Art Focus Oklahoma, May/June 2012 by Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition

ArtOFocus k l a h o m a

Ok l a ho m a V i s u al A r ts C o al i t i on

Vo l u m e 2 7 N o . 3

May/June 2012

Art OFocus k l a h o m a

Drawing by Emma Ann Robertson.

from the editor In this issue of Art Focus Oklahoma, we introduce to you several artists whose processes are rooted in traditional craft techniques. By honing their skill with materials, these artists are able to convey complex ideas that communicate on both a personal and universal level. While the materials have a tradition in practicality, the work of these artists spans the gamut of form and function. Norman artist Heather Clark Hilliard (p. 4) employs traditional techniques and natural methods for spinning and dyeing wool for use in her delicately elaborate installations. Her labor- and time-intensive processes are well-suited to the work’s narrative, which is spun from her personal life and experiences. Cathryn Thomas’s recent exhibition at the University of Tulsa’s Alexandre Hogue Gallery (cover, p. 10) included ceramic sculptures that blur the distinction between humankind and the natural world. Showcasing ceramic work that merges form and function is a new exhibition at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman celebrating the legacy of Frankoma Pottery (p. 18). Inspired by the frontier spirit of the state of Oklahoma, John Frank created artful and functional pottery that would be affordable for many families. Moving into the future, the new Hardesty Center for Fab Lab Tulsa (p. 22) is making new fabrication technologies available, opening up a myriad of possibilities for artists. These new technologies even have the possibility of automating or replacing some of the traditional techniques mentioned above, which raises a new conversation about the value of handmade craftsmanship. Nonetheless, it is exciting to imagine what is possible when artists are given access to equipment such as a 3D printer, laser cutter, or MakerBot Thing-O-Matic.

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 2011-June 2012: R.C. Morrison, Bixby; Patrick Kamann, Margo Shultes von Schlageter, MD (Treasurer), Christian Trimble, Rick Vermillion, Edmond; Eric Wright, El Reno; Traci Layton (Secretary), Enid; Suzanne Mitchell (President), Norman; Jennifer Barron (Vice President), Susan Beaty, Gina Ellis, Hillary Farrell, Michael Hoffner, Stephen Kovash, Paul Mays, Carl Shortt, Oklahoma City; Joey Frisillo, Sand Springs; Bradley Jessop, Sulphur; Beth Downing, 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.

Kelsey Karper publications@ovac-ok.orgb

View the online archive at www.ArtFocusOklahoma.org.

Support from:

On the cover Cathryn Thomas, Tulsa, The Trail, Terra cotta, dry clay, terra sigillata, stain, 72” x 43” x 30” (page 10).

contents

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Slow Art Advocate

The work of Norman artist Heather Clark Hilliard merges natural and found materials into installations and sculptural fiber work.

Narrative Objects: Allison Lackner

Tulsa-based artist Allison Lackner investigates the interiors of public and private spaces in intimately-sized ceramic works.

FRINGE: I See What You Are Saying

A new organization in Oklahoma City strives to provide a nurturing network of female artists.

re v i e w s 10 Weathering Life: Cathryn Thomas’s MFA Thesis Exhibition

A recent exhibition at the University of Tulsa’s Alexandre Hogue gallery blurred the conventional distinction between humankind and the natural world.

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12 The Journey from A to Z: Lawton Printmaker’s Retrospective Examines Influences and Creative Processes A series of educational exhibits and a comprehensive artwork review offers an intimate portrait of Katherine Liontas-Warren’s 28-year artistic career.

14 Festival Season Preview

Spring is here, bringing arts festivals to communities large and small across Oklahoma.

16 Fiberworks 2012: Celebrating Innovative Fiber Art and Fine Craft for 34 Years

This annual juried exhibition of fiber arts includes both traditional craft and contemporary, innovative fine art.

18 Clay, Art, Form and Function

A new exhibition at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman celebrates the legacy of Frankoma Pottery.

20 Celebrating Community: Celebración Spotlights Oklahoma’s Latino Artists

An upcoming exhibition at Norman’s MAINSITE gallery focuses on Oklahoma’s Latino and Latina artists, proving that artistic concepts are not bound by culture.

f e a t u re s 22 On the Map: The Hardesty Center for Fab Lab Tulsa

The new Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab) in Tulsa is a community workspace that provides the necessary tools to digitally fabricate objects in a wide variety of sizes and materials.

24 Teens Get F.U.S.E.D. with Creativity at Oklahoma ArtScience Prize

A project of Creative Oklahoma, the yearlong after school program encourages high school students to develop art and design ideas informed by concepts at the frontier of modern science.

business of art 26 Ask a Creativity Coach: Do ONE THING

The Creativity Coach suggests breaking that to-do list down into more manageable – and prioritized – tasks.

OVAC news

28 New and Renewing Members 29 OVAC News 30

gallery guide

(p. 4) Heather Clark Hilliard, Norman, detail of Scroll #10: Archives: I have just one thing to say..., Artist’s journals (1988-1992), rolled and stitched, Approximately 10’ x 9’ x 6’ (p.8) Christie Owen, Gold & Ivory, Acrylic, 48” x 48” (p. 24) Teens work together on projects for Oklahoma ArtScience Prize.

Slow Art Advocate by Allison C. Meier

Heather Clark Hilliard, Norman, Scroll #10: Archives: I have just one thing to say..., Artist’s journals (1988-1992), rolled and stitched, Approximately 10’ x 9’ x 6’

On a sheep farm in Connecticut in 1994, Heather Clark Hilliard encountered a dye pot of boiling fuchsia Brazilwood that immediately altered her idea of what natural color could be. “We dyed wool the most gorgeous color you have ever seen, and I was on the spot converted to a natural color and slow art advocate,” she said. “If you work with natural materials, you automatically incorporate unpredictability and required methodology into your work processes. There is nothing more exciting than combining natural fiber with other natural materials and exploring the results.”

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These principles have shaped her work, which merges natural and found materials into installations and sculptural fiber work, some that re-imagine reclaimed blankets with plant dye, while others have river rocks clothed in hand spun wool. Plants, maps, rocks, trees, wool and any natural material, as well as natural colors and light, are recurring sources for her art. “Natural materials provide cloth, shelter, food, color--everything physically important to us,” she said. “Their limits and their limitless capacity are inspiring.”

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Hilliard studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she learned creative principles of how to approach her life and work, as well as artistic techniques including how to spin wool. Now based in Norman, she continues to expand her perceptions of her art through local workshops on textile techniques and natural dyeing processes. In September 2011, she was awarded one of six Featured Individual Artist Awards from the Norman Arts Council, the first time they have given out such awards. In addition to her artistic training, she grew up in a creative environment; her dad was an industrial designer and her mom was a knitter.

“In our house, anything was possible to make,” she said. “That philosophy stays with me regardless of what I am making.” Beyond natural materials, her personal life is an integral and inseparable influence on her work’s narrative. For example, in her recent exhibition at MAINSITE Contemporary Art in Norman, entitled lines of language/ language of lines (February/March 2012), a series of 11 works explored the format and meaning of scrolls, some torn from her own journals. “I knew I wanted to transform my journals, give them another life,” she said. “As I ripped the pages and rolled each of the 2,400 pieces on a chopstick with a glue stick while sitting as the passenger in the car while my husband drove 2,000 miles, I went through a strange meditation process, an intense process of letting go. It was elevating, releasing.” Scroll #10: Archives: I have just one thing to say... has tiny scrolls hanging in delicate curtains, a three-dimensional environment brought out from the pages. As she was pulling out the journal pages, she was also re-reading short phrases from what she had written almost two decades ago, out of context fragments of two or three words. She found the experience of glimpsing her life this way, catching these moments of words as she obliterated the journals into something new, as both “sobering and laugh out loud funny,” a disjointed experience she recreated with vinyl words lining a wall in the MAINSITE show. “I see Archives as so much more beautiful than anything I ever wrote in my journals, and it seems that what we say and what we mean changes so drastically in and out of context that we have to consider, honestly, what we are holding onto,” she said. This theme of holding on and letting go is also in Scroll #7: Conjoint, another piece exhibited at MAINSITE, where she transcribed her will onto white satin ribbon, winding it into a sculptural loom, reminding us of the heavy expectations and entitlements of wills. Another work, Scroll #9 Bloodlines, used a red madder dye derived from the root of Rubia tinctorium

Heather Clark Hilliard, Norman, Scroll #9: Bloodlines, Hand spun yarn, madder dye, Site specific corner installation

on hand spun wool, which was then pulled into a three dimensional drawing, representing “what makes up a family, what ties us together and how things can easily get tangled.” She is continually fascinated by the complexity of natural colors, and how they are extracted. Her recent series, Collected Color, is a map making project documenting her travels with her husband throughout the country. Along the way, she collects plant materials, preserving the time, location and water sources through prepared cotton fabrics tightly packed into the jars with the plants. The intensive process harvests color, leaving behind random delicate lines or bold marks contrasted with the memory and idea of the place. “For me, working with traditional materials such as hand spun yarn is a way of respecting the past, and using those materials in nontraditional ways is a way of having reverence for the future while carrying the skills and knowledge from artisans from many cultures into our contemporary world,” she said. “These materials are astoundingly beautiful, tactile, seductive and they inspire so much creativity and innovation. These materials add a sense of history and survival. It is in these materials that I find the contrast so compelling in our modern world- the dance between natural and

synthetic, handmade and machine made, fast and convenient or slow and meaningful.” Inspired by artists like Lenore Tawney, who experimented with complicated weaving structures in large-scale works, and Tomoko Ishida, who uses minimal materials in repetitive processes that build into installations, as well as Kyoung Ae Cho, an artist who stitches with found natural materials like twigs and leaves, Heather Clark Hilliard continues to push the boundaries of her work based in the natural world, while guarding its inextricable connection to contemporary society. “We live in such a materialistic world that I can’t help but have materiality and the process of working with and combining materials be the core of my work as it progresses into the future,” she said. “Maybe that will shift at some point, but for now I will follow it and see where it leads me.” n Allison C. Meier is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn. She works in communications at the Cooper Union and has covered visual arts in Oklahoma for several years. She can be reached at allisoncmeier@gmail.com.

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Narrative Objects: Allison Lackner by Tiffany Barber

(below and detail, right) Allison Lackner, Tulsa, Hidden Innocence, Mixed Media (ceramic and found object), approximately 30” x 48” of floor space

In the latter half of the 15th century, miniature portrait painting emerged as a unique art form in the British and French royal courts. Born from the tradition of the illuminated manuscript, portrait miniatures were rooted in the book arts and were typically rendered in gouache, watercolor, or enamel. Noted British portrait miniaturist Nicholas Hilliard (c. 1537-1619) was celebrated for his ability to capture the character of the sitter. The miniature operates at the nexus between public and private spheres; the small token served a significant role in negotiating long distance – in matters of the heart, of the home, and of business. Tulsa-based artist Allison Lackner extends the Victorian tradition of portrait miniatures to the dollhouse and everyday objects to explore the interiors of these public and private spaces. Lackner began working in photography then expanded her practice to include printmaking and ceramics. Lackner’s multivalent practice, which also includes drawing, bookmaking, and installation, is wedged between narrative and fiction, complete with programmed ellipses. In fact, Lackner’s work functions as an ellipsis itself, inhabiting the mechanism’s rhetorical properties of unfinished thought, the end of a sentence, a trailing silence, and feelings of melancholia or longing.

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Broadly, Lackner is concerned with surfaces and interiors, from replicated kitchen counters and bathroom sinks to individual memories. Rooms in the home serve as a metaphor for the body and its affective qualities. Lackner literalizes this relationship in her use of the dollhouse as a motif. Here the artist sets up a tension between personhood and place. In her 2011 thesis exhibition Dirty Pretty Things, Lackner presented five works comprised of ceramics, mixed media, and found objects. Each work resembled two distinct Victorian constructions, either a vanity or a dollhouse, in which furniture pieces like parlor tables and nightstands were employed as pedestals. Lackner makes her investments in the viewer, or rather the sitter, explicit by placing a chair at a predetermined height in front of each piece. In Preservation of Play, the artist arranged silver-coated everyday objects – a brush, a set of pearls, red lipstick, perfume – atop a dressing table, recalling childhood dress-up games as well as the age-old obsession with beautifying processes. Hidden Innocence consists of an exposed two-story dollhouse with seemingly banal elements. Closer inspection, however, reveals maniacal idiosyncrasies in the pristine porcelain fixtures; for instance, hemlock, opium, and other poisons in the bathroom medicine cabinet, a butcher knife in the kitchen sink, and a hidden third story containing a teddy bear and small bed suggesting the presence of a neglected child. In Broken Home, Lackner effectively represented her interest in collapsing presumptions and uncovering imperfections with an abandoned, rapidly dilapidating house. In The Show Must Go On, a dismembered ballerina is placed in the middle of a proscenium stage. Framed by red velvet curtains, the ballerina figure confronts audience expectations with eyes closed and red ballet shoes hanging from her only remaining appendage. The Wrath of Kingsley Johnson is comprised of a small, quaint diorama filled with kitchen and bathroom appliances. Photos featuring the same anonymous woman are hung on the miniature refrigerator, on the bathroom walls, and scattered in the drawers of the piece’s pedestal nightstand. A severed arm and foot, assumed remnants of the photographed woman, reveal the pathology of repetition-as-obsession and the photograph as both an archiving memory device and a voyeuristic mechanism. Lackner’s own obsession with objects of nostalgia are brought to bear in her work, with influences running the gamut of old family photographs, black and white films, books, Victorian greeting cards, burlesque, pin-ups from the 1920s through the 1940s, print and television advertisements from the 1950s, baked goods, and vintage couture shoes and clothing. For Lackner, the objects themselves are performative, taking precedence over narrative form. Lackner’s employment of the miniature, the dollhouse, and everyday objects animates certain versions of the world and addresses relations of language to experience, body to scale, and narrative to object. Here, the miniature and the dollhouse are literal metaphors for interiority and collectively mediate constructed and imagined experience in time and space. If experiencing Lackner’s work feels strangely personal, then you are in the right place. Strange because it is not always as it seems; personal because it is intimately connected with the artist’s childhood and upbringing; and ‘the right place’ because it at once feels both like home and like a disorienting time machine keyed to the recent past. This

Allison Lackner, The Show Must Go On (detail), Mixed Media (ceramic and found object)

deliberate act of location centers on the viewer, providing just enough information to simulate orientation while also abruptly interrupting this process. Lackner is not interested in telling entire stories; instead, she arms and disarms the viewer with bits and pieces to craft their own imaginary environment. Allison Lackner received a BFA in photography and an MFA in ceramics from The University of Tulsa. She currently lives and works in Tulsa. 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 first-year PhD student in Visual and Cultural Studies at the University of Rochester.

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FRINGE: I See What You Are Saying by Krystle Brewer

Christie Owen, Oklahoma City, Galactic Gold #4, Mixed media, 12” x 12”

The FRINGE is a newly established organization in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area that strives to provide a nurturing network of female artists to create and show their artwork together. The group is very diverse in age, artistic background, medium and creative voice. This diversity creates a nutrient rich environment to promote individual growth as artists. The group was founded when local artists Christie Hackler and Christie Owen found a common interest in forming an organization that could serve as a support group and social network for maturing artists. “We liked ‘fringe’ because of its ambiguity linking the feminine associations to the socially extreme and edgy. We are a group of many different types of women - some super feminine and girly to the ultra-

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tomboy. We support all aspects of being a woman,” said Hackler. FRINGE is not a feminist group but understands that women create and nurture relationship bonds differently then men do. It is designed to be a support system encouraging fellow female artists to continue to make art after graduation as well as an avenue for socialization. Once out of art school many former students find themselves lost without the studio, guidance and resources once provided by their institution. “Now you have this daunting task of being an artist. It is a little overwhelming... and I just wanted to simplify it all. When you get out of school you are kind of lost. Where are the projects? Who’s handing out the projects?” said Hackler. Some artists thrive in the newly found independence to not have to create within the perimeter

of an assignment while others need that stability, organization, and encouragement to reach their full artistic potential. FRINGE meets those needs by bringing female artists together and holding one another accountable. They â&#x20AC;&#x153;hand out the projectsâ&#x20AC;? in the form of organized conceptual shows, volunteer projects and monthly gallery openings the last Friday of each month. FRINGE has recently completed renovations to their new gallery space in the downstairs portion of The Yoga Room at 4027 N Classen in Oklahoma City. A space that was once used for an office and storage has been transformed into a beautiful multi-room art gallery. The grand opening of the new space will coincide with their upcoming show I See What You Are Saying on May 18th, 6-10 pm. The premise of the show is that each artist collaborates with a writer or finds a piece of written material to create three to five inspired pieces. The participating artists have chosen writings that include poetry, novels, songs, and legal documents. Some artists have taken a literal approach by illustrating the inspiration piece while others have used the document for a

unifying theme. The varying approaches to the concept have made for a dynamic and diverse show crossing a multitude of mediums and presentation styles. More information about the artists, past shows and future endeavors can be found on their website at www.fringe-okc.com. n Krystle Brewer received her BFA from Oklahoma City University and will be pursuing her Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the fall. She is currently the Project Coordinator at the Cultural Development Corporation.

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Weathering Life: Cathryn Thomas’s MFA Thesis Exhibition by Janice McCormick

Cathryn Thomas, Tulsa, Gatherings, Terra cotta, found objects.

The Alexandre Hogue Gallery, on the University of Tulsa campus, featured Cathryn Thomas’s MFA Thesis Exhibition of ceramics, from February 23 through March 16, 2012. All but one of her ceramics are strictly sculptural, rather than functional. In exploring the vicissitudes of life, Thomas blurs the conventional distinction between humankind and the natural world. The Trail consists of a veritable forest of thirty-nine aspen tree trunks, ranging from 39 to 44 inches tall. Set on a table at waist height, they are at eye level – and indeed they stare back at the viewer! Where branches have been cut off, the stumps become pupils, while the healing folds of bark form eyelids and bags under the eyes. Incised arches serve as eyebrows. Some look surprised, others seem indifferent and few look quizzical. It does give you a slightly unsettling, if not paranoid, feeling. Marring their white bark are scrapes, gashes, gouges, cracks and insect holes, all reflecting the scars of existence. Unlike The Trail, Community/Grove comes across as more subtle in its

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anthropomorphizing of the aspens. There are only three tree trunks, each with fewer “eyes.” Their imposing size (the shortest is slightly under 5’ tall, while the other two are around 6’) coupled with a pedestal low to the floor not only puts them on a par with the viewer, but also invites the viewer to become a part of this group. Slight variations in their heights and girths suggest a family – father, mother and child. The short one leans towards the other two. Like the aspens in The Trail, the various markings on their white bark reflect their struggles for survival. Rather than imbuing nature with human traits, Listen… seeks to naturalize human beings. Sitting on a stand in the corner of the lower portion of the Hogue Gallery, Listen… depicts a life-size bust of a woman with her hair in a bun, her eyes closed. Above her a huge drawing of tree limbs in brown, blacks and whites fills the gallery corner. The facial expression captures the attitude of listening. You half expect to hear a bird sing or the wind whistling through the branches above. Her flesh is drained of all color. In fact, the entire surface of the woman is covered in

white. Incised lines reveal the darker layer of clay beneath the surface and thus delineate the strands of her hair and outline her facial features. These lines echo some of the markings on the bark of the aspens. Seven pairs of terra cotta hands, each holding found objects, jut out from the wall in Gatherings. Each pair captures a different emotional quality. Three examples will suffice. One pair of hands is cupped close together, protecting a nest of three light brown eggs, while another pair gently cradles an empty nest. A third pair has the fingers spread open and the palms up as if offering up its autumn leaves of red and yellow. Other found objects include gray rocks, a dead branch, two branches with buds and berries, and twisted leafless vines. Partially covering the terra cotta hands are under-glazes and stains of pale whites, parched browns and pale greens as well as some darker browns and black. The resulting mottled surface calls to mind the thin film of mosses growing on the ground or lichens on rocks. Since none of these hands are flesh colored, perhaps it is Mother Earth’s hands that support these gatherings.

Some of Thomas’s ceramics dwell on the inevitable passage of time as evidenced by the changing seasons. Quiet Autumn in particular creates an elegiac mood. A curtain of delicate leaves hang suspended from the ceiling by barely visible fishing lines in three staggered layers deep. The leaves, or more accurately, the skeletal outlines/ forms of oak, elm, ginkgo and maple leaves twist and turn with the slightest breeze. The gallery lights cast their shadows against a white background. The muted colors, such as the various shades of browns, greens, orange-reds and yellows, add a sober note. Maturity creates an even more solemn tone. Two fairly massive sunflower heads lay as if decapitated on the stand. Their faded, light brown petals are twisted and parched. One touch and they might disintegrate. The dark and dull blue-green leaves have lost their lifegiving power of photosynthesis. The seed heads are dark gray, with a few areas of dull, dark reddish purple. Across their surface are small indentations where the seeds have already fallen away. Some works do offer a contrasting glimpse of hope by reflecting birth and renewal. For example, Cycles presents four bright red magnolia seeds. Similarly, in Discovery, red blossoms and buds emerge from a nest comprised of a bright green flowering vine. It waits to be filled once again with new life. Even Gatherings (described above) includes eggs, flowering buds and berries – all life affirming symbols. On the whole, however, the mood of Thomas’s exhibit is a somber one - somber in the face of life’s constant struggles with its ultimate outcome never quite lost sight of. It is a struggle and a fate we humans as embodied creatures share with all living beings. View more of her work online at www.cathrynthomasceramics.com. n Janice McCormick is an art reviewer who has been writing about art in Tulsa and Oklahoma since 1990. Currently she teaches philosophy part-time at Tulsa Community College. She can be reached at artreview@olp.net. (top) Cathryn Thomas, Tulsa, Quiet Autumn, Terra cotta slip, underglazes, nylon line, 96” x 72” x 16” (right) Cathryn Thomas, Tulsa, Listen..., Terra cotta, terra sigillata, stain, 20” x 15” x 8”

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The Journey from A to Z: Lawton Printmaker’s Retrospective Examines Influences and Creative Processes by Karen Paul Through a series of educational exhibits and a comprehensive look at her artwork, Katherine Liontas-Warren’s retrospective, Oklahoma Perspectives, offers an intimate portrait of her 28-year professional career. This unique exhibition provides a window into the Lawton printmaker’s creative process. It also analyzes her connection to traditional printing processes and innovative creative forces that influence her work. “It is an incredible honor to have a retrospective at a museum in Oklahoma,” said Liontas-Warren who moved to the state in 1984. “When I was approached by Donna Merkt about the show at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art, I was almost teary eyed.” Merkt selected 65 pieces for the retrospective, which covers Liontas-Warren’s career from 1988-2011. “I’m 53 years old and still feel like I’m 20. As I’ve wrapped this show, I found myself wondering how I made so much art while teaching full time.” As a whole, the retrospective illustrates Liontas-Warren’s growth as an artist, starting with regional motifs related to her adopted home state of Oklahoma. A series of personal narratives and detailed creative processes also deeply affect her work. “The tornado motifs in the early ‘90s represent life in Oklahoma and the birth of my twin sons in 1993,” she said. “These narrative pieces have honest imagery reflecting my personal experiences and the place I love.” The retrospective also hints at how LiontasWarren is now becoming a different type of image maker as she deliberately moves away from the Oklahoma imagery she is famous for. It is a move that is both challenging and comforting to the artist. “As I get older and more confident in my work, I’m beginning to move away from my comfort zone,” she said. “Until now, I’ve always been very linear in my creation process. My current pieces are a lot more emotive and creative in the process. They may contain personal narratives, portraits or random objects that are more focused on merging spontaneous drawing with other mediums. The drawings

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Katherine Liontas-Warren, Lawton, Spring Chatter, Lithograph, 30” x 22”

are a combination of realistic and expressive mark making.” In addition to documenting her journey as an artist, the retrospective also incorporates two of Liontas-Warren’s complementary passions – teaching and journaling. She credits these two elements as being integral to her development as a professional artist. “Teaching has been the best thing for me as an artist,” she said. “I’ve been teaching at Cameron University for 28 years and I still learn so much from my students. It’s so invigorating when they get excited about their work.” As part of the retrospective, Liontas-Warren will set up demonstrations to educate the public about her printmaking techniques. Demonstrations will include a drypoint set up and a printmaking stone with artwork created from both of those processes. These complex techniques allow the artist to produce smaller detailed editions of her work, often numbering only 15-20 prints, usually in a two-week timeframe. The retrospective will also include a handson artist workshop led by Liontas-Warren on Saturday, June 9, 2012. Open to individuals ages 16 and older, this workshop will give

Liontas-Warren the opportunity to share the artistic elements she believes are essential to the artistic process. These elements, she believes, form a universal foundation for a visual language of art. “In my drawing classes, students are taught to visually think about the structure of an object. As they continue to learn how to see, a great awareness of confidence develops in the understanding of art making,” she said. Liontas-Warren’s teaching and creative processes also include detailed journaling with both sketches and written descriptions. Ten of her personal journals will be on display during the retrospective, including journals created with her sons when they were children and journals related to her studies of the Wichita Mountains, images which can be found in her Oklahoma motifs. “A journal is the best asset an artist can have,” she said. Liontas-Warren’s process of journaling synthesizes her creative process, her love of teaching and her belief in the universal language of art. “As my students work in their journals, I discourage them from working with

photographs. Their first two years are structured with a very strong approach to academic lessons in drawing and journaling,” she said. “Journaling is a personal lifetime adventure of descriptions and visual thinking.” For Liontas-Warren, it is not the end result that is the most important part of artistic expression. Rather, it is the creative process. “Art making is the process of getting from point A to point Z,” she said. “The beauty of it is that is not finite. It keeps going and going.” Oklahoma Perspectives, a retrospective of Katherine Liontas-Warren’s work from 1988-2011, will be May 4-June 24, 2012, at the MabeeGerrer Museum of Art in Shawnee, OK. As part of the retrospective, Liontas-Warren will host a reception and artist talk on Friday, June 8, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. and a special Fine Arts Workshop on Saturday, June 9, 2012. For more information or to register, visit the museum’s web site at www.mgmoa.org. n Karen Paul is a freelance writer based in Norman, Okla. Paul specializes in arts-based articles. You can contact her at karenpaulok@gmail.com

Katherine Liontas-Warren, Lawton, Once Upon a Texas Night, Colored pencil, 30” x 22”

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Festival Season Preview by Natalie Deuschle

Tulsa International Mayfest 2011

Oklahoma has a wide array of festivals in May and June. While some events are more specifically geared towards representing the talents of local Oklahomans, others represent work from national artisans. From esteemed Native American dance performances in Oklahoma City to quirky craftsmanship in Edmond, there is an artistic avenue for every person to explore. This article highlights a small handful of the many festivals happening this time of year. For the 33rd consecutive year, the Downtown Edmond Arts Festival will be taking place on May 4-6. The festival takes place in downtown Edmond, north of 2nd St and Broadway. The festival spans several downtown city blocks, offering a venue for both local and out of state artists to exhibit and sell their artwork. Fans of the Edmond Arts Festival anticipate its arrival not only for its art, but also its ambiance of a small town carnival, complete with charming rides and fair food, such as cotton candy, kettle corn and ice cream. The May Fair Arts Festival in Norman takes place the same weekend, but only for one event-packed day in Andrew Park on May 5. Unlike many of the other art festivals, May Fair kicks off with a sweaty and healthy

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“Art and Sole” fun run, either a 2k or 5k. With demonstrations and opportunities to practice new artistic techniques, the festival places a special emphasis on art education for children. While browsing artwork, attendees can also expect to see live dance and musical performances. Similar name, but different city, Mayfest take place this year May 17-20 in the heart of downtown Tulsa. The festival displays the artwork of 120 national artists, 85% are juried artists chosen from a highly competitive jury selection process and 15% are market artists who sell items such as toys and hand-painted T-shirts. Additionally, there are several specialty galleries on display. In the lobby of the Williams Towers is the Invitational Gallery, which houses work from some of the best artists in Tulsa. The Green Gallery houses works of art created to communicate the sustainable future of Tulsa. Artwork from members of The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges can be found at the Downtown YMCA in the Mayo Building. Mayfest’s long loved KidZone will return again this year, offering a new range of creative and unique artistic opportunities for children to explore.

On the same weekend in downtown Tulsa, is the more locally focused Blue Dome Arts Festival. What started off as a humble venture in the backyard of Tulsa sculptor Virginia Harrison, has quickly become a popular destination for Mayfest goers, if not the overall favorable alternative. The event takes place in the Blue Dome District at 2nd & Elgin, just a stone’s throw from the busier MayFest. There will be 200+ vendors, 150 being visual artists there to sell their crafts, ranging from photography to home décor. Emerging student artists sponsored by local organizations such as the Kaiser Foundation, The Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa and the Blue Dome District, are honored at the festival by displaying their works in a special section. Live entertainment such as belly dancers and artist demonstrations will be taking place on the festival’s main stage. Southwest Oklahoma’s largest arts festival, known as the Arts for All Festival, is happening this year May 11th-13th in Lawton. This event offers art, entertainment and an assortment of tasty foods. All profits go to Arts for All Inc, whose mission is “fostering the arts in Southwest Oklahoma.” Arts for All will take place outside in the beautifully wooded Shepler Park, near downtown Lawton.

The Paseo Arts District of Oklahoma City will be celebrating Memorial Day Weekend with the Paseo Arts Festival, May 26-28. Built in 1929 as the first shopping center north of downtown Oklahoma City, the Paseo District holds special ties with the history of arts in Oklahoma. The first Oklahoma artist studio and gallery was built in the district in 1920. Later, in the 1950s, jazz clubs and student party culture also came to the area. The Paseo began its transition into a full-fledged art district in the 1970s, with the first annual Paseo Arts Festival occurring in 1977. Today, the festival offers visual art by artists carefully chosen from a jury, performance art and live music.

vibrant market of arts and exhilarating dance competitions. For a more complete listing of Oklahoma art festivals during these months, browse TravelOK.com under the Festivals and Events tab. n Natalie Deuschle graduated from Colby College in 2011 with a degree in Classical Civilization. She currently works as a bilingual social worker and teaches Kripalu Yoga around Tulsa. Visit natalie-kay.com. Arts for All Festival, Lawton

The last festival mentioned is one of the most well regarded shows of its kind. The Red Earth Festival is June 8-10 in downtown Oklahoma City at the Cox Convention Center, where more than 1,200 Native American artists and performers come together to share their rich and vibrant culture and history with the public. It is the standard-setting festival for all Native American art shows in the nation. In colorful regalia, a parade of Native Americans representing more than 100 tribes fill Oklahoma Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downtown streets for an exciting parade that marks the beginning of the festival. Beyond the parade is the festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (below left) Blue Dome Arts Festival, Tulsa (below right) Arts for All Festival, Lawton

Red Earth Festival, Oklahoma City

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Fiberworks 2012: Celebrating Innovative Fiber Art and Fine Craft for 34 Years by Holly Wall

Sharyl Landis, Tulsa, Whimsical

For artists in Oklahoma, the debate as to whether or not traditional American crafts— like embroidery, quilting, basket weaving, and knitting—should be considered art has been all but decided. There’s no denying that the works in Fiberworks, the annual exhibition sponsored by Fiber Artists of Oklahoma (FAO), are works of art. Conceived in 1978, Fiberworks promotes all aspects of fiber art— including weaving, spinning, embroidery, basketry, felting, papermaking, dyeing,

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rug hooking, lace-making and quilting— statewide. Fiberworks 2012 is June 15-July 7 at Individual Artists of Oklahoma Gallery at 706 W Sheridan Ave in Oklahoma City. The juried exhibition includes both traditional fine craft and contemporary, innovative art. Sue Moss Sullivan, a member of FAO since 1977, when it was known as the Handweavers League of Oklahoma, said FAO was formed at a time when, nationally, what

is known as “fiber art” was first coming into being, when crafters began to use their skill and media to move beyond the construction of useful objects to truly innovate and create works of art. Sullivan discovered fiber art by way of the loom. “I saw someone weaving and got under the loom to see how it worked,” she said. “That got me into the history of weaving. Most

people who care about it are aware of the ancient traditions and the importance of honoring an American craft, like quilts that were so ahead of their time in design, but still made to cover people and keep them warm. Artists take functional things and put their own marks on them.” The small group that formed in Norman in the early ‘70s is statewide and still growing. “We’ve managed to keep Fiberworks going 34 years,” she said, “and it is stronger every year.” The first Fiberworks events were open to all fiber artists working in Oklahoma and offered them an opportunity to show their work in a gallery setting. As the event’s popularity grew and submissions increased, the group saw need for a jurying process, inviting credentialed fiber artists from outside Oklahoma to jury work from the hundreds of submissions made.

“Being process oriented, I immerse myself in my practice, ever desiring to bring more clarity and authenticity to my studio work. My pieces combine materials and processes that include textiles, papers, screenprinting, monoprinting and mark-making. I prize thoughtful experimentation; while this often leads to failures or creates problems, it also brings about some of my most exciting insights and new ideas.” Fiber Artists of Oklahoma has added events, in addition to the gallery exhibition, to Fiberworks over the years, said Sullivan, the event’s chairman. Prior to the exhibition’s opening on Friday, June 15 at 6 p.m., Beck will offer a lecture at 5 p.m. about “ikigai” and the practice of art. According to the Fiberworks prospectus, “’ikigai’ is a Japanese term that has no English translation but roughly means “a reason to wake up in the morning.” Although we may not have this specific word in our Western vocabulary, the search for meaning in life is a universal part of the human condition. “For many of us, making art is our way of making meaning in our lives. This talk considers artistic process and how we go about making our way from the germination of a creative idea to its completion. Along the way, we may uncover some creative insights from other artists that can inform our work and inspire a greater belief in our artistic potentials.” Additionally, Beck will lead a gallery talk on June 16 from 10 a.m.12 p.m., during which she’ll critique the work on display and offer explanations for why it was chosen, suggestions for new work, and answer questions. The opening reception, lecture and gallery talk are open to the public.

Photography © Joseph Mills

This year’s juror is Jeanne Raffer Beck, a full-time studio artist from New York. In her artist’s statement, Beck writes: “I am a full-time studio artist who explores personal histories through handwritten fragments that survive over time. In a technology-driven culture where handwriting is becoming obsolete, I enjoy incorporating fragments from these found letters and journals as well as excavating the rich material of my own memories to use in mixed media constructions.

Stephanie Grubbs, Edmond, The Beginning and the End, Half-hitch knotting.

“The best thing we’ve gleaned from all these additions, for those of us who have been around all these years, is we see how artists’ work often evolves, improving both in design and technique. They have been challenged by the juror’s comments and often are motivated in a different direction,” Sullivan said. “They keep working. The juror critiques each piece that is entered, whether it’s in the show or not. It makes a huge difference in people’s work.” As for the debate about craft versus art, Sullivan offers this: “There will always be argument about what’s fine craft and what’s fine art. Most say, ‘What do you care? Is it great work? Is it done well?’ I say, in most cultures, if their craft is a traditional craft that people are still doing, then that’s fine art in their culture.” For more information, visit www.fiberartistsok.org. n Holly Wall is an award-winning journalist who’s written about art, business and family matters for various newspapers and magazines in Oklahoma. Currently, she’s the news editor for This Land Press, where she writes daily commentary on local and national news as it pertains to the state, as well as long-form, narrative stories. She lives in Tulsa with her two sons.

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Clay, Art, Form and Function by Sheri Ishmael-Waldrop

(left) Frankoma, Lazybones Covered Baker, Clay Blue, Ceramic. (right) Frankoma, “Spire” Vase, Ceramic

Have you ever looked at a piece of art pottery and wondered why or how? The University of Oklahoma’s (OU) Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art now features the exhibition Oklahoma Clay: Frankoma Pottery through September 16. John Frank arrived at the University of Oklahoma in 1927 to found the ceramics program. During his 11 years of teaching at the university, he established Frankoma Pottery. This exhibition examines some of the most iconic pieces Frankoma produced and how the frontier spirit of Oklahoma inspired Frank’s work. John Frank’s daughter, Joniece, credits David and Molly Boren for the recognition of her parents. She said when the Boren’s heard that John Frank founded the OU Pottery program they felt he had to be honored.

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A plaque in front of the Ceramic Studio reads in part, “The program has sent its undergraduates and graduate students around the world to pursue engaging careers as artists and entrepreneurs…With his 12 students, he built the first studio and kiln for ceramics at OU in the armory… His ambition was to create a line of fine art ware and sculpture that people, even the most modest means, could afford… John Frank dedicated much of his life to philanthropy, focused on giving opportunities and spiritual values to young people… It is said of John Frank he was the kind of man small boys hope they’ll grow to be and old men wish they had been.”

of Art is the first time the collection has been shown as a whole. The exhibition is curated by Jane Ford Aebersold, curator emeritus of ceramics at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.

“It is quite an honor for my father,” Joniece said. “Dad said, ‘If art is good it will last.’ A spoon holder can be a beautiful piece of art, but useful.”

The history of John Frank and the University of Oklahoma intertwined when Dr. Oscar Jacobson, director of the OU School of Art, contacted the Chicago Art Institute seeking an instructor. Joniece said Jacobson told the Institute he needed

The exhibition at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum

“Oklahoma Clay: Frankoma Pottery is a celebration of the vision of John Frank and his wife, Grace Lee, and of the talented designers, artisans and engineers who were part of the larger Frankoma family,” said Aebersold. “Their goal was to provide cheerful and colorful tableware and decorative accents to fit into the modern mode of living, well-crafted but affordable for a family of modest means.”

someone who “could do anything and was very enthusiastic.” A friend loaned Frank $50 so that he could make the trip to Oklahoma. Frank Pottery started in Norman, but after one year Frank began looking for a new location. He was traveling through Sapulpa and met Nick Duvas, owner of Lorraine Hotel. He introduced Frank to Fred Cowden with the Chamber of Commerce who encouraged him to start his business in Sapulpa. “In Oklahoma, following the depression, people built a home, had a family bible and a bookshelf,” said Joniece. “Frankoma made bookends popular and then they developed the Wagon Wheel Dinnerware line in 1940.” His artistic ability created a unique design for even the most common piece of utility ware. Frank designed with a function in mind. Joniece said he started with art pieces for sale, but soon discovered buyers would purchase a full set of dinnerware and completer pieces. He was the first one to put a handle on a bowl and won a national design award for design of a serving tray. Frank used Ada and Sapulpa clays with glazes, colors and designs representative of the Southwest and Great Plains. The tableware was said to fit the modern mode of living and was well crafted for the sale prices so that families of modest means could afford. The clay he found and used for many years came from Ada, OK. He discovered it while working with the OU Geology Department at the university testing clays for commercial use. Ada clay has a lighter pale color. Sapulpa clay is a darker red clay from Sugarloaf Hill, but later became more pinkish. Two trademarks were used by Frankoma: the “Pot and Puma” mark is the original on sculpture and art pottery, and the standard FRANKOMA and model number. If you look closely and find one that reads “To Honey from Honey” it was a first run piece signed by Frank for his wife Grace. It was a family business, and they all worked to build the company. He married Grace Lee Bowman Frank. Joniece said her parents mentally worked together to design. Grace designed the Lazy Bone line which was shaped to fit a grasp, balanced in your hand, and easy to hold without an attached handle. Donna once said her mother had “structural vision” in the way she designed. Frank believed learning to create pottery was an apprentice-type education.

Image courtesy Sapulpa Historical Society.

until mass production sets became popular at box stores like WalMart or Kmart, she said. Joniece sold Frankoma in 1991. After several owners is it now closed and in 2011 the showroom, kiln and remaining stock was sold at auction. The original molds still remain in Sapulpa. For a complete history of Frank and his company read Clay in the Master’s Hands by Donna Frank. To see public pieces of Frankoma Pottery visit the Oklahoma Governor’s Mansion, as well as the Sapulpa Historical Museum. For more information about the exhibition, visit ou.edu/fjjma. n Sheri Ishmael-Waldrop is a freelance writer and photographer from Sapulpa, and the director of Sapulpa Arts.

“I looked over my daddy’s shoulder and learned things I wish I could share,” Joniece said. The Sapulpa factory has always been in its current location along Historic Rt. 66, despite two damaging fires. It was a strong company

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Celebrating Community: Celebración Spotlights Oklahoma’s Latino Artists by Jennifer Barron

Franz Mutis, Jazz in Venice, Acrylic on canvas.

Celebración, as you might guess, is a Spanish word that translates to celebration in English. The word is a “cognate” - a word that is the same (or very close) in two different languages, sharing a linguistic history. Celebración is also the title of an upcoming exhibition at Norman’s MAINSITE gallery with a focus on Oklahoma’s Latino and Latina artists. As curator Nathan Lee describes, this exhibit is also a celebration of the different perspectives of the artists involved. By highlighting the work of these artists, Celebración proves that artistic concepts translate as easily across cultures as cognate words do across languages.

show. “It wouldn’t have happened without MAINSITE,” he stated. Erinn Gavaghan, executive director of the Norman Arts Council--which now coordinates exhibitions at MAINSITE--contacted Lee about the possibility of curating a show, and Lee seized the opportunity, fleshing out the exhibition through discussion and the invitation of specific artists.

Lee is the founder and executive director of Inclusion in Art, a group dedicated to increasing awareness and opportunities for Oklahoma’s artists of color. This will be the first Inclusion in Art show to place a focus on artists in the state’s Latino community. Lee gives credit to the Norman Arts Council for sparking the idea for the

“The artists in this show have some of the broadest vision I’ve ever seen,” comments Lee, noting that while some Celebración artists are already well-established in the state’s visual arts community, others are less well-known. “I hope that this show will give all of these artists a real showcase.”

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The partnership that led to this show highlights what Lee sees as the strength of a close-knit art community. “This is what happens when organizations partner with each other.”

“Overall, the artists involved and the quality of work is outstanding.” Participating artists include Carlos Tello, Franz Mutis, Rocio Del Solar, and Narciso Argüelles, to name just a few. Carlos Tello may be familiar to Oklahoma audiences through his experience as an art educator and through his recent mural Beyond the Centennial, created in the Oklahoma State Capitol building. The mural’s symbols reference the history, present, and future of the state, all in Tello’s signature style, characterized by bold outlines, repetitive curving forms, and a vivid color palette centered on blues and golds. Tello has shown his work, including a number of additional murals, widely around the city and state. Narciso Argüelles creates work that is informed by his childhood in Mexico as well as his Chicano identity. Argüelles defines the term Chicano as a politicized Mexican-

American. In his work, cultural symbols and traditions are explored through a distinctly political consciousness. His work for Celebración, for example, involves the reinterpretation of loteria cards. He describes this body of work in his artist statement: “As a boy, growing up in Mexico, I played this game and I have since been fascinated with these cards. As a Chicano artist now, I want to promote and preserve the history and culture of Mexico, as well as my Indigenous side. In this new body of artwork, I am exploring using these iconic images to convey a message of hope...” Rocio Del Solar is a Peruvian-born artist currently living in Piedmont, Oklahoma. She creates colorful works on panel and wood that employ repetitive patterns, floral themes and figures. In a recent poll in Oklahoma City’s Spanish-language paper Vibraciones, Del Solar was voted the second most popular visual artist in Oklahoma City. (First place was awarded to Carlos Tello.) Celebración is set to open at MAINSITE Gallery on June 8 with an artists reception. Lee sees the state of Oklahoma developing more diversity and inclusion, and one of Lee’s primary goals in curating Celebración is to increase this multiculturalism in the state’s art world. Another major goal is bridging communities. The reason that cognates exist in language has much to do with the evolution of cultures across the world. This malleability of language reminds us that societies are always changing and evolving, becoming richer for the variety of cultures they embrace. Likewise, the work in Celebración is sure to provide attendees with new perspectives on our state’s growing diversity, and a broad spectrum of interpretations on the contemporary Latino experience in Oklahoma. For more information, visit www.mainsite-art.com or www.inclusioninart.org. n Jennifer Barron is an Oklahoma City based artist and arts administrator who believes firmly in the power of art to enhance lives, build communities and push us forward from our comfort zones.

(top) Narciso Argüelles, La Luna, Spray paint and ink on cardboard. (bottom) Carlos Tello, Acrylic on canvas.

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The Hardesty Center for Fab Lab Tulsa

ON THE

by Cathy Deuschle

Fab Lab Tulsa is located at 710 S. Lewis Ave, Tulsa.

Fab Lab, short for Fabrication Laboratory, is a community workspace that provides all the necessary tools to digitally fabricate objects of a wide variety of sizes, scales and materials. Now in over 100 locations spanning 5 continents, Fab Lab is viewed by one of its founders, Neil Gershenfeld, the director of the Center for Bits and Atoms at MIT, as a logical stepping stone between the factory and the home digital fabrication he believes will take place in the next 20 years. Personal fabrication, he states, is “technology for a market of one.” He believes, “the real opportunity is to harness the inventive power of the world to locally design and produce solutions to local problems.” This, he says, is the edge of technology where computers design the physical world. Think Star Trek replicator.

does not yet have. Like all Fab Labs, the evolution of the Tulsa location is dependent on whom it becomes relevant to.

That Fab Labs exist in countries such as Afghanistan, Indonesia, Norway and Kenya, indicates that the mission to bring the latest technology to a broad swath of the world has been realized. Working on a grassroots level, these independent programs provide communities with the opportunity to collaborate and make what the community

Basic computer literacy and familiarity with a few drawing and modelling software packages are what is most necessary to use the lab’s automated machinery. Fab Lab Tulsa also has a well-equipped electronics station, manually controlled power equipment, hand tools, hardware, raw materials and electrical parts, communal laptops, a

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As of this writing, Fab Lab Tulsa is one of only a few standalone operations in the world, the rest being part of a school, university or municipality. It contains the following computer-controlled fabrication machines: a laser cutter/engraver, 3D printer, desktop CNC mill, vinyl cutter, ShopBot CNC mill, and MakerBot Thing-O-Matic. With them one can cut, drill, machine, engrave, and slice most non-metallic materials in an endless assortment of forms and sizes. Examples of surfaces that can be worked on are glass, wood, leather, acrylic, resin and stone; laser engraving can be employed on metal as well.

Wi-Fi meeting space, and perhaps most importantly, the collaborative spirit of other lab users. The software used to digitally fabricate is freely available to download. What can this mean for artists? I recently spoke with one Fab Lab board member, Anne Pollard James, who believes the local artist community will be integral to Tulsa’s Fab Lab success and that the lab can positively impact the creative output and business success of area artists. She envisions the lab as typically playing a supporting role in the artistic process and notes that since this digital technology allows objects to be created rapidly, repeatedly and with great precision, it is a natural for artists wishing to make copies of one-offs. These machines can also produce quick prototypes that can be easily and immediately corrected. A computer generated mock-up of, say, a wood cut, allows the artist to test the outcome before committing to many hours of hand carving. Both of these approaches make practical and business sense, but would seeing the laser’s quick and unerring work encourage or discourage handmade craftsmanship? Would artistic handwork grow or diminish in value? If it’s less valued, is it at a human cost or gain? The issues related to the reproduction of original 2D work are familiar to many artists; perhaps artist designed, computer generated, 3D work that can precede and bypass original, handmade production brings forth, essentially, the same quandaries. Time, or someone smarter, will tell. Here are some other, random examples of ways the Fab Lab can support the artist. The ShopBot, which mills up to 11” deep and 4’ by 8’

wide, can churn out some amazing frames or parts for custom display racks and fixtures; the digital vinyl cutter can streamline the screen printing process; the desktop CNC mill can produce the molds, via digital design, for casting jewellery and small sculpture; and digital photographs or drawings can be laser etched into acrylic or stone, and printed on metal. My idea (don’t steal it!) is to start a business producing customized, laser engraved grave markers and elaborately carved coffins with the deceased’s epitaph laser wood burned on the lid. Oh why does the thought of machine-made art bring out the nihilist in me? An incomplete perspective, no doubt, because the integration of intellectual, technological and physical resources housed within Fab Lab enables it to democratically give ordinary individuals the ways and means to bring their creative ideas to fruition. It’s hard to argue against the value of that. Fab Lab Tulsa has a variety of membership options. Annual memberships are available and provide the public with the ability to reserve the machines. On Saturday, the machines are available on a first come, first serve basis to nonmembers as well. There is on-going instruction in using the machinery. Fab Lab is open Tuesday-Friday 11 to 8 and Saturday 11 to 6. It is located at 710 S. Lewis Ave, Tulsa. (918) 779-6025, www.fablabtulsa.com. n Cathy Deuschle is an artist living in Tulsa. You can see images of her work at www.cathydeuschle.com.

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Teens get F.U.S.E.D with Creativity at Oklahoma ArtScience Prize by Nathan Lee

Teens work together on projects for Oklahoma ArtScience Prize 2011.

The Oklahoma ArtScience Prize is a yearlong afterschool program through which high school students develop art and design ideas informed by concepts at the frontier of modern science. The program is now in its second year and is a project of Creative Oklahoma. The Oklahoma ArtScience Prize (ASP) is unique in many different ways. Where other competitions involving teens have defined rules, the program allows the students to explore within the perimeters they set for themselves. It is self-governing to an extent, even allowing the students to make their own session rules. Nancy Nortz, director of Oklahoma ArtScience Prize, cites some strengths of the program. “The students learn to work as a team as they move through the phases of Idea Translation, from conception to realization. During the process, each gains core skills in researching, brainstorming, teamwork, utilizing community resources, and presenting ideas. It’s wonderful to see how these experiences impact the students’ views on their roles as a positive force for change,” said Nortz. Students of Oklahoma ArtScience Prize are encouraged to experiment and be creative. The union of art and science is evident in all of their current projects. Each year there is a theme for the competition and this year’s theme is “Virtual World.” The students must decide what the term means to them and how to approach their project based on that concept. Whether the project they decide is product based, providing an actual service, or more conceptual such as an art installation created to bring attention to an idea, each team has the freedom to decide their project’s path. Students are also given resources to move them a step closer to realizing their vision. These resources include guidance from individuals and groups in the creative sector, as well as those in the scientific field. The mentors of ArtScience Prize are one of the program’s greatest assets. The six individuals chosen to be mentors come from different backgrounds and encompass a wide range of skills. Some are teachers and instructors while others are involved in occupations where leadership

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and project coordination are involved. This diverse selection of mentors ensures that the students can receive guidance on both a creative and structural level. Teams will switch mentors from time to time so different perspectives are provided and all sides of the projects are investigated. The mentors help ArtScience Prize staff with resource building by connecting students to community resources and opportunities that can potentially augment their project. Although the mentors provide guidance and assistance, their purpose is not to decide the project but rather to help students learn how to best research and present it. Many of the creative professionals who volunteer their time for Oklahoma ArtScience Prize participate in an exercise known as F.U.S.E. (Food, Unity, Spontaneity & Exploration). Each thirty minute F.U.S.E. session is led by a special guest presenter, known as a Conductor. These Conductors are leaders in business and education. They are Olympic athletes, successful artists, poets, musicians, and scientists. All talk with the students about their life experiences and creative processes. F.U.S.E. is designed to galvanize the students before the actual session begins. Artists such as Hugh Meade, Skip Hill and others have become involved in the program to consult with the students on different aspects of their projects. The teams are encouraged to build models, illustrations and other tangible vehicles to convey their ideas. This hands-on approach is effective in helping the teams create well-executed projects. In addition to the technical aspect of ArtScience Prize, there is also a life skill component. Since the sessions are divided into six teams, each cluster is challenged to explore individual attributes that contribute to the overall performance of his or her team. There are some students who are accomplished artists, while others are creative thinkers and organizers. These character traits help to make teams function well and it empowers the students by giving them a sense of belonging and importance. Accountability and self-analysis are important parts of the Oklahoma ArtScience Prize. The students not only compete with other teams, they also challenge themselves to be better human beings.

Ultimately, as a competition of creativity, there is an award presented to the winning team. That honor includes a trip to Paris, France for one team to participate in a weeklong Summer Innovation Workshop. Other student teams earn the right to participate in similar workshops on university campuses here in Oklahoma. Director Nancy Nortz explained, “Students may see the possibility of a trip to Paris as the ‘Prize’ but the truth is that the skills gained and community connections made are the real reward.” While most of the students are excited by the opportunity to travel outside of the country or to spend a week on a college campus, many are equally excited by the opportunity to create something that could quite possibly better society. The students of the Oklahoma ArtScience Prize are very aware of issues in our society. As a result, all six teams are developing projects that address different social issues. Vivianne Garcia knows the ultimate prize for the winning team is a trip to Paris, but in her mind the scope is much bigger. “Our team wants to create something that helps humanity. If we don’t go to Paris, we are still committed to making our project a reality.” By involving themselves in causes that are larger than the individual, the students of the Oklahoma ArtScience Prize are poised to make a difference not only in the state, but in the world as well. For more information, visit www.artscienceprize.org/oklahoma. n

Nathan Lee is a mixed media artist in Oklahoma City and participates as an ArtScience Prize Mentor.

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Ask a Creativity Coach:

by Romney Nesbitt

Do One Thing

Dear Romney, My to-do list is not working. Even when all of my tasks are related to creating or promoting my art, I’m still not making measureable progress on my paintings. What am I doing wrong? -List-maker Dear List-maker, A to-do list works IF you complete the most important task on the list. A typical to-do list includes one or two “must-do” activities and a few worthwhile “should-do” tasks. The top priority for an artist must be to create new art—this is the must-do. Should-do tasks may be art-related such as straightening the studio, organizing contacts, research etc., but they are rarely urgent. Artists prone to procrastination will choose to do an art-related task instead of tackling the most challenging task—creating. Why? Because creating is hard work. Surfing the net or reorganizing your work space doesn’t require risk, courage or persistence. Selfdoubt can also lead you to postpone your most important work. Doing an art-related task is seductive. It feels like you’re being productive while you’re doing it, but at the end of the day you may feel disappointed because you didn’t paint. Busy-ness is not effectiveness. Doing the wrong things won’t move you closer to your goal.

business of art

Busy-ness is not effectiveness. Doing the wrong things won’t move you closer to your goal. A different to-do list strategy might work. I found this tip in Timothy Ferriss’ book The Four Hour Work Week. He recommends two to-do lists for every day. One list has the most important task for the day such as “PAINT.” This list has only ONE THING on it. The second to-do list could list other tasks you could do, if you have time. Do the ONE THING first, and then choose a task from your second list.

Two key questions can help you make to-do lists more effective. Ask yourself, “What is the one thing I must accomplish today in order to feel satisfied with my day?” (This is the one item on your ONE THING to-do list.) “What are three other activities I could do today that would contribute to my goal?” (These items go on your second list.) Use your work time wisely. Create art first. Accomplish this ONE THING and it will make a difference in the way you feel at the end of the day. n

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.

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Alive Alive “Flight” by Christopher Domanski

“Shakespeare” by Gary Lee Price

Where Public Art Comes For more information, contact Zina Gelona at (405) 974-3432

“Breath” by David Thummel

Thank you to our new and renewing members from January and February 2012 Drew Ackerman Ginette Adamson Andrew Akufo Lisa Allswede Bobby Anderson Stuart Asprey Andrew Baker* Jennifer Barnes Duff Bassett Carol Beesley* Rhonda Bell Larry Bierman Julie Marks Blackstone Felix Blesch Stev Blesch Julie Bohannon Krystle Brewer Tammy Brummell Milissa Burkart Bradley Burris Maria Cabrera Chris Cameris Jeanene S. Carver Sharon Caudle Nichole Chesser Lori Chipera* Dian Church CJ Clark Alesa Clymer Amy Cox Dorothy Danen Sarah Day-Short and Kevin

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Short Jan K. Dixon Meredith Downing Claudia Doyle Julia DuBreuil Sandra Dunn Kellie Eastham Tiffany Edwards Jennifer Edwards* Elizabeth K. Eickman Vonda Evans Ron Fleming* Natalie Friedman Jenny Fry James and Judith Gaar Margee Gaeddert Dan Garrett* Barney Gibbs, Downtown Art and Frame John Gooden Steven Goodwin Samantha Greer Nancy Hamill Jeudi Hamilton Tessa Raven Hancock Blake Hargrove Nancy Harkins Christina Harmon Ryan Harris Timothy Hearne Josh Heilaman William Howerton

J. Jann Jeffrey Paula Jones* Michelle Junkin Kreg Kallenberger Kelsey Karper Jason Kempf Bob Kenworthy Allin KHG Janie Kirt Morris Jena Kodesh Sharyl Landis Michele Lasker Daniel J Lay Kathy Ledbetter Levi Lee Anna Lee Rosie Leonard Cayla Lewis Rebecca Mannschreck Christa May Rory Dale McCallister Janice McCormick and Ed Main Mery McNett Sunni Mercer Jacque Mitchener Sharon J. Montgomery Lindsey Morris Tony Morton, Paseo Originals Art Gallery* Michael Muller Debra Murdock

Kurt Nagy Romney Oualline Nesbitt Tam Nguyen Sharon Nielsen Jensen Lori Oden Romy Owens Ryan Pack Ronald Painter Anthony Pego Pete Peterson David and Patty Phelps Henry Poppe Beth Pulley Michael Rahn Lori Abrams Rauchwerger Val Ray Jeri Redcorn Laura Reese Betty Refour Karen A. Renfrow Ariana Riera Brittany Rudolf Mark Sharfman Milo Borges and Amber Sharples Rachel Shropshire Louise Siddons Tamara Sigler Lynda SmithSchick Brenda Spencer Karin Stafford Jim Stewart

Autumn Strutton Nina Suntonvipart Michi and Charles Susan* Doris Swanson Anna Thomas Suzanne C. Thomas Marion McKenzie Thompson* Tony A. Tiger Noel Torrey Brooks Tower Chris Tran Spencer Ulm Cindy Van Kley Meredith Van Patten Aubrey Van Tassell Sara Wallace Corazon S. Watkins Randy Watkins Gigi Webb Stephen Webber Jean Weber Angela Westerman Brendon Williams Libby Williams Chandler Wilson Mark Wittig Mark Wyatt Michelle Wyser Bj Zorn *Supporting Member

OVAC NEWS

MAY | JUNE 2012

(left) Narciso Argüelles, Edmond, Chicano Deconstruct, Installation with low rider bicycle, mirrors and steel, 10’ x 8’ x 8’. (middle) Sarah Hearn, Oklahoma City, Np 93 Arcomyalina sequania (detail from New Taxonomy), Ra-4 color print from hand drawn negative, 4” x 5”. (right) The interactive Light and Shadow Theatre at Momentum: Art Doesn’t Stand Still.

Congratulations to the Concept/OK: Art in Oklahoma Residency artists Narciso Argüelles and Sarah Hearn, who begin creating their projects immediately for the December 2012 opening. Watch for more information about their projects on the blog www.ovac.blogspot. com and future issues of Art Focus Oklahoma. Please note, the Concept/OK: Art in Oklahoma exhibition is still accepting submissions for the Survey & Focus exhibition until August 1, 2012 at 5:00 pm. The exhibition is open to all media of visual artwork from Oklahoma artists. Guest curator Liza Statton will review submissions and select the $10,000 in awards. Focus artists will receive an exchange exhibition in Kansas City with the Charlotte Street Foundation. See www. Concept-OK.org for more information. Save the date for the OVAC Annual Member meeting, which will take place June 9 in Tulsa. All are welcome as members. Membership dollars support OVAC’s services and help artists and art fans connect. Watch for more fun with artist trading cards, reports on the programs OVAC has provided and more. We hope this will give people a chance to meet fellow members and have some fun while learning more about what OVAC has been up to this year! Members receive notice in the mail and information will be on our website. Thanks to the terrific artists and committee for Tulsa Art Studio Tour in April, led by Susan Green and Christopher Owens. Audiences got

to see the working studios of 11 artists. We had an anonymous donor that matched other sponsors, allowing us to cover the entire costs of the event. Thanks also to the The George Kaiser Family Foundation, Jean Ann and Tom Fausser, Sharla and Chris Owens, and Walsh Branding for their lead gifts. See more at www. TulsaArtStudioTour.org. Allied Arts will celebrate the 2012 Campaign on May 15. We appreciate their support and determined efforts to raise more than $3 million in funds for 20 agencies including OVAC. See www.AlliedArtsOKC.com to learn more. Thank you to our spring 2012 interns Laura Reese and Lauren Kubier. Laura just completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking at the University of Oklahoma and Lauren is studying Studio Art at the University of Central Oklahoma. Both have helped with various OVAC programs throughout the semester, including the installation of Momentum, writing for the blog, and a variety of office tasks. Thank you for your hard work! OVAC has undergone significant self-study and planning this year with the help of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation’s Sustainable Organization Support Grant. The OVAC board developed a new Strategic Plan reaffirming how we champion artists to thrive in Oklahoma and reach more communities statewide. OVAC developed systems to improve program outcome evaluation, fundraising

and leadership development. Thanks to OCCF for strengthening business practices and reinforcing OVAC’s mission. Light and shadows danced with the incredible artists, audience and volunteers at Bryan Boone and Becki Warner, Momentum OKC Committee Co-chairs, at this year. Thanks Momentum: Art Doesn’t Stand Still. to Bryan Boone & Becki Warner for leading the committee. New supporters helped us award and promote young artists further, including Fowler Volkswagen of Norman, LEVEL Urban Apartments, and Café Nova. Other major supporters included the National Endowment for the Arts, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and Allied Arts. Art People The Norman Arts Council presented the first annual Fowler Arts Education Award to the Firehouse Art Center and Executive Director Douglas Shaw Elder. Fowler Volkswagen sponsors the Fowler Arts Education Award, which aims to recognize those who improve children’s art education opportunities in Norman in an extraordinary way. n

ovac news

Gallery Listings & Exhibition Schedule

Ada Senior Exhibit Through May 11 Ada Artist Association Spring Exhibit May 12- May 25 DJ Lafon with guest curator Vance Wingate The Pogue Gallery Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center 900 Centennial Plaza (580) 559-5353 ecok.edu

(918) 336-4949 pricetower.org

El Reno

Redlands Community College 6th Annual Faculty and Staff Show May 9- July 29 Redlands Community College (405) 262-2552 redlandscc.edu

Lawton

43rd Annual Juried Exhibition 2012 May 8- June 2 The Goddard Center 401 First Avenue SW (580) 226-0909 goddardcenter.org

David Phelps, Brooks Mullins, Frank Duchamp and IAO Traveling Show May 12- June 30 reception May 12, 7-9 The Leslie Powell Foundation and Gallery 620 D Avenue (580) 357-9526 lpgallery.org

Bartlesville

Norman

Greta Magnusson Grossman: A Car and Some Shorts Through May 6 From Process to Print: Graphic Works by Romare Bearden May 18- September 2 Price Tower Arts Center 510 Dewey Ave.

Faculty Art Show June 8-13 Firehouse Art Center 444 Flood (405) 329-4523 normanfirehouse.com

Ardmore

Vernet to Villon: NineteenthCentury French Master Drawings from the National Gallery June 8- September 9 The Cult of Personality: Warhol and the Portrait June 8- September 9 A Century of Magic: The Animation of Walt Disney Studios Through September 2 Oklahoma Clay: Frankoma Pottery Through September 16 Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 555 Elm Ave. (405) 325-4938 ou.edu/fjjma

Oklahoma City Soaring Voices: Contemporary Japanese Women Ceramic Artists June 12- August 25 City Arts Center 3000 General Pershing Blvd. (405) 951-0000 cityartscenter.org Abby Stiglets May 11 Eli Casiano June 8 DNA Galleries 1705 B NW 16th (405) 371-2460 dnagalleries.com Eleanor Spiess-Ferris and Beth Hammack May 4- May 26 Opening May 4, 6-10 pm JRB Art at the Elms 2810 North Walker (405) 528-6336 jrbartgallery.com

Edge Art Now May 11-June 1 Opening May 11, 6-9 pm For The Love Of Everything, Works by Allin KHG in the Project Space Opening May 11, 6-9 pm Sit. Stay. Art. June 2, 7-10pm Fiberworks June 15 – July 7 Opening June 15, 6-9 pm Individual Artists of Oklahoma 706 W Sheridan (405) 232-6060 iaogallery.org Anita Fields Governor’s Gallery May 7- July 8 Desmond Mason East Gallery Through July 1 Julia Ayres North Gallery Through June 24 Oklahoma State Capitol Galleries 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd (405) 521-2931 arts.ok.gov Princely Treasures: European Masterpieces 1600- 1800 Through May 13 New Frontiers: Julie Heffernan: Infinite Work in Progress Through May 13 Fusion (A New Century of Glass) June 14- September 9 Oklahoma City Museum of Art 415 Couch Drive (405) 236-3100 okcmoa.com The Paseo Arts Festival May 26, 27 and 28 Paseo Art Space 3022 Paseo (405) 525-2688 thepaseo.com

Katherine Liontas-Warren, Lawton, The Earth Endures, charcoal, 30” x 22”. A retrospective of Katherine Liontas-Warren’s work will be held May 4-June 24, 2012, at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art in Shawnee, OK, along with a reception and artist talk on Friday, June 8th and a special Fine Arts Workshop on Saturday, June 9th.

gallery guide

Ponca City Grace Grothaus: Layered Landscapes May 25- June 30 Ponca City Art Center 819 East Central (580) 765-9746 poncacityartcenter.com

Shawnee Katherine Liontas Warren: Oklahoma Perspectives May 4- June 24 Opening and artist talk June 8 Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art 1900 West Macarthur (405) 878-5300 mgmoa.org

Tulsa Michelle Y Williams May Jim Polan, Melissa Key and Morgan Robinson June Aberson Exhibits 3624 S Peoria (918) 740-1054 abersonexhibits.com Rendezvous Reunion: Exhibition and Art Sale Through July 15 Dreams and Visions: The American West and the Legacy of Imagination Through November 18 Gilcrease Museum 1400 Gilcrease Road (918) 596-2700 gilcrease.org Michael Kessler: Partial Eclipse May 3- June 2 Opening May 3, 6-8 pm Joseph Gierek Fine Art 1512 E. 15th St (918) 592-5432 gierek.com

ArtCar related exhibit May 11- 24 Tulsa ArtCar Weekend May 17-20 John Pigford Ashley June 1-22 Living Artspace 307 E. Brady (918) 585-1234 livingarts.org Maria Allison, K. Henderson, Jamie Zane Smith June 16- July 16 reception and demonstration June 16, 10-5:00 Lovetts Gallery 6528 E 51st St (918) 664-4732 lovettsgallery.com

5x5 Annual Fundraiser May 5, 5:55 pm Show runs from May 5-19 Collections and Recollections: Monoprints by Dewayne Pass Jewelry and Pewter by William Derrevere June 1-30 Tulsa Artists Coalition Gallery 9 East Brady (918) 592-0041 tacgallery.org

Red Earth Festival, pg 14.

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.

MEMBER FORM ¨ Patron

¨ Fellow

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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?

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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

ArtOFocus k l a h o m a Annual Subscriptions to Art Focus Oklahoma are free with OVAC membership. U pcoming Events May 1:

OVAC Fellowship & Student Awards of Excellence application deadline

May 1:

Momentum Tulsa Emerging Curator application deadline

June 1:

Momentum Tulsa Spotlight Artist application deadline

June 8:

Creative Capital Weekend Retreat artist application deadline

June 9:

OVAC Annual Members Meeting

730 W. Wilshire Blvd, Suite 104 Oklahoma City, OK 73116 The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition supports Oklahomaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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

May Eleanor Spiess-Ferris Opening Reception: FRIDAY, MAY 4 6 - 10 P.M.

June Glenna Goodacre & Carla Anglada Opening Reception: FRIDAY, JUNE 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