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 8 N o . 2
March/April 2013
Art OFocus k l a h o m a from the editor The cover image for this issue of Art Focus Oklahoma (by Brandice Guerra, Alva) reminds us that the seasons are changing, and with that the anticipation of sunny days as well as extreme weather conditions are looming on the horizon. The weather around us has influenced artists for centuries. A new biennial exhibition at the National Weather Center in Norman (p. 18) showcases work from artists around the world, all expressing their experience with weather. Many Oklahoma artists are included in this inaugural exhibition opening on Earth Day 2013. An annual rite of spring for the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition is the Tulsa Art Studio Tour, happening April 20-21, 2013. This self-guided tour takes visitors inside the studio of several Tulsa-area artists. This is your chance to get a glimpse of how these artists make their work, see works in progress, and ask your questions to the artist directly. Tickets are just $5 in advance or $10 at the studio door. If you’d like a preview of the artists on the Tour, you can check out the Preview Exhibition on view March 7-31 at the Circle Cinema Gallery, 12 S. Lewis in Tulsa. More information is available at www.TulsaArtStudioTour.org. Spring always brings a rush of art activities in Oklahoma, as evidenced by the listings in the gallery guide section (p. 29). I’ll be making my best effort to participate in this flurry of art events, rain or shine.
Kelsey Karper publications@ovac-ok.org
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 Executive Director: Julia Kirt director@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 2012 - June 2013: R.C. Morrison, Bixby; Patrick Kamann, Margo Shultes von Schlageter, MD (Treasurer), Christian Trimble, Edmond; Eric Wright, El Reno; Traci Layton, Enid; Suzanne Mitchell (President), Norman; Jennifer Barron (Vice President), Susan Beaty (Secretary), Bob Curtis, Gina Ellis, Hillary Farrell, Michael Hoffner, Kristin Huffaker, Stephen Kovash, Carl Shortt, Oklahoma City; Joey Frisillo, Sand Springs; Jean Ann Fausser, Susan Green, Janet Shipley Hawks, Kathy McRuiz, Sandy Sober, 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. © 2013, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. All rights reserved.
View the online archive at www.ArtFocusOklahoma.org.
Support from:
On the cover Brandice Guerra, Alva, Two-Headed Hereford (Alva, Oklahoma), Oil on panel, 9” x 12”. See page 6.
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4 Edgar Heap of Birds is 2012 United States Artists Ford Fellow in Visual Arts
Having recently received one of the nation’s most prestigious awards in the arts, artist-curator Heap of Birds continues his work focused on questions of Native American and indigenous identities.
6 Stranger in a Strange Land: Brandice Guerra
There’s a fine line between charming and haunting in this Alva artist’s work. Her paintings and illustrations possess the innocence of a fairy tale set against an unsettling backdrop.
8 Harmonious Equilibrium: Sculpture by Harolyn Long
Inspired by the simplistic lines and harmonious balance of traditional Japanese art, ceramic artist Harolyn Long finds joy in the process and experimenting with her media.
p re v i e w s 10 The Firehouse Art Center’s Healing Studio: Dedicated Community Outreach
Building on art’s therapeutic power, Firehouse Art Center offers a program to enrich the lives of participants through creative healing.
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12 58th Annual East Central University Faculty Exhibition
This annual exhibition is designed to showcase the work of faculty in the Art and Communications Departments at this Ada University.
16 Blurring Lines: 2013 Momentum OKC Spotlight
Three young Oklahoma artists are creating new work for Momentum that tackles contemporary issues and encourages the audience to interact.
18 Capturing the Wind: The Inaugural National Weather Center Biennale Highlights the Art of Nature
A new biennial art exhibition in Norman highlights weather-inspired art by artists from around the globe.
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20 A Supreme Art Collection: Works from the Oklahoma Judicial Center
The newly renovated Wiley Post Building in Oklahoma City houses the Oklahoma Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals, along with a public art collection inspired by the history of Oklahoma.
22 Red State: A Portrait of AIDS/HIV in Oklahoma
In a series of photographic portraits combined with personal stories, Ashley Griffith hopes to bring awareness and understanding to the issue of AIDS/HIV in Oklahoma.
24 On the Map: Savage Art Gallery
After taking the gallery helm in late 2012, manager Carrie Wilson focuses on creating a welcoming atmosphere for Oklahoma artists and art lovers.
business of art 26 Ask a Creativity Coach: Take a Timeout. Be happy!
The Creativity Coach offers tips for restoring energy and making time for the things you love most.
27 O V A C n e w s New & Renewing Members 29
gallery guide
(p. 8) Harolyn Long, Edmond, Spherule, Stoneware and aluminum, 19” x 15” x 6” (p. 12) Aaron Hauck, Afton, Armada, Poly methyl methacrylate, Dimensions variable (p. 16) Erin Latham, Norman, :in carta silvum, Large scale relief printed installation, 18’ x 24’ x 8’
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Edgar Heap of Birds is 2012 United States Artists Ford Fellow in Visual Arts by Louise Siddons
(left) Edgar Heap of Birds. (right) Edgar Heap of Birds during a site visit at Fort Marion, the former Cheyenne P.O.W. prison in St. Augustine, FL. Heap of Birds hopes to create a public art memorial there honoring Oklahomans who were imprisoned and died there.
Oklahoman artist Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds has been selected as the 2012 USA Ford Fellow in the visual arts by non-profit organization United States Artists. Heap of Birds, who first achieved recognition for his conceptual and installation art in the 1980s, plans to use the fellowship period to continue his work as an artist-curator. His current exhibition, Nuance of Sky: Edgar Heap of Birds Invites Spirit Objects to Join his Art Practice, organized for the Pomona College Museum of Art (January 22–April 14, 2013), brings together collection objects with new work by the artist. Heap of Birds will also be creating public art projects in Los Angeles, London, Berlin and Vancouver. Each year, United States Artists (USA) awards 50 fellowships of $50,000 to artists working in all genres. Artists are nominated by an expert in their field, finalists are selected by a peer review panel, and awards are made by the organization’s Board of Directors. Since they were first awarded in 2006, USA Fellowships have risen to be among the most prestigious national awards in the arts. Heap of Birds is one of a prestigious cohort of 2012 Fellows in the visual arts, including Luis Camnitzer, Coco Fusco, Theaster Gates, and David Hartt.
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Heap of Birds has been on the faculty of the University of Oklahoma since 1988, now teaching in the Native American Studies Program. He has also been a visiting faculty member at the Rhode Island School of Design, the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and Yale University. He has received grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Lila Wallace Foundation, and the Andy Warhol Foundation, among others. His work has been included in innumerable exhibitions and in 2007 he was chosen by the National Museum of the American Indian to participate in the United States Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale, for which he created a public art project that included blown glass pieces created in the famous workshops of Murano. Nuance of Sky brings together several themes that have long been a part of Heap of Birds’ oeuvre, and includes new work that extends several extant series, including Native Hosts, the Neuf series, and more recent explorations in monoprint and glass. Enrolled in the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Heap of Birds has focused his work on questions of Native American and indigenous identities, the history of North American colonization, and the relationship between language
choices and colonialism. Native Hosts is a public art project that Heap of Birds began in 1988 with an installation in City Hall Park, New York City, and has continued across the United States and Canada. The project consists of multiple aluminum public signs that state simply, “[place name], today your host is [tribe],” citing Native tribes indigenous to the area in question. The institutional lettering is startling because of the unexpectedness of the message— and because the place names are rendered backwards, in mirror image. The signs make familiar place names strange, and remind the viewer that their everyday sense of place is naïve and infrequently historically informed. Heap of Birds observes that the red letters evoke the blood of the Native people who were displaced, and critics have called attention to the emphasis on Native philosophies of hospitality and stewardship embedded in the signs’ language. The twenty new works in the Native Hosts series, on display at the Pomona College Museum of Art and Pitzer College campus, represent the sacred sites of the Tongva Tribe throughout the Los Angeles area. Language is central to th abstract paintings seem to owe more to Heap of Birds’ early
practice as an abstract painter than to the work he created after becoming “politicized” in the 1970s. The title of the series is the Cheyenne word for doing something four times, and refers to the importance of repetition in Cheyenne ritual. The Neuf series began when the artist and his wife moved back to Oklahoma, to the Cheyenne-Arapaho reservation outside Oklahoma City. The move was prompted by Heap of Birds’ desire for a deeper awareness of the reality of his family’s (and tribe’s) history, and the Neuf series represents his continuing investigation into a visual language that can communicate indigenous experience. Colors in the series are often tied to the colors of the Oklahoma landscape. One of the signature images in Nuance of Sky is a monoprint with six words (“nuance of sky words are open”) in broken white on a cyan-blue field. Color, in this print just as in the Neuf series, refers to natural elements—the sky and the water—but also to the persistence of Native spirituality. Unlike the Native Hosts signs, the words in Heap of Birds’ monoprints are handwritten (in fact, the letters are created by wiping away ink, reminding us that even the smallest of the artist’s choices have symbolic resonance). Their slanting, uneven words have an intimate character, and the poetic text is cryptic and urgent at the same time. Most of Heap of Birds’ monoprints are similarly enigmatic, although there are histories behind each. In Dead Indian Stories: Geronimo, for example, which was on view at the University of California, Berkeley last year, reminds savvy viewers that Osama Bin Laden’s code name, during the military operation that resulted in his death, was Geronimo. White letters on a red background spell out, “Indian still target Obama Bin Laden Geronimo”—suggesting that the choice of code name may not have been random and certainly wasn’t innocent. Throughout his career, Heap of Birds’ work has addressed questions of Native American visibility and representation, so it seems appropriate that several artists who address related issues are among the 2012 Fellows across categories. Guillermo Gomez-Peña creates performances characterized as “Chicano cyber-punk.” Tlingit/Aleut artist Nicholas Galanin explores the relationship between the traditional and contemporary in Tlingit culture. Luis Camnitzer is a Uruguayan immigrant whose work highlights the inequalities created by relationships between language, nationalism, and identity. With the awarding of the USA Ford Fellowship amid such company, Heap of Birds’ status as one of Oklahoma’s most respected artists is robustly confirmed. n
Edgar Heap of Birds, Oklahoma City, Indian Still Target Obama Bin Laden Geronimo, Monoprint, 15” x 22”
Louise Siddons is an art historian specializing in American art and the visual culture of modernity. She received her Ph.D. in Art History from Stanford University and currently teaches art history at Oklahoma State University.
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Stranger in a Strange Land: Brandice Guerra by Molly O’Connor
Disturbing shadows. Mysterious creatures. Looming danger. As you move in closer to the detailed paintings and illustrations of Alvabased artist Brandice Guerra, a story unfolds. One that may possess the innocence of a fairy tale intertwined with an unsettling backdrop. “My attraction to morbid imagery is the product of a profound love of nature coupled with a fear and subsequent fascination with disease. My attraction to natural life-sustaining, beautiful things is at uncomfortable odds with my attraction to natural things that can also cause suffering and death.” Her childhood fascination with animals and science coupled with having an artist for a father have been strong influential factors in Guerra’s use of intriguing animals in her own artwork. Raised in Chicago and Skokie, Illinois, she can clearly recall the dramatic childhood memory of a class field trip to the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History where she was compelled to linger behind the rest of the class to intently study the surreal taxidermy and dioramas. “It was the meticulous crafting of diorama painting and the careful organization of the illusion of natural life that was wondrous to me both then and now. Wonderment is a kind of intellectual passion. I think it can lead to better appreciation and stewardship of animals and by extension the entire natural world.” Guerra’s painting The Neonate, which depicts two large Eastern Bluebirds (a species that has greatly suffered due to the influence of humans) looming over a human infant, is reminiscent of the time when she held her newborn niece who was afflicted with a severe case of colic. “I remember attempting to comfort her during one of her fits and thinking that she looked more than a little like a chick that had fallen from the nest. Her whole face was crimson and you could see the tiny blue veins dancing on her bulging eyes…I thought it would be interesting to create a scenario in which the Bluebirds were responsible for our young.” Another painting by Guerra, Two-Headed Hereford (Alva, Oklahoma), pays tribute to one of her most vivid and memorable experiences soon after moving to Oklahoma: visiting
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(left) Brandice Guerra, Alva, The Neonate, Oil on panel, 8.75” x 11.75”. (right) The Squall, Oil on panel, 7” x 5”. (opposite page) I, Said the Owl, Oil on panel, 8.75” x 11.75”
the two-headed calf in the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Museum of Natural History. “I decided to make a painting depicting an Oklahoma reality wherein the calf lives happily and healthily, in a typical landscape.” And a typical Oklahoma landscape it is: one that includes red dirt and a tornado on the horizon of an ominous sky. Guerra’s own recent westward relocation to the plains of Alva, Oklahoma from urban Chicago is in itself one of adventure and transformation. In 2011, Guerra was selected from a large pool of applicants as the ideal candidate to help revive Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s Visual Arts Department, a program that had been inactive for over 20 years. She currently serves as the Assistant Professor of Art, Director of the Studio Art Program, and the Grace V. Wisdom Endowed Chair in Visual Art. Prior to taking the position at Northwestern, Guerra taught life drawing, beginning drawing, and painting classes at the University of Illinois and the Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. She received her MFA
in painting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009 and holds a BFA in painting and drawing from the School of Art Institute of Chicago in 2006. Rebuilding NWOSU’s visual arts department has been a rewarding experience for Guerra. “I’m very much an idealist, which I think has helped me in this process. (I probably read a little too much William Morris as an undergraduate.) I also enjoy building things from scratch; it is very much like planning an artwork. I’ve learned a lot about teaching and curriculum development as well as how all the facilities work and the unseen labors that go into running an academic department. I’ve made many good friends on the faculty and staff at Northwestern and in the community.” Guerra’s artwork is receiving international recognition. She will be included in the International Painting Annual 3, which is a juried publication of international works of contemporary painting. This book will be published by The Manifest Press in late 2013. Her artwork has also been selected for upcoming exhibitions at the Arkansas Art
Center in Little Rock and the Flow Art Space in Minneapolis. In addition, she is currently working on design and illustration for the iOS word game application: “Lexicon Larry’s West Word” which will be released early this year. Often walking a fine line between charming and haunting, Guerra’s paintings and illustrations are both playful and psychologically evocative. “I make pictures because I like to tell stories. I particularly enjoy telling highly descriptive and sometimes darkly humorous stories about natural wonders and weirdness.” Visit www.brandiceguerra.com to see more images of Guerra’s work. n Molly O’Connor is a multi-disciplinary 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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Harmonious Equilibrium: Sculpture by Harolyn Long by Krystle Brewer
Harolyn Long, Edmond, Peg of My Broken Heart, Stoneware and wooden pegs, 11” x 22” x 12”
Influenced by simplistic lines and harmonious balance from traditional Japanese art, Oklahoma native artist Harolyn Long constructs geometric sculptures from stoneware and metal scraps. Her work is visually simplistic in form, adornment, and color adhering to the ideology that less is more. This paired with a sense of curiosity makes her work dynamic and often playful. Long received her BFA from University of Oklahoma and her Masters in Education from University of Central Oklahoma. For eleven years after her formal education she was a classroom teacher for public schools in both Oklahoma and Georgia. It was actually while she was teaching that she began learning about clay. Never able to take a clay class while in college, she read books and experimented in ceramics to teach her students.
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Leaving the classroom environment for the birth of her son coincided with the decline of the oil business in 1986, which severely impacted her geologist husband’s career. Long said, “I had two choices: I either go back into the classroom and teach again or I start making artwork and try to sell it.” Ready for a change in lifestyle, she went with the latter option. She filled her van with art and spent 13 years on the road selling art at festivals and shows, participating in as many as twenty-two events a year. As the oil industry eventually improved, she was able to quit the incredibly difficult demands of being an artist on the road. Since 2000 she has been able to slow down and experiment more with her work as she no longer has to produce to fill an inventory. Figuring out how she will engineer a piece is the most enjoyable aspect to her, whether it is placing bracer bars on the interior or using a different drying technique
to keep broad flat pieces from warping. Before beginning a piece she will plan out from sketch to fruition how the piece will come together in each phase. “I relate it to taking a rock and putting it in a tumbler and tumbling it around until it comes out smooth, that’s what I do with every sketch,” Long said of her process. Despite the immense planning that goes into one of her works, sometimes accidents happen. Because of her preferred method of slab construction to achieve the geometric lines and forms paired with the raku process of firing she uses to achieve earthy tones, at least half of the works she makes are destroyed. In the process of raku firing the clay is quickly dropped from 1500 degrees Fahrenheit to obtain the crazing, or crackling, and smokiness that is characteristic of raku finishing. Pieces that are thrown on the wheel typically withstand this drastic change in
Harolyn Long, Edmond, John’s Rescue, Stoneware, 16” x 16” x 4”
temperature because they have no seams and are created from a single piece of clay. In Long’s work, due to slab construction, all of the seams are potential breaking points.
attempting to escape from the confines of the form. These bubbles seem to have life and energy that once the surface of the sculpture is removed, they almost float away.
Early in her traveling artist career, a piece that was a rectangular vessel suffered the same fate as many previous works had before. Only this time the panel with the decorative impressions broke off cleanly in its entirety. Not wanting the piece to go to waste she decided to frame it. After great success with framing the ceramic panels, she “started to have accidents on purpose.”
Long is richly inspired by the simplistic ways the Japanese use the elements of design. Balance and line are the focus in all of her works. To give implied surface texture she will sometimes airbrush the glaze through a piece of Japanese rice paper. Different papers will produce different effects. One such work is Peg of my Broken Heart in which the rice paper allowed the glaze to pass through it in tiny uniform squares.
In a later series she explores the idea of what is inside and contained within her pieces. In Spherule it is as though she has taken a flattened spherical form and cut away a section to expose what is embodied within the form. What the viewer then finds is many spheres or “bubbles” of varying sizes
To highlight the contrast of engineered industrial metal to the earthiness and organic forms, Long incorporates scrap metal pieces into her sculptures. While on the road she would stop at places like the NASA Surplus in Florida or the Boeing plant
in Seattle to find the electrical conduits adhered to the works and the solid bricks of aluminum used for bases. Sometimes it was the pieces of metal she would find on the ground at a scrap metal facility that would inspire the ceramic part of a work. Since Long is originally from Ardmore, Oklahoma she is thrilled to be able to show at the Goddard Art Center alongside Carol Beesley. “I was born in Ardmore and it’s just home to me so I’m pleased to be able to show them what it is that I do.” An opening reception will be held May 2nd from 6-7 pm at the Goddard Art Center, 401 W 1st SW in Ardmore. n Krystle Brewer received her BFA from Oklahoma City University and is currently pursuing her MA in art history from Oklahoma State University. She can be reached at krystle@krystlekaye.com
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The Firehouse Art Center’s Healing Studio: Dedicated to Community Outreach by Erin Schalk
Participants of the Healing Studio at Firehouse Art Center in Norman display their art projects.
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For some, it is the scent of fresh canvas and the feel of a paintbrush dragging vivid color against its woven fibers. For others, it is the tactility of their materials: a pliant clay body which responds to the most sensitive touch, or wood left in the irregular beauty of its naturally rutted, coarse state. For many, making art is profoundly cathartic. It is an experience that engages the senses and encourages the body and mind to work in unison. The process of creating may ameliorate symptoms of illness, as well as facilitate release of emotions located anywhere from the forefront of one’s mind to deeply buried within the subconscious.
In Norman, the Firehouse Art Center’s Healing Studio is earnestly aware of art’s therapeutic power. This open studio is dedicated to community enrichment by improving the quality of life for its participants through creative healing. It reaches out to individuals of multifarious backgrounds including the bereaved, those struggling with cognitive impairments, and those who are suffering with mental illness or other health concerns. Participants of all levels of artistic abilities are welcomed into this supportive and relaxing environment, where art classes are geared toward self-expression and the specific needs of each student.
Many afflictions cannot find healing until the accompanying pain is articulated or transformed in some way. Creating artwork helps individuals express what cannot be stated in words alone, as well as provides the maker the satisfaction of giving physicality to what is complex and intangible.
Moreover, no financial situation precludes involvement. The Oklahoma and Norman Arts Councils provide grant funding for the Healing Studio, allowing all participants to attend classes for free.
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As Taylor Suflita’s mother suffered from the
aftermath of a stroke, Suflita took on the role of her caregiver. When Suflita discovered the Firehouse’s Healing Studio, she began bringing her mother to classes each week and soon discovered their copious benefits. “At age 90, [my mother’s] painting skills had been in decline, especially after her stroke, and since she is a very social person, I found the class was a lovely outing for her, serving to re-spark her interest in drawing and painting and to expose her to a bit of outside contact. We enjoyed the range of people, ages and abilities attending the class and found it to be very beneficial. As a community outreach, this program is a wonderful way to reach people who might otherwise have no introduction to art available.” Jane Lawson, experienced educator and member of the Oklahoma Teaching Artists Network, currently instructs in the Healing Studio. Since Lawson’s background is not
in art therapy, the Healing Studio classes are not to be confused with an art therapy group. Regardless, Lawson is exceptionally passionate about the welfare of her students and furthering the Healing Studio’s mission. She tailors lessons to the needs of each student, focusing on that individual’s self-validation and healing. Class content is drawn from a variety of sources including famous artists and art movements, national issues and local happenings such as The Firehouse Art Center’s Chocolate Festival. “Students can choose, if they wish, to try the set lesson each week, or bring along their own work and ask for direction and advice. In the past, we have made sculptures with papier-mâché, completed dioramas and shadow boxes, dabbled with collage, worked with found objects, and painted with watercolors and acrylics. No oil paints, as solvents are problematic for students with breathing and asthma issues,” Lawson explained. In addition to multi-media experimentation and individualized lesson plans, Lawson believes in the power of humor to heal, and she weaves plenty of amusement into her classes. She once placed a sign outside the classroom door: Beware Nude Male Model – Open with Care! She admits that she may have worried Firehouse Director Douglas Shaw Elder, but he was soon relieved when he discovered that the “model” was only Monty, Lawson’s Chinese Crested dog. Lawson describes how her motivation and enthusiasm to teach in the Healing Studio are continuously renewed. “I love being involved with the Healing Studio as all the students are so encouraging and supportive of each other’s art and problems in life. We are improving the quality of life of the participants as they develop their own individual artistic styles.” Healing Studio classes are held on Fridays from 10:00 am to noon at the Firehouse Art Center, and new students are welcome to join at any time. Friday, March 8th marks the beginning of the Healing Studio’s exhibition of student artwork, and the opening reception will occur on the same day from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Anyone curious to learn more about the Healing Studio’s mission or purchase student work is highly encouraged to attend. For more information regarding the Healing Studio classes, as well as its upcoming exhibition, please visit www.normanfirehouse.com. n Erin Schalk is a graduate from the University of Oklahoma, and she is an artist and writer who currently lives in Okinawa, Japan. Visit her website at www.erinschalk.com.
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58th Annual East Central University Faculty Exhibition by Stephen Kovash
Many folks both inside and outside of Oklahoma believe that Oklahoma is an artistic and cultural wasteland. Stereotypical images of Native Americans, Cowboys and turn of the century oilfields remain at the forefront of the conventional concept of Oklahoma. With their economic success, sports teams and other advances, places like Oklahoma City and Tulsa are starting to turn that image around, but the rural areas are still considered by most to be inhospitable badlands primarily suitable for coyotes, meth labs and escaped felons. In order to turn that convention on its head, one only has to drive about 90 miles southeast from Oklahoma City or 120 southwest from Tulsa to East Central University (ECU) in Ada, Oklahoma. Once housed in a cramped basement in an older building on the fringe of campus, ECU’s Art Department has been producing some of the finest artists in Oklahoma, including the “Ada Trio,” consisting of D.J. Lafon, Robert Barker and Bob Sieg. They made a big splash in the 1960s art world and continue to be influential today. R. Grant Thorp was a significant artist and ECU art professor who passed well before his time in 1994. Recently, the ECU Fine Arts department has moved into the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center, which celebrated its one year anniversary last September. The Center offers two stages: the Ataloa theatre which seats 1,089 patrons and the J. Chalmers Herman black box theatre that seats 75-100 patrons. The facility also has art studios, areas for sculpture and small scale casting, a printmaking studio, band and choral halls, piano classrooms, a photo, radio and HD television studio, and a fully equipped scene and costume shop for theater.
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Katy Seals, Norman, Burger Baby, Serigraph, 11” x 17”
The 59th Annual Faculty Exhibition will open in the Pogue Art Gallery in the Fine Arts Center March 25, 2013. The exhibit will feature a selection of current works by members of the faculty of the Department of Art with additional contributions from faculty in the Mass Communications program. A long-standing tradition within the department, this exhibition is an opportunity for faculty to present the techniques and concepts used in their work to students, thus challenging the more than 80 art majors currently enrolled to demonstrate their own developing skills and
ideas in the annual student exhibition that follows in April. Many of the artists will be addressing issues of identity in their work. Director of the School of Fine Arts and department chairperson, Brad Jessop, will exhibit paintings in which he layers both images and ideas that have to do with his personal experiences and the roles constructed for each of us by the culture in which we live. His work reflects his own past, but also
draws upon his conversations with students and colleagues as well as philosophical texts, resulting in paintings that comment on his interpretation of the postmodern condition. Sculptor and installation artist Alexandra Knox will exhibit several works that explore her efforts to understand and preserve her heritage as an American woman of Ukrainian descent. Many of these pieces incorporate perishable foods that are part of traditional Ukrainian cuisine in order to explore both the literal and metaphorical fragility of our ties to our own histories, which are in danger of being lost if we do not work to protect them and pass them on. Knox recently had an installation of this type at the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s (OVAC) Momentum show. Mass Communications instructor, multimedia artist, and recent OVAC Momentum Spotlight artist Samantha Dillehay will include filmbased works that address her experiences with sexuality, gender, and feminism throughout her life. Aaron Hauck, sculptor and OVAC Concept/ OK: Focus artist, will exhibit works that comment on consumerism, contemporary American culture, and environmental issues. His work juxtaposes recognizable forms such as skyscrapers, pyramids, temples, SUVs, and ocean liners with references to the contemporary mass-produced products, including processed foods and tools in order to comment on our lack of personal connection with the things we consume and the results of that consumption. Printmaker Katy Seals’ work comments on the contemporary culture of the American South. Using images such as truck stop waitresses, pageant queens and Texas matriarchs, Seals strives to reveal what she considers the absurdity and paradoxical nature of Southern culture. continued to page 14
Aaron Hauck, Afton, Melty Stack, Resin and medium density fiberboard, Dimensions variable
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(top left) John Green, Ada, Web Page Design, Adobe Illustrator. (top right) F. Bradley Jessop, Sulphur, Icy Panache, Acrylic on canvas, 22” x 33”. (bottom left) John Green, Ada, Winston in the Woods, Acrylic on canvas, 76” x 46”
continued from page 13 John Green, a graphic designer and illustrator, will include abstracted illustrations of found objects that connect to his childhood and address the roles of these objects in contemporary society. Adjunct ceramics and metalwork instructor Wayneath Weddle will exhibit several new ceramics pieces. The Pogue Art Gallery is open to the public weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Faculty Exhibit will take place from March 25 – April 5, 2013. The Opening Reception is March 28, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. It is worth the drive. n Stephen Kovash owns the Istvan Gallery at Urban Art, is an OVAC Board Member and has a day job with the Environmental Protection Agency. He can be reached at urbanartokc@gmail.com.
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UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA C O L L E G E
O F
F I N E
A R T S
Melton Art Gallery, UCO Art & Design Building Hours: Tue.-Fri., 10 am-4 pm
A N D
D E S I G N
For information: (405) 974-2432 www.uco.edu/cfad
Featuring selected works from the College of Fine Arts and Design’s collection, along with selected works from the Melton Legacy Collection. 15 7
Blurring Lines: 2013 Momentum OKC Spotlight by Erinn Gavaghan
Twice a year, each year, young artists and curators are brought together for an extravaganza of art called Momentum. Like much of the programming of the Oklahoma Visual Art Coalition (OVAC), Momentum is an exhibit that is unique to Oklahoma and fosters a culture of supporting local talent in the visual arts. For the past eleven years, Momentum has been presenting the best of the best of the state’s young artists in an exciting atmosphere that showcases the under 30’s of the Oklahoma arts scene.
focused around electronic sculpture and computer programming. Along the way, I’ve experimented with things like writing, music, filmmaking, animation, web design, video game production, screen-printing, and book arts. A major theme in my work is communication: what forms, media, and technologies people use for communicating, and the ways those different media inform, frame, and distort our meaning.” While he considers himself an artist first, his preferred medium is not paint or marble but For each exhibition, a curator technology, a preference that and an emerging curator are forms the base for his Spotlight selected to assemble the body installation. American Arcade of work that will be shown and uses the platform of 1980s-era also to select three artists to be arcade games to comment on “Spotlighted” in the exhibit. contemporary political issues. This year, for the first time the As of this writing, Kaney lead curator is not “a who”, but plans to address such relevant “a what”: PLUG Projects out topics as the ethics of the of Kansas City. PLUG Projects unmanned drone program and is a group of five artists who the debate about gun violence. work to mount challenging His medium lends itself to the contemporary exhibitions use of satire, but his challenge and nurture critical dialog lies in walking the thin line of in the Kansas City area. The using humor in a productive collaborative group includes way while not coming off as artists Amy Kligman, Cory insensitive or flippant about his Imig, Misha Kligman, Caleb topics. Kaney’s past projects, Taylor, and Caitlin Horsmon. while not widely exhibited, Working with PLUG Projects is Erin Latham, Norman, :in carta silvum (ceiling detail), Large scale relief are highly thought provoking printed installation, 18’ x 24’ x 8’ emerging curator Taryn Chubb, and entertaining. In a brilliant an assistant professor at East stroke of satirical criticism of art will be an immersive experience for viewers. Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. critique, the RapiCRIT Mobile Art Criticism Emerging curator Taryn Chubb looked for System is a vending machine that spits out practicality in the proposals, seeking out The curators have begun the first stage of biting contemporary art criticism witticisms projects of high quality and viability. creating the 2013 Momentum OKC exhibit: that read like any carefully constructed the selection of the three Spotlight artists. The sentence by a seasoned writer, but are Matthew Kaney, Erin Latham, and Zachary curators have carte blanche to establish the randomly generated from a surprisingly small Presley are this year’s selected Spotlight artists. parameters by which the Spotlight artists are vocabulary of art references. All three artists are proposing installations selected. They may or may not share some that are complex, stimulating, and common theme, style, subject, or interest. Erin Latham returned to Norman, Oklahoma contemporarily relevant. According to the curators, while there was after receiving her Masters of Fine Arts not a certain theme in mind, the artists do in Brooklyn. Her project for Spotlight uses Matthew Kaney is a senior at the University share some similarities. PLUG Projects noted traditional printmaking techniques to create of Oklahoma in Media Arts. Of his work, that they are all interested in blurring the line a three-dimensional underwater space that he says, “My interests have always been of reality and imagination with their work, viewers will walk through. “Right now I’m somewhat scattershot, but they’re generally and each has developed an installation that
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trying to figure out the mechanics of what is going to happen, things like tricking the viewer into thinking they are underwater with movement and light and space. It’s complicated but really fun for me to experiment with,” says Latham of the early stages of the project. Her work tends to focus on the idea of creating a sense of memory or nostalgia in the viewer through their interactions with her life-sized nature dioramas. She is hoping this installation of an underwater kelp forest will place the viewer in a totally foreign world where they are able to understand a fragile ecosystem. Zachary Presley’s Atomic Indian Corporation is a fictional company that he has developed to “embody the concept of selling ‘Indian-ness.’” For Spotlight, he is expanding on his earlier ideas, marketing toy Indians, through a performance piece where he will pose in costume as ten stereotypical Indian characters. These life-sized Indians will force viewers to confront their own relationships with stereotypes and heritage. As a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, Presley uses his work to explore his own identity. “I have a desire to clearly separate subject and object to help better understand my role within my own culture. My work highlights the stereotyping and commercialization of Native American culture and their cultural objects. In previous work I had focused on cultural objects, but for this performance I am focusing more on stereotypes of Native Americans.” While Presley has a history of theater work, this will be his first performance piece for an art exhibition. The three Spotlight artists display vastly different approaches to making their art. According to Plug Projects, the commonality is, “in each case the work is executed in a professional, contemporary and relevant manner. Whether the work is utilizing a very traditional approach such as printmaking or branching into a more experimental field such as performance or manipulation of digital technology, they are asking interesting questions. The work is very relevant to the current time, bringing into question our cultural decisions and contemporary issues.” The installations by Kaney, Latham, and Presley will be highlighted at Momentum: Art Doesn’t Stand Still on March 1-2, 2013, 8 pm - Midnight at 50 Penn Place, 1900 NW Expressway in Oklahoma City. Tickets to the event are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Visit www.MomentumOklahoma.org for more details. n Erinn Gavaghan is the Executive Director of the Norman Arts Council and a 2012 Oklahoma Art Writing and Curatorial Fellow. She received her MA in Art History from Webster University in St. Louis.
(top) Momentum Spotlight Artist Matthew Kaney works in his studio. (middle) Matthew Kaney, Norman, The RapiCRIT Mobile Art Criticism System, Interactive installation at Momentum OKC 2012. (bottom) Momentum Spotlight Artist Zachary Presley with products from his Atomic Indian Corporation series, a fictional company he developed which embodies the concept of selling “Indian-ness.”
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Atrium at the National Weather Center. Photo provided by NWC.
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Capturing the Wind: The Inaugural National Weather Center Biennale Highlights the Art of Nature by Kerry M. Azzarello
From devastating super-storms to serene sunsets, weather plays an important part in our daily lives. Yet, how often do we stop to think about its effect on the human experience? The many sides of weather are on display in the National Weather Center Biennale, a new exhibition presented by the National Weather Center, the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma (OU) and the Norman Arts Council. The Biennale highlights twodimensional contemporary depictions of the forces of nature and opens on Earth Day, April 22, 2013, at the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma. The power of nature has long fascinated artists. In the international scene, Claude Monet’s 1872 Impression, Sunrise provided a namesake for the Impressionist movement while Katsushika Hokusai’s Edo Period work The Great Wave off Kanagawa is one of the most widely recognizable woodblock prints in the world. The affinity to use weather as an impetus for artistic expression remains strong, as evidenced by the response for this inaugural event. Over 700 entries from all 50 states and countries around the globe were reviewed by jurors Berrien Moore III, Ph.D., Director of the National Weather Center and Dean of the OU College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences; Alan Atkinson, Ph.D., exhibition curator and OU art instructor; and Erinn Gavaghan, Executive Director of the Norman Arts Council. International and local perspectives are seen side by side in the final 100 selected artworks. Oklahoma artists in the exhibit include: M.J. Alexander, Carol Beesley, Sarah Hearn, Don Holladay, Debby Kaspari, Jane Lawson, Trent Lawson, Linda Tuma Robertson, Sue Schofield, Brad Stevens, Sherwin Tibayan, Noel Torrey and John Wolfe. Expect to see creativity and craftsmanship in many forms. The Weather Center’s 9,600 square foot central atrium is filled with paintings in oil, acrylic, gouache and watercolor; drawings in graphite, colored pencil and pastel; hand-pulled prints and both black and white and color photographs.
Final guest judges will determine who receives the $25,000 in prize money. Awards include $5,000 for first place in three categories: painting, works on paper and photography, along with an overall $10,000 prize for Best in Show. Christoph Heinrich, the Frederick and Jan Mayer Director of the Denver Art Museum; Spencer Finch, an American artist specializing in glass and light installations; and Jacqui Jeras, a broadcast meteorologist formerly of CNN, serve as the final awards jurors. While weather itself is a universal phenomenon, its effects on each individual are uniquely personal. The exhibition aims to showcase a variety of weather-related imagery and welcomes varied reactions from a diverse audience. Erinn Gavaghan explained, “A person who has never experienced a tornado or hurricane is going to respond differently than one who has. Those of us who have been in the midst of a drought the past couple of years will see images of rainy plains with a sense of nostalgia, while those who have been through floods may experience sadness at an image of rain.” Advances in meteorological studies give professionals the ability to make faster, more accurate predictions than ever before. However, the unpredictability, unbridled power, and sheer beauty of nature remain constant. The National Weather Center Biennale is a family-friendly show that promises something for everyone. Curator Alan Atkinson said visitors can expect a few surprises, “There are some works in the show that will really challenge people’s expectations of ‘weather art’... no one is going to leave this show disappointed that they came!”
Night time storm at the NWC. Photo by Robert Fritchie, 2008.
Tony Abeyta (Navajo, b. 1965), Storm from the South, Oil on canvas, 36” x 48”
Opening festivities begin on April 22, 2013 and the exhibition runs through June 2, 2013. Entrance is free and open to the public. The National Weather Center is located at 120 David L. Boren Blvd in Norman, OK. Additional information about the exhibition is available at www.nwcbiennale.org. n Kerry M. Azzarello currently serves as Operations Manager for the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. She enjoys art, architecture, laughter and warm, sunny days. She can be reached at office@ovac-ok.org.
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A Supreme Art Collection: Works from the Oklahoma Judicial Center by Molly O’Connor
Recently I had the privilege leadership of Justice Yvonne of touring the historic Wiley Kauger and the Art Committee Post Building which is now for the Judicial Center, the home of the Oklahoma the idea for the Master Art Supreme Court and Court of Collection plan was to create Criminal Appeals. Located a collection of work that is just southeast of the State reflective of the diverse people Capitol Building, the Wiley of Oklahoma and one that Post Building first opened in honors our traditions and way 1930 and is formerly the home of life. In addition to acquiring of the Oklahoma Historical new works, the Art in Public Society. In addition to the Places program ensured that much needed renovations and the historic murals inside updates that were required the building which were in before the high courts could bad need of repair were also move into the new Judicial properly restored. Center, the revamped facility In an interview with Debby benefitted from the Oklahoma Williams, the Director of Art in Public Places Act. the Oklahoma Art in Public This law, which is currently Places, I was able to learn more suspended until 2014, requires about the plans, process and that new and renovated state concepts that were pertinent in buildings and facilities allocate establishing the exceptional 1.5% of the budget towards public art collection at the Murals by Monroe Tsa Toke and Spencer Ash, two of the renowned Kiowa Five, are public art. The philosophy new judicial center. throughout the Wiley Post Building, home of the Oklahoma Supreme Court and Court of the Art in Public Places of Criminal Appeals. program is based on the How do you feel that the broad range of work defines our stories concept that “public art reflects the local environment, cultural values as Oklahomans? and artistic vitality of Oklahoma communities” and the Oklahoma Williams: Every work of art contributes visually by complementing the Supreme Court Building is a fine example of how the visual arts bring exquisitely restored architecture and in telling the story of the history of value to the public sector and educate our citizens about our state’s Oklahoma, the Courts, the people and the art. The artwork includes a cultural heritage. range of styles and media just as our history has been created by a great The public art collection at the Oklahoma Judicial Center includes approximately 200 works of art, which were donated, loaned or commissioned at the time of the building renovations. All but a few pieces were created by Oklahoma artists, and the collection includes a variety of media such as painting, ceramics, sculpture, wood, basketry, fiber, and glass in styles both contemporary and traditional. Under the
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diversity of people and stories. Once you begin to tell the stories of each work of art and each artist, it reveals many connections to other works in the collection, other artists, other people related to the Justice Center. It is like a very intricate tapestry that is created by individual pieces of yarn beautifully woven together. You can follow one amazing string or admire the entire completed work and still learn a lot.
Tell me about how the transformation and renovation of the building opened the door for the murals to be restored? Williams: One of the main concerns, even before the renovation could begin, was how to protect the murals during construction. The dust, moving equipment and supplies around the murals were all possible threats to the already deteriorating murals. So it was always a priority to protect and conserve the murals since they are significant works of art. Part of the Oklahoma Art in Public Places mandate is to be the steward of these public works of art that represent our history and the arts in Oklahoma. These murals by Monroe Tsa Toke and Spencer Asah, two of the renowned Kiowa Five, certainly qualify as significant. These murals and the history of the building are literally the foundation for developing the collection of artwork. Unfortunately, they were in an extremely distressed state due to neglect and poor past attempts to repair them. To begin, the condition of the murals was carefully checked by Helen Avey Houp, one of the most qualified conservators in the country, in 2000. She submitted her report to the Justices, the architects and others and they devised the best plan to protect and conserve the murals. This plan included immediate conservation, monitoring and comprehensive mural restoration procedures. What are the common themes for the collection? Williams: Because the murals are the foundation of the collection as are the American Indians on this land, there are many pieces of American Indian artwork, both traditional and contemporary in the building. Then the relationship between the Kiowa Five (Six) and Oscar Jacobson led us to have a Jacobson painting which led to Nan Sheets because of her significant contributions to art in Oklahoma and then to Eugene Bavinger and then on and on. So as our history revealed itself, the collection of artwork organically reflected that history. The main theme of the collection is that connection to Oklahoma. In the collection there are paintings as well as sculpture, ceramics, beadwork, turned wood, photographs and even an original patent desk that serves as a mail center for the Justices. It is a really exciting, dynamic collection. How does the collection reflect the daily business that takes place in the building? Williams: The Oklahoma Judicial Center houses the highest court in the State of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The building also is the headquarters for the Court of Criminal Appeals, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and the Supreme Court Clerk’s office. The business that takes place in this building, in addition to deciding important legal issues, is to also administer the State’s entire judicial system, govern all attorneys’ conduct and support public education about the rule of law in Oklahoma. In essence, the business conducted in this building is to provide a better understanding of the historical perspective and contemporary legal issues facing citizens of the State of Oklahoma and the Nation. The artwork in the building is tangible, symbolic and pictorial representations of the business that transpires in the building, historical and contemporary. While the Justice Center may not come to mind immediately as an art destination, I would recommend that Oklahomans stop by to see some of the artwork on display. As an Oklahoman, I am thankful that the Art
in Public Places Program ensures that our public buildings and places are vibrant and reflective of our collective humanity, rather than sterile and lifeless spaces. I feel that collection of work at the Oklahoma Justice Center is phenomenal and it elevates the mission of the Supreme Court and those who are presiding over our people and our communities. If you are interested in scheduling a tour of the collection, call 405556-9300. To learn more about the Art in Public Places Program, visit www.okpublicart.org. n Molly O’Connor is a multi-disciplinary 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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Red State: A Portrait of AIDS/HIV in Oklahoma by Tiffany Barber
A grid of 5x5 photographic color portraits framed in CD cases is assembled on a wall. The subjects: a sample of people living with HIV and AIDS in Oklahoma and participants in photographer Ashley Griffith’s latest project, Red State: A Portrait of AIDS/HIV in Oklahoma. Taken together, the portraits, the repeated pattern of CD cases, and the hand-held size of each photograph within the larger frame make the work’s format tactile and intimate yet monumental and distanced. The use of repetition here carries a profound impact; Griffith hopes to include 1,000 or more 5x5 photographs in the finished work. In each photograph, the sitter or sitters issue a direct address to the camera or choose to face away from the camera, leaving their profiles or the backs of their heads as the only surfaces to gauge. Those that face the camera offer a smile, a smirk, or a neutral stare while those that face away resist the viewer’s gaze, withholding discernible features and maintaining a level of anonymity. The viewer’s eye follows the gridded arrangement; tracking across, up, and down each row like a crossword puzzle, attempting to make sense of the grid’s logic. But the grid has no logic; the work’s structure operates as a grouping of individual and independent images that only cohere within the subtext of the work, a subtext that is recognized through the addition of sound. For those familiar with Griffith’s work, the sound component comes as a surprise; Red State is the first of Griffith’s work to incorporate sound. The viewer is at once engaged and disoriented, as it is not immediately clear that the gridded portraits and soundscape are related. The sound score, comprised of what the artist calls verbal interviews, is not synced with the pattern of photographs. Standard forms of grouping, indeed ways of grouping that inform the statistical data that underscores Griffith’s project – race, gender, age, class and economic status, occupation, and most notably positive or negative – do not instantly register in the photographs. Given Griffith’s subjects and subject matter, this move is intentional. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first recognized AIDS in 1981 with reports of Kaposi’s sarcoma and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in homosexual
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men in Los Angeles and New York, though documentation of AIDS-related cases can be traced to the late 1950s. AIDS became reportable in Oklahoma in 1983 following the diagnosis of the state’s first two cases of the disease in 1982. The first two cases of HIV infection in Oklahoma were diagnosed in 1984; HIV infection became reportable in 1988. Since its infamous entrance into public consciousness and the national imagination in the 1980s, AIDS has had its own narrative, circulating in the U.S. and global media spheres as a disease born from immoral behaviors. Homosexual men and intravenous drug users became the poster children for neoconservative smear campaigns aimed at rendering these subjects – gay men and drug addicts – abject. Griffith counteracts this stigmatizing narrative by employing narrative as form. The linear arrangement of the photographs and excerpted narratives of the participants force viewers to piece together a disjunctive narrative and construct a different perspective, indeed a different lens through which to view these subjects – both the sitters and the larger issues that structure Griffith’s project – on their terms. Additionally, silhouettes are used for participants who wish to remain completely anonymous; or, figuratively, off the grid. Griffith turns issues of invisibility typically associated with AIDS and HIV on their head by rendering her subjects in high contrast against a brightly lit white background and presenting the face of the everyday, while also preserving some semblance of anonymity for those who wish to participate. Sitter’s agency and will, selfrepresentation, and viewer expectation all take on new meanings here. If Griffith’s work, which runs the gamut from landscape photography with an urban bend and roadside signs to Red State, can be considered constructionist, an approach that uses portraiture to construct and convey an idea – like clichéd notions of ‘the happy home’ or the charming, trustworthy politician – then the Red State project becomes particularly interesting. What idea is Griffith trying to construct and convey? Is this idea easily legible? What happens when the idea is something that has been historically silenced and stigmatized? In Red State, the invisibility commonly associated with HIV and AIDS – which ranges from one’s own denial and a
lack of awareness and education in terms of at-risk behaviors, prevention and treatment to safe spaces for ‘coming out’ and coming to terms with the contracted disease – is brought to the photographic surface. Ashley Griffith is an Oklahoma City-based photographer and owner of a.k.a. gallery in the Paseo Arts District. For now, Griffith’s Red State efforts are localized, focusing on subjects in the Oklahoma City metro area. But by the project’s projected installation date of October 2013, Griffith will have canvassed other densely populated areas in the state, Tulsa and Lawton to name two. Griffith hopes to install the first exhibition of the finished work in a nontraditional, public space to build awareness around HIV and AIDS in Oklahoma. For more information or to participate in the project, contact Ashley at 405-606-2522 or visit facebook.com/RedStateProject. n Tiffany Barber is a freelance visual arts writer and organizer. Her curatorial projects have featured work by artists responding aesthetically to the conditions of urbanization in the contemporary moment. Tiffany is a PhD student in Visual and Cultural Studies at the University of Rochester. Her writings on contemporary art have been published in Beautiful/Decay, THE Magazine Los Angeles, Public Art Review, Art Focus Oklahoma and online publications for ForYourArt, Americans for the Arts, LatinArt, and Evil Monito Magazine.
Ashley Griffith, Oklahoma City, Red State Series, Photography.
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ON THE
Savage Art Gallery by Mary Kathryn Moeller
Participants enjoy an Art in the Dark workshop at Savage Art Gallery. These workshops are centered on an expressive theme and are designed for women who may have never painted before
Situated on the edge of Tulsa’s Pearl District, the Savage Art Gallery is a surprising little gem that sits on a curious little bend on 6th Street. If approached from the east, the unassuming Savage Building, in which the gallery is located, will reveal its secrets in small but satisfying increments. After turning off Lewis Avenue, guests arrive at the gallery midway around the 6th-Street bend and are greeted by green awnings and a small but beautifully decorated address plate on the building’s front. The tight lobby area belies the much larger gallery space just beyond and as guests step into the gallery they are treated to a stunning panoramic view of downtown Tulsa through the gallery windows, as 6th
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street straightens out of its odd curvature towards the heart of the city. The hook of 6th Street on which Savage Art Gallery sits reflects Tulsa’ early transportation history as it is the same curve made by the old railway line established in the 1900s. Built in 1930, the Savage Building has seen plenty of changes in this area over the years and has itself been reincarnated into a number of forms, including a bar and a gas station. The gallery space is entirely original save for a few added arches, niches, and refurbished floors. The natural light streaming through the main windows is reflected on the tin-tiled ceiling which illuminates a space that, while
Savage Art Gallery building, Tulsa.
not expansive, is open and welcoming. An approachable atmosphere is exactly what Carrie Wilson, Savage Art Gallery’s manager, curator and artist-in-residence, has worked to establish. She firmly believes that everyone who enters the gallery should find the space, the people, and the art accessible. Wilson states that a critical element to the ethos of the Savage Art Gallery is “removing the intimidation factor of fine art and making it a positive experience for all. As soon as a patron, artist, student or anyone enters the door, I am eager to make them feel welcome and have a positive experience. When elitism is taken out, patrons can see the beauty of
a movement of supporting talented local artists.” Having taken over the helm of Savage Art Gallery in the fall of 2012, Wilson has made a commitment to showcase artists from Oklahoma, in the belief that local artists have the power to transform their city and build new appreciation for contemporary art. “I don’t believe in relying on the old elitist traditions and standards. Breaking the boundaries of contemporary art and how it is perceived is a huge endeavor. I say that we start with supporting our own and go from there.” Wilson’s inaugural show, which opened in November of 2012 was entitled Something Red and featured a myriad of styles and subjects from artists across the state. The works included ranged from expressively textured abstracts, like the work of Wilson and painter Doug Bauer, to a brash red-drenched nude by Ann Shannon. There were still lifes and portraits as well as sculptural and assemblage works by Jennifer K. Grant and Cherokee artist Robert Shinn. Jessica Miesner, curator of Oklahoma State University’s Visual Resource Library, learned of Savage Art Gallery through Shinn and was immediately impressed with the space and the atmosphere on her visit this past fall. “It had just about the best view of downtown Tulsa that I had ever seen…and I felt instantly welcomed into the space. I could tell right away that Carrie was succeeding in making the gallery an open, friendly and creative space for both art patrons and persons interested in making art. The Savage Art Gallery is a place that I will visit again and again, because I know it will always be an intellectually and emotionally stimulating experience.” Such an experience is exactly what Wilson hopes participants will encounter in her monthly workshops known as Art in the Dark. Begun out of her home and hosting, at one time, 50 participants the workshops are now held at the Savage Art Gallery and are designed for women who may have never painted before. Each 4-hour class is centered on an emotional or expressive theme such as ‘Fear’ or ‘Be Brave’ but is not structured like a traditional studio course. The premise, Wilson states, “is to encourage and inspire one another in a fun, creative outlet of letting go. It’s very inspiring and humbling to me to see [how] art can bring people together and…give the creator… immense confidence. I believe every person has something to express on canvas – Art in the Dark is the place to do that.”
In the 1950s, the Savage Building operated as a gas station.
Savage Art Gallery’s manager, curator, and artist-inresidence, Carrie Wilson stands next to her artwork, Untitled, Acrylic and mixed media, 36” x 48”.
Wilson plans to continue to feature group shows, similar to Something Red and will host the next opening reception for Tulsa Progressive on March 21 at 5:30 pm. Wilson’s work as well as that of Doug Bauer and Robert Shinn will remain a staple of the gallery’s features. Though it is outside the burgeoning art scene of the Brady District, the Savage Art Gallery is well worth a trip around the bend of 6th street. Native Tulsans as well as anyone with a penchant for local history will find the building particularly interesting but everyone who walks through the doors will be warmly welcomed in an environment where free expression by Oklahoma artists is the number one priority. Savage Art Gallery is located at 2205 East 6th Street in Tulsa, OK and is open on Saturdays from 1-4 pm and by appointment during the week. Carrie Wilson can be reached at 918-510-1130. More information is available online at www.savageartgallery.com. n Mary Kathryn Moeller is currently pursuing her Master’s in art history at Oklahoma State University where she works as a Graduate Research Assistant for the OSU Museum of Art. She is available via e-mail at mkmoeller77@gmail.com
Young guests enjoy a work by Robert Shinn at the opening reception for Something Red.
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Ask a Creativity Coach: Got Talent? Motivation Matters More by Romney Nesbitt
Dear Romney,
Ask a Creativity Coach:
Have you heard about the “10,000 hour rule?� Does this mean natural talent is a myth? —Not a clock watcher
Take a Timeout. Be happy! by Romney Nesbitt
Dear Romney,
Dear Tired,
You may need to do less or change what you do. Life is a balance of opposites. In Full Cup, Thirsty Spirit, Nourishing the Soul When Life’s My full-time job and family responsibilities Just Too Much (Hay House, 2012), author Karen Horneffer-Ginter suggests a simple self-care plan for too-busy people: take a short take up so much of my time! When I do find timeout once or twice every day even if your to-do list is unfinished. “In order to bring balance to our system, we need the opposite time to work on my art I don’t enjoy it like I of what we’ve been immersed in.� Her book offers dozens of fiveminute timeouts to restore balance. These two are my favorites: after used to. What should I do? hours at the computer, my body needs the opposite—movement. I go outside for a five minute brisk walk. When I’m feeling rushed or — Tired anxious, I brew a cup of hot tea to drink. With each sip I feel calmer. The balance of life is easy to upset. Sometimes we’re not in control of the changes in our life, but we’re still responsible for making the needed adjustments. For example, if you have increased job responsibilities, you’ll need more physical rest. If a child or parent needs more of your time or emotional energy, restore the balance by spending time with friends. Other times, we are in control of how we spend our time, but we may not make the wisest choices. Creative people have a natural tendency to try to do too much due to the appeal of novel experiences. Take a realistic look at your schedule. Are there some activities or responsibilities you could eliminate, delay, off-load or hire out? More free time immersed in activities you enjoy will increase your satisfaction and improve your outlook on life. Try the Dalai Lama’s advice: “Identify the things in life that make you happy and do more of them. Identify the things in life that make you unhappy and do fewer of them.� Wise advice from a perpetually happy fellow!
Join us for our
Grand Opening
Self-care is an inside job. Give yourself the gift of a few minutes each day. You deserve to be happy! n
in our new home
& 3 0`ORg BcZaO =9 Â’ The Brady Arts District
Tapestries of Jon Eric Riis
Romney Nesbitt is a Creativity Coach and 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.
March 1-April 21, 2013
Opening Reception Friday, March 1, 6-9 PM Artist Talk Saturday, March 2, 1-3 PM
Brady Craft Alliance re-imagined
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business of art
108contemporary.org
OVAC NEWS
MARCH | APRIL 2013
Investing in a variety of artists’ projects, OVAC granted funds totaling $5,100 for the following projects in January. A Creative Projects Grant will support Oklahoma City artist Jerrod Smith’s site-specific installation as part of the Buffalo Lounge at SXSW in Austin, TX. Ashley Griffith will complete her Red State project (pg. 22) highlighting individuals living with HIV in Oklahoma with help from a Community Arts Partnership Grant. Jennifer Hustis will create a multi-media exhibition about horse behavior at the Satellite Galleries at Science Museum Oklahoma with her Community Artist Partnership Grant. Teresa Wilber will attend a Solarplate Printmaking Workshop with support of an Education Grant. Heather Clark Hilliard and Hugh Meade will develop new websites with help from Professional Basics Grants. Maria Chaverri will launch Designing Beyond the Cure, a fashion project featuring breast cancer survivors that debuts during OKC’s first fashion week in April. OVAC ended 2012 celebrating Concept/OK: Art in Oklahoma as the inaugural exhibition at the new Hardesty Arts Center (AHHA) in Tulsa. Throughout this process we’ve enjoyed the community’s enthusiasm as well as watching the participating artists share their work with hundreds of visitors and fellow artists. An overwhelming number of media, patrons and civic leaders celebrated the opening of AHHA. We extend a special thank you to everyone who played a role in this group effort. Please visit www.Concept-OK.org to watch videos about
the artists, read the catalog or learn about the Kansas City, MO Focus: OK-KC component. For the first time, OVAC will offer an 8-week intensive curriculum for artists through Artist INC. This Kansas City, MO-based organization offers skills and ways for artists of all disciplines to make the leap to sustainable and profitable artistic practices. Working with the Mid America Arts Alliance, OVAC is collaborating with the Norman Arts Council, City Arts Center, Oklahoma Film & Music Office, and the City of Oklahoma City Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs to host Artist INC in Oklahoma this October and November. Artists may apply for Artist INC until June 14, 2013. Hear from Artist INC leaders about “What Works” at a free workshop on May 11 in OKC. Other upcoming Artist Survival Kit workshops will address finding the right venues for your artwork and overcoming creative blocks. More information for all upcoming workshops can be found at www.ArtistSurvivalKit.org. Art People The Oklahoma State University Museum of Art named Victoria Rowe Berry the first director. Berry is the former executive director and chief curator of the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. The OSU Museum of Art will open later this year at the former Postal Plaza in downtown Stillwater. Welcome, Victoria.
Maria Chaverri of Oklahoma City recently received an OVAC Artist Grant to launch Designing Beyond the Cure at OKC’s first fashion week in April. Here, one of her designs from the Seeds of Love experimental fashion event in Baltimore, MD in 2011.
the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, beginning April 8. Whittington was previously the executive director of the Monterey Museum of Art in Monterey, CA and has an extensive background in art history and museum management. Welcome, Michael.
E. Michael Whittington has been named the new President and Chief Executive Officer of
Thank you to our new and renewing members from November and December 2012! Claudia Altshuler Candice and Douglas Anderson Marilyn Artus Lori Bacigalupi and James Young Doug Bauer Joy Reed Belt, JRB Art At The Elms Ellen Berney Doris J. Bewley Sarah Black Jason Blankenship Elyse Bogart Jennifer Borland Chandra and Steve Boyd Greg Brown Stephanie Brudzinski Creative Arts Enid
Sarah Clough Chambers and Kelly Chambers Lisa Chronister and Aaron Mooney Zumani Cole Karen L. Collier and John Calabro Carla Corley Janey Carns Crain Bob Curtis Bryan Dahlvang Barbara Eikner and Don Thompson James Evans Tom and Jean Ann Fausser Robert A. French Joey and Al Frisillo JoAnna Garza Diane Glenn and Jerry Stickle
Graceful Arts Gallery and Studios Almira Grammer Steven Gruenau Kirkland and Julia Hall Susan Hammond Aaron Hauck Bob and Janet Hawks Edwin Helm Kiki Hiott Michael Hoffner Jeff Hogue James J. Huelsman Amy Hundley Pamela Husky Sam Hyden F. Bradley Jessop Metra Johnson Myra Block Kaiser
Marcus Kesler M Paul Kirby Lauren Kubier Nicholas Kyle Judy Laine Leann Leach Lisa Lee Mark Lewis Monika Linehan Jean Longo Mandy Love Jan Maddox Leslie Martin Janice Mathews-Gordon Donna Matles Beatriz Mayorca Kenny McCage Nicole McMahan Marie Miller
Nicole Moan and Dianeme Weidner Diane and Ellen Moershel Suzanne and Ken Morris Christina Naruszewicz Julie Olds George Oswalt Soni Parsons Bud Pawless Kelly Pennington-Reed Jeff Perriman Patrick Riley Diana Robinson Lauren Ross Liz Roth Tyler M. Samson Ann Saxton Frank Simons Dallas Smith
Stephen Smith Rob Smith Leigh Victoria Standingbear Joyce Statton Earline Strom Andy and Sue Moss Sullivan Cindy Swanson Diana Tunnell Joyce Ulstrup Burneta Venosdel Paul Walsh Sarah Warmker Tom Wester Janie Wester Jennifer Woods Joanne Woodward Amy Young Thomas Young
ovac news
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Gallery Listings & Exhibition Schedule
Durant 9th Annual Great Plains Juried Exhibition March 11- April 12 Opening March 9, 4:30-7:30 SE Art Majors Senior Exhibition April 18-May 11, Opening April 9, 4:30-6:30 Southeastern OK State University 1405 N. 4th PMB 4231 se.edu
Edmond
Phil Borges (U.S., b. 1942) Humaria, 2005, Chromogenic print, 24” x 20”. Used with permission from the artist. This work is a part of the Stirring the Fire exhibition at the Fred Jones Jr Museum of Art in Norman, April 13-July 28.
Ada
Ardmore
Narciso Argüelles Through March 15 58th Annual Faculty Exhibit March 25 – April 5 58th Annual Student Exhibit April 8-30 The Pogue Gallery Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center 900 Centennial Plaza (580) 559-5353 ecok.edu
Marsha Mahan, Southeastern OK State Univ. Faculty Exhibit, Beth Pearson-Lund Through March 2 Annual All Schools Exhibit 2013 High & Middle School: March 12-24 Elementary School: April 2-20 The Goddard Center 401 First Avenue SW (580) 226-0909 goddardcenter.org
Alva Arnie Anderson: A Lifetime of Art Exhibit and Sale March 2013 Arts in Fashion and Design NWOSU Student Show April 2013 Graceful Arts Gallery and Studios 523 Barnes St. (580) 327-ARTS gracefulartscenter.org
Bartlesville Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Tom Golden Collection Through May 5 Price Tower Arts Center 510 Dewey Ave. (918) 336-4949 pricetower.org
Youth Visions Photography March James Coplin April Fine Arts Institute of Edmond 27 E Edwards St (405) 340-4481 edmondfinearts.com
Norman Dreamer 48: University of Oklahoma students Opening April 12, 6 pm Dreamer Concepts Studio & Foundation 324 East Main (405) 701-0048 dreamerconcepts.org Miguel Barcelo’s ‘Areneros y Muleros’ Through March 31 Pablo Picasso’s ‘Woman in the Studio’ Through June 30 Into the Void Through July 28 Art Interrupted: Advancing American Art and the Politics of Cultural Diplomacy March 2 – June 9 Stirring the Fire: A Global Movement to Empower Women and Girls A World Literature Today Photography Exhibition April 13 – July 28 Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 555 Elm Ave. (405) 325-4938 ou.edu/fjjma
OAEA’s Young Talent in Oklahoma Exhibition March 18- April 6 Reception April 6, 2-4 pm Photography Show April 9-25 Opening April 9, 6-8pm Lightwell Gallery, University of Oklahoma 520 Parrington Oval (405) 325-2691 art.ou.edu Entre Huellas y Arenas Through March 16 University of Oklahoma MFA Thesis Exhibit April 12-26 Mainsite Contemporary Art Gallery 122 East Main (405) 360-1162 normanarts.org
Oklahoma City The Photographs of Allison V. Smith & Stanley Marcus Through March 30 [ArtSpace] at Untitled 1 NE 3rd St. (405) 815-9995 artspaceatuntitled.org Bryan Adams: Exposed February 26- May 17 Opening February 26, 5:307:30 pm City Arts Center 3000 General Pershing Blvd. (405) 951-0000 cityartscenter.org Mary Ann Strandell March 1- 30 Opening March 1, 6-10 pm JRB Art at the Elms 2810 North Walker (405) 528-6336 jrbartgallery.com Starmaker: Jim Halsey and the Legends of Country Music January 18- April 5 Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum 1400 Classen Dr. (405) 235-4458 oklahomaheritage.com
Amanda Bradway, Marvin Lee, Alesa Clymer, Bill Struby Through April 28 Istvan Gallery at Urban Art 1218 N. Western Ave. (405) 831-2874 istvangallery.com Regina Murphy Through April 4 Grant McClintock Through April 7 Almira Hill Grammar Through April 21 Sam Joyner April 15-June 16 Gina Dowling April 22-June 23 Janice Matthews-Gordon April 29- June 30 Governor’s Gallery Oklahoma State Capitol Galleries 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd (405) 521-2931 arts.ok.gov Photorealism Revisited Through April 21 Oklahoma City Museum of Art 415 Couch Drive (405) 236-3100 okcmoa.com Richard Chambers March smART April Paseo Art Space 3022 Paseo (405) 525-2688 thepaseo.com Soundscapes Through August 2 Out of the BOX 2 March 23 – September 15 The Satellite Galleries at Science Museum Oklahoma 2100 NE 52nd St (405) 602-6664 sciencemuseumok.org
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Park Hill Trail of Tears Art Show and Sale April 20- May 27 Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc. 21192 S. Keeler Drive (918) 456-6007 cherokeeheritage.org
Piedmont Works by Trent Campbell & Emily Williams Through March 8 2013 Juried College/High School Student Show March 15 – April 12 Red Dirt Gallery & Artists 13100 Colony Pointe Blvd #113 (405) 206-2438 reddirtartistsgallery.yolasite.com
Ponca City National High School Student Art Exhibition Through March 3 Elementary and Middle School Exhibit March 10- April 7
Membership Show April 14-May 19 Ponca City Art Center 819 East Central (580) 765-9746 poncacityartcenter.com
Shawnee A Sense of Purpose: A Collector’s Life with Art, African-American Art from the Arthur Primas Collection Through March 17 Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art 1900 West Macarthur (405) 878-5300 mgmoa.org
Stillwater Senior Studio Capstone Exhibition March 4- March15 Graphic Design Senior Portfolio Exhibition March 27- April 5 Annual Juried Student Exhibition April 10-April 30 Gardiner Gallery
Oklahoma State University 108 Bartlett Center for the Visual Arts (405) 744-4143 museum.okstate.edu
Tulsa Ken Brown Pioneer March 9-30 Ariana Jakub Gallery The Philcade Bldg, 5th St & Boston Ave arianajakub.com Prominent Figures of the West, Collection of Portraits by Henry H. Cross Through March 31, 2013 Dreams and Visions: The American West and the Legacy of Imagination Through August 25, 2013 Gilcrease Museum 1400 Gilcrease Road (918) 596-2700 gilcrease.org University of Tulsa School of Art: Faculty Exhibition Through March 24 Henry Zarrow Center for
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
-Same benefits as Individual level for two people in household
INDIVIDUAL - $40
-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.
STUDENT - $20
-Valid student ID required. Same benefits as Individual level.
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Art and Education 124 E Brady St (918) 631-4400 gilcrease. utulsa.edu/Explore/Zarrow Anthony A. Gonzalez, Doug Randall, & Brian Slawson March 16- April 16 Opening & Demo March 16, 10 am-5 pm Lovetts Gallery 6528 E 51st St (918) 664-4732 lovettsgallery.com
Milissa Burkart: Above, Below, and What Lies Between March 1-30 Behind the Curtain: Art by TAC Volunteers April 5-27 Tulsa Artists Coalition Gallery 9 East Brady (918) 592-0041 tacgallery.org
William R. Struby, Oklahoma City, Untitled (luster), Mixed media collage (paper and acrylic), 7.5” x 11”, on display at Istvan Gallery in Oklahoma City through April 28.
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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
But you’re actually helping him picture an entirely different future. I t m a y s e e m l i ke j u s t a n a r t c l a s s . A few canvases. A little paint. But w h a t y o u m a y n o t s e e i s a k i d w h o was struggling. Who found an outlet for a
s k i l l h e n e v e r k n e w h e h a d . That gave him the confidence t o believe i n h i m s e l f. Which led to opport u ni ti e s that normally would have passed him by. And at Allied Arts, we fund programs that help more than 321,000 students just like him every year. Can’t you just picture the impact?
A little give ... is all it takes. Donate Today 405.278.8944 alliedartsokc.com
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ArtOFocus k l a h o m a Annual Subscriptions to Art Focus Oklahoma are free with OVAC membership.
Mar 1-2: Momentum: Art Doesn’t Stand Still, OKC Mar 9: ASK – Spaces: An Exploration of Art Venues, Norman Mar 15: Concept Focus: OK-KC Exhibition Opens, Kansas City Apr 1: OVAC Fellowship & Student Awards of Excellence Application Deadline Apr 15: OVAC Grants for Artists Deadline Apr 20-21: Tulsa Art Studio Tour Apr 30: OVAC Summer Internship Application Deadline May 1: Momentum Tulsa Emerging Curator Application Deadline
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.
March Mary Ann Strandell Opening Reception: FRIDAY, MARCH 1 6 - 10 P.M.
April Catherine Adams Opening Reception: FRIDAY, APRIL 5 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