart.com. n Lucie Smoker is an Oklahoma mom, mystery author and freelance writer who believes totally in the power of community. For more on her work, go to luciesmoker.wordpress.com. (opposite page) Tessa Raven, Oklahoma City, Starlight, Acrylic, Graphite, Colored Pencil, Paint Marker, 9” x 12” (top) Where Am I?, Acrylic, Graphite, Colored Pencil, 9” x 12” (bottom) Tessa Raven, Oklahoma City

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Jeffrey Palmer, Storyteller by Page Grossman

Jeffrey Palmer, Norman, Origins, Film still

Where do storytellers come from? A good storyteller is first a good listener, a collector of histories and a teller of tales. He must listen to the world around him and to the histories people share. Jeffrey Palmer is a storyteller. Palmer spent much of his childhood at the Kiowa Tribe Elder Center in Carnegie, OK, where his father, Gus Palmer, Jr, was the director. Palmer fondly recalls listening to the stories of his Kiowa elders as they talked about their lives or about the collective past of his Kiowa ancestors. It was through the elders and the Elder Center that Palmer first discovered and explored his own identity as a Kiowa. Instead of recalling the culture and telling stories as the elders did, the Kiowa of Palmer’s father’s generation worked to preserve their culture in a new way: they

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became academics. In 1987, Palmer moved to Norman, OK with his family when his father became a professor of anthropological linguistics and worked to save the Kiowa language. Palmer recalls that living in Norman was quite a shock after living in Carnegie. For the first time in his life, he was not surrounded by Native people. He joined a band, played the drums and grew up like any other kid in a city. Palmer graduated from the University of Oklahoma (OU) in 2000 with a BA in cultural anthropology. During his time there, he became interested in ethnographic films, especially those about Native American peoples and cultures. But Palmer thought that these filmmakers had missed the point. While they had recorded the Native Americans, they could only stand on the outside to observe and film. They could not begin to understand or interpret the culture

of the people they were filming. Palmer went on to complete his MA in Native American studies at OU and his MFA in film, video and media production at the University of Iowa. While attending college, Palmer felt that he had rediscovered his history. However, he also realized that he had forgotten some of what the elders had taught him. It was around 2009 when Palmer decided to become a filmmaker. In doing so, he finally accepted his role as a storyteller. He received the mantle from his ancestors and began to tell stories of the Kiowa people, both past and present. Palmer knew that he wanted to “make an impact, a social-cultural impact. To allow Native subjects, who have been exploited for centuries by mass media, to speak their own stories. Finally, it is not a one-sided ethnography.”

Palmer created his film Origins as part of his MFA thesis. Origins is about the collective history of the Kiowa. It explores the spaces, environments and landscapes that have been inhabited by the Kiowa throughout history. Some American monuments (such as Devil’s Tower National Park, WY) were important to the Kiowa long before non-Natives arrived on the continent. It’s easy to recognize Palmer’s style in Origins. One of the unique traits of Palmer’s films is his use of audio. Most of Palmer’s films begin with 15-20 seconds of black screen, then the sound enters five seconds before the visuals. Sound is such an important aspect of telling the story. This technique draws the viewer into the environment and forces him or her to imagine the scene before it appears. Palmer’s film Origins premiered at the Festival International du Film Ethnographique du Québec in Montreal on March 19, 2014. Palmer tries to allow things to happen in front of the camera. He doesn’t control what is around him; rather he lets the landmarks and participants control the scene. When he created Origins, he says that he was able to better connect with his Kiowa ancestry. He felt a connection to his deceased grandfather and other Kiowa elders. Palmer also uses audio to help drive the story in another way. In Origins and his older film, Thocutqop, a disembodied voice speaks Kiowa and communicates with the viewer, answering questions and continuing the story. This voice belongs to Palmer’s father, who has been in almost every film Palmer has made. While working together, they realized how powerful the Kiowa language could be. In 2012, Palmer was accepted into the Sundance Institute as a Native Lab Fellow, where he worked with other Native American filmmakers to create documentaries such as Palmer’s Honor Beats, a film about Native drum circles. Palmer was also a visiting lecturer at Cornell in 2012 before he accepted his position at the University of Central Oklahoma. He

currently teaches media production and documentary film techniques in UCO’s department of mass communication. Palmer is currently working on a film about perspectives on Geronimo’s grave. It is scheduled to premiere this summer on This Land Press. So where do storytellers come from? They come from other storytellers. They listen, they learn and then they tell. To view Jeffrey Palmer’s video work, visit vimeo.com/user2833074. n Page Grossman graduated in 2013 from the University of Oklahoma with a B.A. in online journalism and a B.A. in art history.

(top) Thocutqop, Film still (right) Jeffrey Palmer, Norman artist

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The Mystic Artist by Karen Paul

Installation view of Sharon Montgomery’s exhibition at The Goddard Center, Ardmore, OK.

For Oklahoma City artist Sharon J. Montgomery, life is a journey guided by mystic spiritual experiences that are feeding the best artistic work of her career. “I’m having a wonderful time,” Montgomery affirms. “I’m going to be 70 this year. These are the best years of my life.” Montgomery’s 30-year career as an artist has included exhibitions at galleries in the Paseo Arts District in Oklahoma City and a onewoman show at the original Oklahoma City Museum of Art. After a divorce in 1990, Montgomery left

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Oklahoma to create art for long periods of time in both Santa Fe, NM and Baja, Mexico. While Montgomery feels that this period helped her to grow personally, creatively and spiritually, she felt that something was missing. She returned to Oklahoma in 2006, a move she feels has brought her life full circle. “Oklahoma is a very spiritual place,” she said. “The dirt here is amazing. It grounds me spiritually and creatively. I’m the most creative here.” Montgomery’s current abstract work represents a dramatic departure from the more traditional, realistic paintings,

etchings and drawings that she created at the beginning of her career. “I sold a lot of my flower etchings that were printed on rice paper. However, I never made my art for money.” While her etchings were commercially successful, Montgomery felt that her art needed to evolve to be more representative of her personal experience. “You have to keep going, keep changing your art, so you don’t stagnate,” she said. “It makes you happy and keeps your consciousness elevated.”

Montgomery’s mixed-media works, which she has created since 2000, fuse together aspects of several cultures. These three-dimensional pieces also integrate her life experiences and mystic religious beliefs in past lives, spiritual connections and alternative healing practices. Montgomery began her abstract work after seeing visions in her daily meditations. These pieces often incorporate many different media, including glass, steel and fabric. Montgomery’s materials are modified from scrap pieces that other people have trashed or set aside for recycling. “I usually work on three works at a time, with at least one thing being one of my writing projects, which these days are books and screenplays,” Montgomery said. “Working on multiple projects actually gives me clarity. A lot of times I don’t always know where the project is going until I have the title at the end. That’s how I know I’m finished.” Each material in Montgomery’s mixed media assemblages has a personal connection to her dreams and to her past lives. Her porcelain clay pieces are guided by dreams she had of dolls. Fabric is a universal connector to various cultures, including India, Tibet and ancient Egypt. Collected and reworked steel take on shapes representing letters and language. Mirrored Plexiglas represents human auras which, according to Montgomery, are composed of various reflective colors and change as an individual travels through changes in life. Regardless of the media Montgomery uses, her work collectively represents a deep intention to share her positive, healing energy with the world. Montgomery experienced a series of spiritual healings after deep, personal traumas that were so life-changing for her that she now works to share the gift of healing with everyone who comes in contact with her art.

“All of my art has a spirit, it’s not dead,” Montgomery said. “I try to put my emotions into every piece. I don’t know how it happens, but I consciously intend to pass on the healing that I’ve received.” Montgomery believes that the most important thing in the world is a person’s individual intent. All people should focus on the positive energy that they can send into the world, the knowledge that they receive in life and the answers the world gives them. Through her artistic creations, Montgomery draws on her spirituality to spread the universal truth and balance of the human experience. “As an artist, you take yourself and others to another dimension.” n A graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and the University of Oklahoma, Karen Paul is a freelance writer who specializes in arts-based subjects. You may contact her at karenpaulok@gmail.com.

(top) Sharon J. Montgomery, Oklahoma City, The Red Headed Piano Player TINKERTOY, Wood, mirror plexiglas, silk brocade, canvas and acrylic paint, 13” x 19” x 4” (bottom) Conversations, Acrylic, clay and marble base, 15” x 13” x 19”

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Oil and Wood: Oklahoma Moderns George Bogart and James Henkle by Krystle Brewer

Susan Havens Caldwell, David Ross Boyd Professor Emerita, brings together two Modernists for an art exhibition at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art: painter George Bogart (1933–2005) and woodworker James Henkle (b. 1927). Caldwell’s interest in Bogart’s and Henkle’s work first began in 1976 when she joined them on the University of Oklahoma School of Art faculty. Caldwell began her research by sifting through archives of George Bogart’s journals and sketchbooks for a book project. In this show, the curator juxtaposes the work of these two artists to create a visual narrative reflective of the Modernist aesthetic.

Bogart’s visual vocabulary was quite diverse and changed many times throughout his career. Though he began his training with naturalistic works, he transitioned through phases of Mark Rothko Minimalism and Jasper Johns Pop Art, ending with a final painting style that is gestural and painterly with a subtle color palette. His versatility and knowledge of color allow for an expansive range of stylistic approaches to painting. Caldwell expresses, “His sense of color is just exquisite. The more I look at these works and his use of color the more I am impressed by them. Some are just luscious, while others are quite somber.” In many of his paintings, such as the later work Musical Chairs (1990), Bogart plays with concepts of space and depth. In this composition, a messy stack of chairs seems to hover in midair above a table. While the table is foreshortened to suggest that it is receding into space, the intertwined chair legs vary only slightly in tone, suggesting a flattening of space. This combination of spatial renderings, paired with the gestural line quality, lend movement and energy to the work. In addition to more than fifty paintings on canvas, the exhibition includes twenty paintings on vinyl records, with brushstrokes and color influenced by jazz music. To allow insight into the artist’s process and into Dr. Caldwell’s starting point for this project, two of Bogart’s many sketchbooks are also on display. These are of particular interest, as they show common forms and motifs that can also be found in the paintings, despite the fact that he did not paint from sketches.

A rocking chair by James Henkle.

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James Henkle was similarly inspired by the Modernist employment of simple and elegant designs, and his furniture pieces are sculptures in

their own right. Oil and Wood includes nine of his works, ranging from chairs to a variety of table surface pieces. These works are showcased in a separate, smaller gallery with low lighting, which creates a more intimate space. One work included in the show is Rocking Chair (1985), which is made from African paduak. While it retains the clean lines of the Modernist aesthetic, it lacks parallel lines, which gives it a softer and more organic quality. The arm rests and rockers taper in the back, as if they are reaching towards a distant vanishing point, while the seatback spokes taper toward the top of the chair. Keeping in line with the Modernist maxim “form follows function,” is his focus on comfort. Henkle masterfully integrates both comfort and design into each of his works, creating furniture that is both beautiful and functional. The wavering lines on the back of the chair are not only visually appealing, but are formed to ergonomically fit a seated person’s back. On this marriage of form and function, Henkle states, “The manipulation of form, balance and spatial relationships are common to both [industrial design and contemporary sculpture] disciplines. In recent years I have concentrated on sculptural furniture. These are mostly one-of-a-kind pieces, and are treated as art objects.” 1 After teaching together for several decades at the University of Oklahoma, George Bogart and James Henkle are reunited through their work in this exhibition which runs through September 14, 2014 in the Nancy Johnston Records Gallery at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. For more information, visit ou.edu/fjjma. n Krystle Brewer is an artist, curator, and writer who can be reached at www.krystlebrewer.com.

1 Susan Caldwell, Oil and Wood: Oklahoma Moderns George Bogart and James Henkle, University of Oklahoma Press (2014), 68.

(above) George Bogart, Musical Chairs, 1990, Oil on Canvas, 64â&#x20AC;? x 57â&#x20AC;? (right) Furniture sketch by James Henkle

(above) Pages from the sketchbook of George Bogart are on display in the exhibition.

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The Life of Vinyl: Jason Willaford at Oklahoma Contemporary by Mary Kathryn Moeller

(left) Jason Willaford, Dallas, TX, One Stop Shopping, 2012, Vinyl and thread, 80” x 92” x 4”. (center) In Business for Small Business, 2012, Vinyl and thread, 182” x 120” x 8”. (right) The Old King, 2013, Vinyl and thread, 28” x 32” x 2”

In his first exhibition in Oklahoma, Dallasbased artist Jason Willaford repurposes vinyl from commercial billboards to construct commentary on the shelf-life of society’s methods of mass communication. Willaford’s solo exhibition Vinyl Exposed at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center highlights his abstract works of quilted vinyl, which are vivid, gestural and multi-dimensional. After working for a number of years in encaustic, Willaford was looking for a new medium. He happened to drive past a billboard that had been tagged by a graffiti artist and he wondered what becomes of vandalized or outdated signs. A call to the company that owned the billboard resulted in Willaford’s purchase of the durable doublesheeted vinyl, which he immediately began cutting into a variety of shapes. Willaford initially constructed his pieces thematically, formulating ideas based on the content of the signs. Willaford explains that these early pieces were “more narrative. I let the letters and images iconographically control me.” In this way, Willaford launched a stinging social critique. He constructed 48 small fish filled with beanbag material from the blue and white sign that advertised Sam’s Club as being “in business for small business.” Seeing the irony of such a statement coming from a mega store that has helped to push out small commercial venues, Willaford installed the 48 smaller pieces in the shape of one giant predatory fish.

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Willaford has continued to experiment with this material, moving toward more abstract and organic compositions. His constructivist methodology has in some ways become more painterly, as he now approaches his arrangements with color and form in mind in addition to the message. He frequently reverses the stitching from back to front to push his pieces toward three-dimensionality, forming a variety of picture planes and illusions. Willaford expresses that he isn’t concerned about protecting the “spirituality of art.” Though he might really like something, he says, “I’m not afraid to cut it up and make something or several somethings out of it.” Willaford initially hand-sewed his pieces before finally deciding to purchase a sewing machine. Even with the sewing machine, the extensive amount of time Willaford spends with his material is at odds with the fleeting notice generally paid to it in its former life as commercial signage. Through quilting, Willaford references an older model of community building and information transference. In the same way that knitting circles fell out of popularity, Willaford believes billboards are becoming obsolete. “The vinyl,” Willaford states, “is a modern material engaged in an old process.” Despite being a relatively modern method of advertising, the billboard has already become a staid and timeworn dinosaur in the age of digitalization and social media.

Because the vinyl is a petroleum-based product, it is likely to survive long after the last billboard is torn down. For Willaford this raises questions about what happens when technology outlives its function. “What happens to all of this information… the Internet junk?” It will become archival waste, the way that the vinyl has, recalling an outdated mode of communication, something that was once thought to be ingenious and necessary. Willaford’s pieces are visually compelling testaments to the apparatuses of mass communication, which are both everpresent and constantly changing. Vinyl Exposed will be on view until August 22. Oklahoma Contemporary is located at 3000 General Pershing Blvd on the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City and can be contacted at 405-951-0000 or online at www.oklahomacontemporary.org. For more information about the work of Jason Willaford visit www.jasonwillaford-marfadallas.com. n Mary Kathryn Moeller is an independent curator, writer, and educator. She has recently completed her Master’s in art history at Oklahoma State University. She is available via e-mail at mkmoeller77@gmail.com.

LINE OF FLIGHT MOHAMMAD JAVAHERI

A SOFTER STORM ELISE DERINGER

AUGUST 8 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 13, 2014 WITH JAMES HAMMONTREE IN THE LIBRARY GALLERY OPENING RECEPTION:

6-10 P.M. FRIDAY, AUGUST 8

CLOSING RECEPTION:

THE POET

6-10 P.M. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 OPEN 11 A.M. - 4 P.M. TUES-SAT

122 E. MAIN, NORMAN, OK 4 0 5 . 3 6 0 . 1 1 6 2 NORMANARTS.ORG M A I N S I T E - A R T. C O M

IN THE HOUR BEFORE DAWN

Satire and Sleight of Hand: Two Tulsa Shows by John Bryant by Kirsten Olds

John Bryant, Tulsa, Untitled (from ‘Welcome to Mad Dog!), Mixed media

Welcome to the wonderful world of John Bryant. In two exhibitions in Tulsa in August and September, he satirizes government, religion, consumerism and even art with his own brand of sci-fi–inspired hoax. His entire fictive enterprise begins with the ominoussounding Ministry of Reality, or MINIREAL, Bryant’s fictional counterintelligence organization furnishes incantations, amulets and other apotropaic or magical paraphernalia to ward off the evil eyes of the modern surveillance state. MINIREAL is a “supernatural police force” come to life, inspired by Margaras Unlimited in William S. Burroughs’s 1987 novel The Western Lands. “The espionage world now has a new frontier,” the book proclaims, and the same could be said of Tulsa’s art world

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with the arrival of Bryant’s exhibitions. Both shows fall under the auspices of MINIREAL. This August, Tulsa Artists’ Coalition gallery will present An Occult Exhortation, a photo- and text-based installation by Bryant, who received his MFA in printmaking from the University of Tulsa this May. The photographs in An Occult Exhortation depict mixed-media collages by Bryant that include printed imagery, figurines, photographs, hand-drawn elements and mystical symbolism. The first panel of the installation, The Triumph of Empire (interrupted), begins a tale of the last gasps of civilization, a circumstance of power-hungry mercenaries making calculated moves look like child’s play. Proceeding through the story and images, viewers are encouraged to “abandon your post”

and to “survive, evade, resist, escape,” to fall back on military survival training as we “sign the yellow book” and embrace the occult. Yet the final panel seals our fate—no escape is possible, for Empire always wins. Here Bryant’s work evokes the views of theorists Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt, whose book Empire explores the postmodern global condition marked by regimes of exploitation and control, transnational corporations, new communications networks and postindustrial forms of production. For Negri and Hardt, this state of Empire is total, and Bryant acknowledges his own sense of pessimism in this realization: “The possibility of meaningful change to the existing systems of power and control seems unlikely.”

Nonetheless, it is this very resignation that has given way to an alternative path: that of magic and the occult. “I might as well be practicing magic as making art,” he avers. “Magic had the appeal of being opposed to the rational systems of control and power which shape and form our discourse.” In addition to magic, satire as a potent discourse figures prominently in Bryant’s practice. Like magic, satire operates on the ideas of the power of words and objects, and the effects they can have on people. In September, Living Arts of Tulsa will host Welcome to Mad Dog!, a community outreach show devoted to Tulsa’s invented sister city of Mad Dog, TX. The exhibition is “sponsored” by several of Bryant’s fictive groups: the Trans Global Alliance, the Mad Dog County Sheriff’s Department, Swaggins’ Ministries, and Mad Dogs, Englishmen & Associates LLC. The Trans Global Alliance, an organization patterned after those offering sister city initiatives, has invited the Sheriff’s Department in Mad Dog County to mount an exhibition of “degenerate” art (an effort that recalls the Nazis’ 1937 Entartete Kunst, or degenerate art, exhibition). The show includes “evidence” of occult and degenerate objects and behavior that the Sheriff’s Department has amassed. The exhibition contextualizes these objects with didactic wall labels, evidence boards, container bags and documents, in order to convince the public of the danger these items pose to society. It does appear that something strange is afoot in Mad Dog: the numbers three, two, and five dance throughout the objects and images, suggesting numerological significance. Other ominous symbols recur, such as the crowned skull, bat eye, ravens and inverted cross. What might these mean and what power do they hold? To help us understand these ciphers, Pastor Billy Swaggins of Swaggins’ Ministries authored the Christian Patriot’s Guide to Satanic & Occult Signs and Sigils, a pamphlet (written, of course, by Bryant) warning readers of the dangers lurking in plain sight. Swaggins offers his booklet as a salvo in the “fight against the Satanic menace of the New Agers, sex cultists, papists, esotericanarchists, and neo-pagan druids and witch cults,” yet at the same time seems to believe

in the power of these symbols and objects against which he agitates. He repeatedly cautions us against the overwhelming temptation to believe in the signs, and he justifies his pamphlet with the appeal, “We must know our ENEMIES so that we may defeat them.” Swaggins’ Guide explains the complex and consistent lexicon and grammar in use throughout the objects on display. The idea of a cryptic language that is just barely visible and not always intelligible reveals Bryant’s own fascination with the pulp fiction of H.P. Lovecraft, as well as the responses to it by writers such as Kenneth Grant. Several of Lovecraft’s abiding themes mark Bryant’s art, such as the worry that civilization is threatened by dark forces, and the power of—even danger within— knowledge. Mad Dogs, Englishmen & Associates was awarded the merchandizing rights to the Welcome to Mad Dog! exhibition, and they produce design and “low-fi” art materials to be sold at the show, such as zines, t-shirts, prints and stickers. Bryant himself will make a cameo appearance in person at Living Arts, setting up his screen-printing press and producing merchandise. Regulars to Tulsa’s First Friday Art Crawls and other Brady District art events may have spotted him peddling his wares over the past year under the guise of Mad Dogs, Englishmen & Associates. This organization is the primary front for MINIREAL, because, as Bryant explains, any “good conspiracy needs at least one puppet pushing its propaganda.” Thus the satire comes full circle, with the fictional occult counter-intelligence agency, its shell companies, those that believe in them and thus validate their products, and the selling of those products to hungry consumers clambering for a souvenir. The satire here is not a one-liner. The MINIREAL project is both formally and conceptually complex, and, perhaps like Bryant’s Pastor Billy Swaggins, it is also contradictory and ambivalent. Just as Swaggins fears and denounces the occult because he believes in its power, Bryant himself seems, at times, to trust in and condemn both art and magic. Despite his

The Figure in the Woods (from ‘Welcome to Mad Dog!’), Serigraph, spray paint, acetone transfer, acrylic paint on fabric mounted on board

own protestations to the contrary, Bryant’s work affirms the potential for art and magic to open up small territories of resistance, even if only within the fictions of our minds. For more about the artist, visit www.johnbryantart.org. n Kirsten Olds is an assistant professor at the University of Tulsa, with expertise in modern and contemporary art. Her current book project explores artists who were involved in elaborate hoaxes of their own, such as Jerry Dreva and General Idea. In November an exhibition she curated, Dennis Oppenheim: Architecture/Not Architecture, Landscape/Not Landscape, will open at two galleries at the University of Tulsa: the Alexandre Hogue gallery on the main TU campus and Sherman Smith Family Gallery at the downtown Zarrow Center for Art & Education.

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Inside the Studio: Amy McGirk by Molly O’Connor

(left) Amy McGirk, Tahlequah, Untitled, Oil and Enamel, 12” x 12” (right) Untitled, Oil-based Enamel, 36” x 36”

Amy McGirk is a contemporary painter living and working in Tahlequah. She earned her BFA in Painting at the School of Visual Arts in New York and her MFA in Painting from Yale. As a recent transplant from New York, McGirk works as an adjunct professor at Bacone College in Muskogee where she teaches painting and art appreciation. She describes her work as “non-representational geometric abstraction.” The combination of vibrant colors, perfect line structure and elusive brushstrokes in McGirk’s work transform the canvas into a design that seems impossible to create merely by human hand. McGirk’s studio is located in the Cherokee Arts Center in downtown Tahlequah, an arts incubator space that is owned and operated by the Cherokee Nation. She lives with her husband James, a writer, and their adopted cats. Tell me a little bit about your journey to Oklahoma. I was in New York for about 15 years. It was really intense and stressful, but it was also great. I learned so much as an artist. But thinking about quality of life…I felt like I just reached

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a point where it was not cute to eat pasta five nights a week. I really wanted to concentrate more on my work so we just made the decision to move here. My mom lives here and she has basically lived here her whole life except when she raised me in Florida. Were you born in Florida? Yes, but we came here a lot in summers to visit my granny. I have a lot of family here and I have felt like I have a connection to this place, but I never really felt like I just got to come here and explore. So, my husband and I decided we were ready for a change. We decided we could come out here and compile ourselves and strategically decide what we wanted next for ourselves, where we want to go and how we want to get there. That’s quite a transition to move from New York to Tahlequah. Yeah, it was sad leaving my friends, and I miss having some of the crazy wacky things that would just spontaneously happen there. I miss things like traveling just half an hour and then I’m in a museum in front of a Vermeer. But,

it’s really hard to reflect on your life if you are always in an intense mode. I was always compromising my health….having to go without eating and sleeping. Here I don’t have to be quite as neurotic…I have space and air. There was a point where I didn’t leave the city for three years, so I never saw a horizon that entire time. I mean I would go to Central Park, but I never got out of the city. I realized I did not have a relationship with nature at all. It’s really great that I have that here in Tahlequah. Tahlequah is really nice, too. Did you have a studio space in New York? I did have one in my apartment. It was an industrial space and the studio was in the basement . But it would flood….it had bugs, mice, rats and roaches. It was really dank and I think there was black mold. It was still a good space for New York City, but it was kind of depressing. Apparently it was a Vietnamese restaurant before we got there. It was a big open space, but I didn’t have any heat. So very non-hospitable.

How do you describe your work as an artist? I make nonrepresentational work. People often think it’s not good because it is not a representation of something that actually exists. They equate quality with the ability to make something photorealistic. To me that’s such a fundamental argument that you might have in art school. I’m always looking to move beyond that. One time I came into the gallery and my painting was hanging on the wall, but it was upside down. So, I told him: “you know that’s upside down.” And he said: “Yeah I know…I just like it better that way...I think I could actually sell it better that way.” So, I realized I just sort of needed some control over how my work is seen. But that’s New York. You can just get exhausted dealing with people. Did that ever get in the way of your ability just to create the work? Totally. I went through this nihilistic phase for a while. It’s a product. It’s a system. It’s a game. Are people really interested in seeing something new? Then there’s the argument that everything has already been done before. How is that different now? Maybe in some ways I feel like I am hiding from the larger world, but in some ways I feel like this is who I really am. I am enjoying finding out. I think of this place as discovery. I have got this great space here and I can just collect myself and make the work. I think about all the very intense experiences and school on the east coast, but now I think I can actually kind of hibernate and take everything I’ve learned and learn how I learn and process everything. I feel like I can make mistakes and no one’s watching. I feel like I only have to answer to myself.

need within me to always investigate ideas and search out new things. When did you first move into the studio here at the Cherokee Arts Center? Last year. I’ve been here about a year. What are some of the things you like about being here? Have you found a strong support network? I have. I am part Cherokee, and I enjoy working with other Native Artists. I’m a member of the Southeast Indian Artist Association, and they meet here every month and we talk about opportunities. They are such an amazing group of people. They are very vibrant in the community. As a contemporary artist, do you incorporate your Cherokee heritage into your work? Since I grew up in Florida, I really wasn’t raised entrenched in the culture. I only got stories of things from my mom and from visiting with my Cherokee grandma. I enjoy a lot of the forums and traditional things that I’ve been learning about, especially from being around other native artists. At the same time, I could not justify intentionally incorporating native symbols into the work. I feel like it would be disingenuous. Since I am out here, there may be things that sort of unconsciously will come into the work just because I’m being influenced by my environment. At the same time, I don’t

gravitate towards identity work. I like to keep things pretty simple. I like to deal with conceptual ideas. What is a typical day like in your studio? Is it consistent? Well, no not really. And that’s just kinda how I have to function. When I’m teaching, I don’t get here as much because I feel like I can only do one thing at a time. It gets more sporadic when I’m teaching. It just kind of depends on what’s going on in my life. But if I have a deadline, like for an exhibit, then I’m here a lot more. I will stay late and work on something. And then I can work for twelve days straight all day during the summer. Basically I am NOT a morning person. I don’t like to work in the morning unless I stayed up all night...but that’s more a residue from grad school. But, I usually get here around three and work anywhere until after five. I work with some weird chemicals and toxic paints, and like to open the doors. So I like to work here when no one else is here. I kind of like my current artist status, like I don’t have a lot of outside demands. I don’t have to deal with a gallery or an art dealer. I didn’t enjoy the hustle. I think that effects how I work in the studio, and I guess I just don’t think it should. I don’t know, maybe I am more sensitive than other people. (continued to page 20)

It seems like you’ve been able to establish a nice balance for your life, not just your art. You have time and space and are able to refocus your energy. That’s true, but it wasn’t easy getting to this point. There was a lot of pain and tears, blood and sweat to get to that point. That’s why I understand the importance of it. There are not many places that would allow for me to be who I am. I don’t know what it’s like to be a “normal” person. (laughter) I’ve always felt very nomadic and chaotic inside. There is this

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(continued from page 19) Let’s talk about the importance of just being in the space, and allowing your ideas to incubate. Oh yeah, that’s so important for me because in my mind I will go through so many visual prototypes of paintings, and then I will pattern it over and over and over and then if I find something in my head that I like, then I’ll put that down on paper or maybe create a small one. But yeah, it just starts with being in the space. If I’m away from the space too long, then I start feeling disconnected from the work. I live with my husband and a bunch of cats, so there’s a lot of chaos. But this is the perfect place of just me existing. It’s so private and just so perfect. It’s great to be free of the outside world where there are so many expectations, and this is really a place for exploring. I’m always reminding myself to not be so critical and so hard on myself. You just have to give yourself breaks and just be open to process. Sometimes, I may not be actually painting, but I just have to be here in this space. Like, I think being around the tools and in the environment, you eventually pick something up and start something. What do you wish for your work to convey to the viewer? On one hand, I would like for it to be an ambient tone. I don’t want it to completely scream and upset the viewer. But at the same time, I don’t want it to be like this polite overture of “Oh, may I?” I can’t really ask permission. It’s slow...I feel like one has to look and sort of contemplate. So, it’s not like I want them to think a specific thing because I want them to formulate on their own what things could or should be. I don’t want to take that experience away from somebody because I have heard so many different interpretations of my work, so I can’t tell someone that what they think is invalid. Do you get creatively blocked? And if so, what do you do to work through those obstacles? I do get frustrated. Sometimes with my process I need to be able to see four to five steps ahead. You know, I use a lot of layers. That can be like getting a bad haircut and just having to wait for it to grow out. It’s like, sometimes you have to just accept the layers of paint as they are and wait for them to dry before you can go back and do anything in order to get to a different place. But, sometimes I just CANNOT stand looking at it! If you could go back in time and offer your younger self some advice, what would it be? Don’t be so critical. And…you are the company you keep. If no one taught you to value your thoughts, your creativity and yourself, you will think something is wrong with yourself. See more of Amy McGirk’s work at www.amymcgirk.tumblr.com. n Molly O’Connor is a multidisciplinary artist from Oklahoma City. She also serves as the Cultural Development Director for the Oklahoma Arts Council. She can be contacted at moconnor1122@yahoo.com.

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Amy McGirk in her studio at the Cherokee Arts Center in downtown Tahlequah.

Oklahoma City University School of Visual Arts presents

fettered – unfettered an exhibit by Heather Clark Hilliard August 25 – October 17 Opening Reception August 29

Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery • 1601 N.W. 26th St. OKC, OK 73106 • (405) 208-5226

OCUSchoolofVisualArts

OCUSchoolofArt

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(left) Students approaching a former Texaco gas station in Vega, TX. Photo by Sherwin Rivera Tibayan. (right) Road to Ruscha participant Courtney Struttman with found skateboard in Lupton, AZ. Photo by Sherwin Rivera Tibayan.

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Ekphrasis: Art & Poetry edited by Liz Blood

Many of us are familiar with the experience of looking at a painting and feeling an immediate, deep-seated reaction. Art can awaken our innermost dreams and thoughts that otherwise might be difficult to access. Often we are able to put these reactions into words. Matisse’s dancing figures, for instance, return me to a night with dear friends on a beach in the Philippines. The lights of the shore played behind us as we laughed and I thought even then that the moment would go, that my friends would return to their country and I to mine. His dancers kindle within me embers of joy and sadness— joy for the friendships I am fortunate to have, sadness for the fact of goodbyes. At other times, words are inadequate, and a painting’s brush stroke or quality of light, like those on Van Gogh’s hay bales, strikes a note I cannot name. We are delighted to bring this new column to Art Focus, wherein a poet will respond in verse to a visual artist’s piece of work. The word “ekphrasis” means a description of or commentary on a visual work of art, and is often a writer’s imaginative understanding of the piece. In this inaugural column, poet Caitlyn Paley responds to local artist Denise Duong’s painting, Anticipated Serendipity.

unobserved…and by doing so changes something in our life, expands somewhat the space of what we are.” Whether you are familiar with poetry or hardly ever read it, it is our hope that the poems you find within Ekphrasis, and the art that inspires them, uncover a layer, a way of understanding to which you can relate, and perhaps one you might not otherwise have considered. n Caitlyn Paley’s work has appeared in Metazen, The Austin Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Shampoo, Otoliths, and Indefinite Space, among others. Caitlyn holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the editor-in-chief of 491 Magazine. Denise Duong, of Oklahoma City, is a Vietnamese-American artist with a nomadic soul. She was educated at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and enjoys traveling with her husband Matt Seikel, and bull terrier Debo. These adventures inspire the many stories in each piece. Each of her whimsical, textural narrative pieces are inspired by these adventures and are made mainly with paper, acrylic, and ink. Liz Blood lives in Oklahoma City, works for the Arts Council of Oklahoma City, and is a freelance writer. She is a graduate of Vermont College of Fine Arts, where she earned her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.

A Menagerie of Wild Futures by Caitlyn Paley I am tree-trunked to this earth, despite the hobo campground I call my head, my hive mind, my arms laden with the memories of those I carry along, always, the weight of them. I stare at blimps, try not to think Hindenburg, try not to be Hindenburg, scowl at hand-painted signs that say “Bloom where you’re planted,” but sell at least one potted plant in every dream. I’ve finally reached the age of wild, and I’ve learned a thing or two: After you glut, after you starve, after you drink, you must decide to look to the future, to sing, to speak, to dig your heels down into more forgiving soil. I am tree-trunked to this earth— I grow.

Poetry, like visual art, is a kind of discovery. Polish poet Adam Zagajewski says poetry “discovers within the world a layer that has existed Denise Duong, Oklahoma City, Anticipated Serendipity, Mixed media, 40” x 30”

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Ask a Creativity Coach: Got Talent? Motivation Matters More by Romney Nesbitt

Ask a Creativity Coach:

Decision-making Tips and Traps

by Romney Nesbitt

Dear Romney,

• Weigh each decision against this one question: Does this opportunity move me closer to my long-term career goals? If not, pass.

I struggle with making career decisions. I feel mentally paralyzed for days when I’m

• Stay on course. Creative people often take off-course adventures such as signing up for online classes or joining committees. If not chosen carefully, these can be a form of self-sabotage, wasting valuable time and energy.

trying to make the right decision. Do you

• See if it’s a fit before you commit. If you’re interested in an opportunity, but not sure if you want to commit, negotiate a short-term trial period.

have any tips? —Indecisive

• Create your own luck. Don’t fall into the “this could be my lucky break” trap. Chasing every opportunity that crosses your path can cause you to lose control of your life.

Dear Indy, Decision-making isn’t easy. Your desire to make the “right” decision is setting you up for undue stress. Strive to make a “good enough” choice based on your current knowledge and experience. Keep these points in mind when making a decision:

• Be realistic, not idealistic. Do you really have the time to add something new to your schedule? It’s human nature to think you’ll have more free time in the future than you have today. You won’t. (Ask retired people, they’ll say they’ve never been busier!) • Relieve the pressure. Most decisions don’t have to be made today. Sometimes the anxiety of indecision can push you to make a decision too quickly. Remember that anxiety is temporary. • Get the whole picture. It’s okay to ask questions. Don’t assume anything. For example, don’t agree to “work out the details later.” This is a resentment waiting to happen. • Once you have gathered enough information, stop digging. Decide and move on. • You can say no to requests for your talents, time or money. Not every job is yours to do. • Most problems have more than one solution. Brainstorming many possible solutions will give you a sense of control. The best one will rise to the top. • Take your own advice. If your best friend had this problem, what advice would you give? • Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. You will, and you have, and you’re still okay. • All decisions are not equal in importance. Spending weeks choosing a graduate school is reasonable; spending weeks choosing a title for a painting is not. • Be courteous. Don’t inconvenience others who are waiting for your answer. No response from you might be interpreted as a no. Check in by phone or email to stay in the loop. • Make decisions when you are rested and feeling reasonably optimistic. Don’t make a decision when you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired (remember the acronym HALT). • If things change, and they often will, you can change your mind. n Romney Nesbitt is a Creativity Coach and the author of Secrets From a Creativity Coach. She welcomes your comments and questions at romneynesbitt@gmail.com. Book her to speak to your group through OVAC’s ARTiculate Speakers Bureau.

business of art

AT A GLANCE:

StART Norman Jump-starts Creativity in Community

by Lindsey Allgood

(left) The old lumberyard in downtown Norman and StART Norman’s installation site presenting Origins/Home (detail) by Cedar Marie (right) Cedar Marie, Norman, Origins/Home, Mixed media installation

If you’ve ever driven down Main Street in downtown Norman, you’ve likely passed a dilapidated, overgrown lumberyard that stuck out like a sore thumb amid the street’s vibrant restaurants, shops and galleries. This spring, the Norman Arts Council (NAC) transformed this site with its inaugural event, StART Norman. In April, StART kick started a monthlong series of art exhibits, installations, music and performance in a designated area of downtown Norman. The project aims to cultivate cultural and creative “placemaking,” an initiative that the NAC website professes will bring “‘community’ back to the Community.” The StART program was influenced by New York’s No Longer Empty and Dallas’ Better Block Project, homegrown cultural enterprises that enhance public engagement with contemporary art. In April, StART held its own Better Block Project with “tactical urbanism,” consisting of pop-up shops, temporary street trees and a bike lane simulation station.

StART’s initial event featured specialty food and drinks by Local, a Norman-based restaurant dedicated to local sourcing, alongside the opening reception of Threshold: the promised land, an exhibition featuring Oklahoma artists. The word threshold brings to mind new beginnings, entrances and places of sharing or exchange, ideas that allude to StART’s motivation. The artists strategically embedded their work into the environment, accentuating the space’s past, existing and future potential.

but StART succeeded in highlighting the importance of place and local growth. The NAC hopes to make StART an annual event. For more about this project, visit www.startnorman.com. n Lindsey Allgood is a performance artist, and she received her MFA from the University of Oklahoma. Her work can be found at www.lindseyallgood.com.

Cedar Marie’s installation Origins/Home revealed the community’s changing identity through a series of small houses constructed from leftover objects found at the site, including photographic materials, rulers, cigar boxes and an old book titled How to Teach the Bible to Kids. Visitors were encouraged to comment on what home and community meant to them by writing on an old metal wall. The historical lumberyard and adjacent building are scheduled to be demolished,

at a glance

OVAC NEWS

july | august 2014

Josh DeLozier, Oklahoma City, Deep Deuce, Panoramic photography, 12” x 72”. DeLozier recently received an OVAC Professional Basics Grant to prepare for exhibitions of his work.

Save the date: The 12x12 Art Fundraiser, OVAC’s only annual fundraiser, will be held Friday, September 19, 2014 at Science Museum Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. OVAC invites 150 Oklahoma artists to create a work that measures 12 inches square. Attendees bid in a silent and blind auction, a fun way to begin or grow your art collection. Also enjoy live music, a fun atmosphere, and a taste of the city with appetizers from many of Oklahoma City’s favorite local restaurants. www.12x12okc.org

of Tulsa for his participation in an invitational exhibition at the Springfield Art Museum. Yukon artist Debbie Musick received an Education Grant to participate in the Create Mixed Media Retreat in Dallas, TX. Professional Basics Grants were awarded to Josh DeLozier of Oklahoma City for printing photographs for two exhibitions, Amy Rockett-Todd of Tulsa for framing work for her October exhibition at Tulsa Artists’ Coalition gallery, and Michael Wilson of Norman for transportation of her work for an exhibition in New Orleans.

OVAC invested $5,000 in artist projects through grants in April. Creative Projects Grant recipients included Paula Frisch of Tahlequah for Provisions, a printmaking-based installation that explores the practice of foraging for wild plants in Oklahoma, and Denny Schmickle

The next OVAC Artist Grant deadlines are July 15 and October 15. Application forms can be found at www.ovacgrants.org.

Where Art & History Come Alive. The First Friday Gallery Walk takes place on the first Friday of every month, rain or shine, from 6-10pm. Paseo galleries host lively opening receptions featuring new artwork, live music, and refreshments. The Gallery Walk is free to attend and open to the public. Join us for an unforgettable art experience. The Paseo is home to 20 galleries and working studios, all within walking distance, and occupied by more than 75 artists. Intermingled with the galleries are a variety of unique gift and clothing shops, an event center and restaurants. For more information, call 405.525.2688 or visit thepaseo.com.

ovac news

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2014 Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowship Awards! Zachary Presley of Durant and Denny Schmickle of Tulsa were each selected to receive the $5,000 Fellowship, recognizing past achievement and future promise. Congratulations also to the Student Awards of Excellence recipients, Randall Barnes of Midwest City and Megan Hughes of Stillwater. These awards were selected by guest curator James McAnally, artist, curator and critic, Co-Director/Curator of The Luminary, St. Louis, MO and Editor of Temporary Art Review. OVAC’s Art 365 exhibition remains on display through August 9 at the Hardesty Arts Center in Tulsa, with ongoing programs allowing the public to interact with the artists directly and engage more deeply with the ambitious artworks. Special thanks to guest curator Raechell Smith, founding director and chief curator of the H&R Block Artspace at Kansas City Art Institute, who worked for more than a year to help the five selected artists create new work for the exhibition. Thanks also to the artists, Bryan Cook, Cathleen Faubert, Eyakem Gulilat, Alexandra Knox and Romy Owens, for sharing their artwork and journey with us. www.Art365.org Oklahoma artists ages 30 and younger are invited to submit artwork to OVAC’s Momentum Tulsa exhibition. Momentum Tulsa is an interactive, multi-disciplinary event opening October 3, 6-10 pm at Living Arts, 307 E. Brady, Tulsa. Curators are Sean Starowitz of Kansas City, MO, artistin-residence of the Farm to Market Bread Company, and Libby Williams, artist and Momentum Emerging Curator. Artist submissions are due by September 1 at 5 pm. Details at www.MomentumOklahoma.org.

Thank you to our spring 2014 interns Alex Ogle and Alexandra Roy. Both were tremendous help with daily tasks in the office, as well as preparing for the Momentum OKC event in March and the Tulsa Art Studio Tour event in April. Our interns are a vital part of our operations and we thank you both for being a part of our team! Applications for fall internships are due by July 31. Congratulations to Allied Arts for another record-breaking year! Their 2014 campaign raised $3,510,498 for the arts in central Oklahoma. Allied Arts is central Oklahoma’s united arts fund, benefitting 26 member agencies (including OVAC) through annual support. Thank you for all you do to promote the arts in Oklahoma! Learn more about Allied Arts at www.alliedartsokc.com. n

(top right) Zachary Presley, Durant, The Condition (from the series The Atomic Indian Corporation: Educational Tools & Mishistories), Archival digital print, 30” x 30”. Presley was selected to receive a 2014 Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowship Award. (bottom right) OVAC’s Art 365 exhibition continues through August 9 at the Hardesty Arts Center in Tulsa. (below) Megan Hughes, Stillwater, Underneath 02, Photo of melting beeswax, 20” x 30”. Hughes was selected to receive a 2014 Student Award of Excellence.

ovac news

The University of Tulsa School of Art proudly presents Ken Kewley. Gerard Haggerty of ARTnews states that Kewley’s precise paper collages reconstructed familiar motifs–clothed figures, nudes, towns and cityscapes, as well as variations on famous paintings–and made them look new. Regardless of its subject matter, each of them compressed the larger world into a beguiling little picture cut and faceted like a jewel. Many works were no bigger than a few inches across, but up close they filled one’s field of vision, revealing miniature worlds built from snippets of colored paper. The Ken Kewley Exhibition will run from August 28 to September 25, 2014. Mr. Kewley will give a lecture at 5:00 P.M. on September 4, 2014 in the Jerri Jones Lecture Hall at the School of Art, Room 211. There will be a reception at the Alexandre Hogue Gallery on September 4, 2014 from 5:00 P.M.–7:00 P.M. Undergraduate and graduate students at TU will be working with Mr. Kewley on Friday, September 5, in an all day collage workshop.

Judith with the head of Holofernes (after Giorgione), 2005

For more information, visit www.cas.utulsa.edu/art/ or call 918.631.2739 • TU is an EEO/AA institution

Thank you to our new and renewing members from March and April 2014 Drew Ackerman Nicki Albright Candice Anderson Randy Anderson Marjorie Atwood Margaret Aycock Kimberly Baker Marc Barker Carol Beesley Theresa Bembnister DiAnn Berry Andrew Boatman Jay Bonifield Morgan Boothe Daniel Bottoms Barbara Fluty Boydstun Krystle Brewer Jan Brian J. Alva Brockus Elizabeth Anne Brown Caryn Brown Sharon Burchett Charles Burgess Dennis and Deborah Burian Rita M. Busch Kathy Buttry and Connie Seabourn Kim Camp

ovac news

Stan and Lori Carroll Charis Casey Joshua Cassella Dian Church W. Maurice Clyma Kathleen Connelly Charles Cook J.R. Cooke Cynthia Curry Gayle Curry Genni Davis Glenn Herbert Davis Sarah Day-Short and Kevin Short Kay Deardorff Rebecca Dierickx Samantha Dillehay Steve and Maggie Dixon Robert Dohrmann Julia DuBreuil Kelly Edwards Nadia Ellis Alex Emmons Sarah Engel-Barnett Cathleen Faubert and Pete Froslie Sandra Fendrych Randy Floyd and Michael Smith

James and Judith Gaar Luke and Leeandra Galutia Irmgard Geul Joseph Gierek Fine Art John Gooden Douglas G. Gordon Meredith Gresham Grace Grothaus Linda Guenther Marsha Gulick Rocky C. Hails Sue Hale Steffanie Halley Nancy Hamill Jeudi Hamilton Amy Hanson Virginia Harrison Mark Hatley Linda Hiller Nikki Holladay-Cricklin Dirk Hooper Haley Hoover John Ethan Hopper Kaylee Huerta Jacqueline Iskander Jane Iverson-Ross Allie Jensen & Michael Christopher

Rusty Johnson Micheal W. Jones Ellen Jonsson Deborah Kaspari Jean Keil Allin KHG Kate Kline Annaliese Koranki Tony and Julie Lacy Sharyl and Paul Landis Patsy E. Lane Kelly Langley Cheryl Lay Vincent B. Leitch Dana Lombardo Jolene Loyd Forbes Kelley Lunsford Kayela Lynn Bruce and Ellen Macella William Mantor Travis Marak Cedar Marie Tatjana Marley William McClure Janette Meetze Sunni Mercer Elia Merel Joseph Messenbaugh Cindy Miller

Romney Oualline Nesbitt Ken Owen Ryan Pack Casey Pankey Vanessa Pettit David Phelps Eric Piper Patty S. Porter Michael Rahn Daryl Reimer Karen A. Renfrow David W Reynolds Chelsea Riley Don Risi Jim Roaix Christine Rodgers George Rooks Karen Rose Hunter Roth Verletta Russell Timothy Ryan Terri Sadler Tiffani N Sanders Denny Schmickle Melanie Seward Shawn Shafer Louise Siddons Taryn Singleton

Eric Spiegel Jim Stewart Andy and Sue Moss Sullivan Julia Swearingen Suzanne C. Thomas Skip Thompson Megan and Matt Tilly Jack Titus Brooks Tower Lorie Tripplehorn Spencer Ulm Debra Van Swearingen Aubrey Van Tassell Antoinette Vogt Larry Waid Sandra Wallace Jim Weaver Stephen Webber Nancy Werneke Angela AK Westerman Charles and Renate Wiggin Mark Williams Libby Williams Holly Wilson Dean and Kelly Wyatt Bj Zorn Sneed

Gallery Listings & Exhibition Schedule Ada

Chickasha

Norman

Marc Etier Through July 22 John Green: Midcentury Design August 1 - September 10 The Pogue Gallery Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center 900 Centennial Plaza (580) 559-5353 ecok.edu

24 Works on Paper August 25-October 27 University of Sciences and Arts of Oklahoma GalleryDavis Hall 1806 17th Street (405) 574-1344 usao.edu/ gallery/schedule

FAC Faculty Art Show Through July 26 Opening July 11, 6-9 pm Children’s Summer Art Show August 8-23 Firehouse Art Center 444 South Flood (405) 329-4523 normanfirehouse.com

Alva Annual Photography Show and Sale: Clyde Elmore & Jim Ritchey July 1-31 Opening July 4 Dog Days of August Show and Sale: Colleen Sternberger & Laura Radford August 1-30 Opening August 1 Graceful Arts Gallery and Studios 523 Barnes St. (580) 327-ARTS gracefulartscenter.org

Ardmore Landscape Revisited July 1 - August 22 The Goddard Center 401 First Avenue SW (580) 226-0909 goddardcenter.org

Bartlesville Step Right Up! Behind the Scenes of the Circus Big Top, 1890-1965 Through October 20 Price Tower Arts Center 510 Dewey Ave. (918) 336-4949 pricetower.org

Claremore Three Rivers Artists Group Show Through July 28 Wolf Productions A Gallery of the Arts 510 W Will Rogers Blvd (918) 342-4210 wolfproductionsagallery.com

Durham Jolee Ginter: Acrylics Summer Metcalfe Museum 8647 N. 1745 Rd (580) 655-4467 metcalfemuseum.org

Edmond Moad Group Opening July 3, 5-7 pm Fine Arts Institute of Edmond 27 E Edwards St (405) 340-4481 edmondfinearts.com

Idabel Panama Through July 12 Museum of the Red River 812 East Lincoln Road (580) 286-3616 museumoftheredriver.org

Oil and Wood: George Bogart and Jim Henkle Through September 14 Helen Frankenthaler’s Head of the Meadow Through October 12 Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 555 Elm Ave. (405) 325-4938 ou.edu/fjjma

Fanny Pack Fashion Show July Tessa Raven and Lauren Miller August 8-29 DNA Galleries 1705 B NW 16th (405) 371-2460 dnagalleries.com FRINGE: Solstice Exhibition Through July 26 Istvan Gallery at Urban Art 1218 N. Western Ave. (405) 831-2874 istvangallery.com

Don Narcomey and Liz Roth July 4-26 Opening July 4, 6-10 pm Janet O’Neal and Behnaz Sohrabian August 1-30 Glitch Analog Opening August 1, 6-10 pm Concept: ME JRB Art at the Elms Through July 12 2810 North Walker Line of Flight: Mohammad (405) 528-6336 Javaheri jrbartgallery.com A Softer Storm: Elise Deringer Prix de West Invitational Art August 8-September 13 Opening August 8, 6-10 pm Exhibition Through August 3 Mainsite Contemporary Art National Cowboy & Western Gallery Heritage Museum 122 East Main rd (405) 360-1162 normanarts.org 1700 NE 63 (405) 478-2250 nationalcowboymuseum.org

Oklahoma City

Georgiana Stewart Recent Works July 4-27 Opening July 4, 6-10 pm Oklahoma Art Guild Exhibit August 1-31 Opening August 1, 6-10 pm Contemporary Art Gallery 2928 Paseo (405) 601-7474 contemporaryartgalleryokc.com

Jason Willaford: Reclaimed Icons Through August 22 Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center 3000 General Pershing Blvd. (405) 951-0000 oklahomacontemporary.org Brett Deering Through July 20 North Gallery Mark Zimmerman July 28-September 21 North Gallery James Gaar

Through July 27 Virgil Lampton August 4-September 28 East Gallery Diana J. Smith Through August 3 Governor’s Gallery Oklahoma State Capitol Galleries 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd (405) 521-2931 arts.ok.gov Allan Houser: On the Roof Through July 27 Gods and Heroes: Masterpieces from École de Beaux-Arts, Paris Through September 14 Oklahoma City Museum of Art 415 Couch Drive (405) 236-3100 okcmoa.com Totemic Taxonomies: Pete Froslie and Cathleen Faubert Brandice Guerra: Wunderkammer Through September 15 LIFETILES: The Optically Animated Art of Rufus Butler Seder Through October 1 The Satellite Galleries at Science Museum Oklahoma 2100 NE 52nd St (405) 602-6664 sciencemuseumok.org

Park Hill Diligwa, 300 Years in the Making Exhibit Through August 24 Cherokee Homecoming Art Show and Sale August 31- September 22 Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc. 21192 S. Keeler Drive (918) 456-6007 cherokeeheritage.org

gallery guide

Ponca City Annual Member Show August 6-27 Ponca City Art Center 819 East Central (580) 765-9746 poncacityartcenter.com

Shawnee Organic: Exploring Nature in Art July 12-August 24 Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art 1900 West Macarthur (405) 878-5300 mgmoa.org

Stillwater 24 Works on Paper Through August 25 Jody Servon: Happenings August 25-September 26 Gardiner Gallery OSU 108 Bartlett Center for the Visual Arts (405) 744-4143 museum.okstate.edu

Rendezvous Artists’ Retrospective Exhibition and Art Sale Through July 13 Gilcrease Museum 1400 Gilcrease Road (918) 596-2700 gilcrease.utulsa.edu

Tulsa

Chandelier & Other Luminous Objects August 1-September 25 Opening August 1, 6-9 pm Living Arts 307 E. Brady (918) 585-1234 livingarts.org

Emerging Artists July 11- August 17 Opening July 11, 6-9 pm 108 Contemporary 108 E Brady (918) 895-6302 108contemporary.org

Art 365 Through August 9 Hardesty Arts Center 101 E Archer St (918) 584-3333 ahhatulsa.org

Become a member of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. Join today to begin enjoying the benefits of membership, including a subscription to Art Focus Oklahoma. PATRON - $250

-Listing of self or business on signage at events -Invitation for two people to private reception with visiting curators -$210 of this membership is tax deductible. -All of below

FELLOW - $125

-Acknowledgement in the Resource Guide and Art Focus Oklahoma -Copy of each OVAC exhibition catalog -$85 of this membership is tax deductible. -All of below

FAMILY - $60

Bob Bartholic July 4-26 John Bryant August 1-30 Tulsa Artists Coalition Gallery 9 East Brady (918) 592-0041 tacgallery.org

Beauty Within Through September 7 Allan Houser Through November 2 Philbrook Downtown 116 E.M.B. Brady St (918) 749-7941 philbrook.org The Art of Jerome Tiger Through July 26 Pierson Gallery 1307-1311 East 15th St. (918) 584-2440 piersongallery.com

MEMBER FORM ¨ Patron

¨ Fellow

¨ Family

¨ Individual

Name Street Address City, State, Zip Email

INDIVIDUAL - $40

Website

Phone

Credit card #

Exp. Date

STUDENT - $20

-Valid student ID required. Same benefits as Individual level.

¨ Student

-Same benefits as Individual level for two people in household -Subscription to Art Focus Oklahoma -Monthly e-newsletter of visual art events statewide (sample) -Receive all OVAC mailings -Listing in Annual Resource Guide and Member Directory -Copy of Annual Resource Guide and Member Directory -Access to “Members Only” area on OVAC website -Invitation to Annual Meeting Plus, artists receive: -Inclusion in online Virtual Gallery -Monthly e-newsletter of opportunities for artists (sample) -Artist entry fees waived for OVAC sponsored exhibitions -Up to 50% discount on Artist Survival Kit workshops -Associate Membership in Fractured Atlas, with access to services such as insurance, online courses and other special offers.

Collective Past Through July 20 Monet and the Seine Through September 21 Hard Times, Oklahoma, 1939-40 July 27-October 26 The Philbrook Museum of Art 2727 South Rockford Road (918) 749-7941 philbrook.org

Belinda Chlouber: Words and Paint Watercolor Paintings by Althea Wright Through August 30 Framing History: Highlights from the Oklahoma State Capitol Senate Collection July 7 - October 18 Postal Plaza Gallery Oklahoma State University Museum of Art 720 S Husband St (405) 744-2780 museum.okstate.edu

Are you an artist? Y N Medium?_____________________________________ Would you like to be included in the Membership Directory? Y N Would you like us to share your information for other arts-related events?

Comments:

Detach and mail form along with payment to: OVAC, 730 W. Wilshire Blvd, Suite 104, Oklahoma City, OK 73116 Or join online at www.ovac-ok.org

ArtOFocus k l a h o m a Annual Subscriptions to Art Focus Oklahoma are free with OVAC membership. Thru Aug 9:

Art 365 exhibition, Tulsa

Thru Aug 25:

24 Works on Paper exhibition, Stillwater

Jul 10:

Art 365 Artist Talk with Alexandra Knox, Tulsa

730 W. Wilshire Blvd, Suite 104 Oklahoma City, OK 73116 The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition supports Oklahoma’s visual arts and artists and their power to enrich communities.

Non Profit Org. US POSTAGE PAID Oklahoma City, OK Permit No. 113

Visit www.ovac-ok.org to learn more.

Jul 15: OVAC Grants for Artists Deadline Jul 24:

Art 365 Artist Talk with Eyakem Gulilat, Tulsa

Jul 31: OVAC Fall Internship Application Deadline Jul 31:

Art 365 Artist Talk with Bryan Cook, Tulsa

Aug 25-Oct 27: 24 Works on Paper exhibition, Chickasha Sept 1: Momentum Tulsa Artist Deadline View the full Oklahoma visual arts calendar at ovac-ok.org/calendar.

JULY DON NARCOMEY LIZ ROTH

Opening Reception: FRIDAY, JULY 4 6 - 10 P.M.

AUGUST BEHNAZ SOHRABIAN JANET O’NEAL

Opening Reception: FRIDAY, AUGUST 1 6 - 10 P.M. Gallery Hours: Mon - Sat 10 am - 6 pm Sun 1 pm - 5 pm

2810 North Walker Phone: 405.528.6336 www.jrbartgallery.com

JRB

ART

AT THE ELMS