The Art 365 Show Will Go On by Carleigh Foutch
Naima Lowe, Aren’t They All Just Love Songs Anyway?, five channel installation, shown as part of a featured exhibition in the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition triennial exhibition Concept.
The next iteration of OVAC’s Art 365 is offering five lucky Oklahoma artists the opportunity to create meaningful pieces that impact and inspire the local art community. Ginnie Baer, Crystal Z Campbell, Naima Lowe, Mirella Martinez, along with artist duo Maggie Boyett and Marwin Begaye will all be receiving an honorarium of $12,000 to complete their respective projects. “It is amazing to be able to offer this career-altering program during such a tumultuous time. Providing this type of financial support will hopefully give the artists flexibility in creating new ambitious work–especially by relieving some of the pressures related to supply/equipment costs,” said OVAC’s Associate Director, Alexa Goetzinger.
The five artists will work in tandem with guest curator Grace Deveney to create a show that challenges audiences worldviews while simultaneously stretching the limits of what art can (safely) be, given the coronavirus pandemic. “I am so grateful that we are able to continue forward, even in the midst of so much uncertainty,” Goetzinger said. “Working on a long-term project like this gives me hope that the future of the Oklahoma arts community is something spectacular.” Deveney, who’s based out of New Orleans and is the Associate Curator of Prospect.5, is familiar with the Oklahoma art scene and the different artists that make it thrive so vibrantly. Each artist explores various facets of culture,
humanity, and expression. One artist, Ginnie Baer, is creating a series of paintings entitled Silver Valley that she hopes offers a whimsical and temporary relief from the pain and loss that nearly everyone has experienced at one point or another (and, one could even argue is feeling right now amidst the pandemic). “I’m interested in building a world within my paintings that feels comforting and peaceful, offering relief, at least temporarily, from conflict and pain,” Baer said. “I often incorporate glitter and colorful Washi tape into my paintings. Glitter serves both as a nod to a nostalgia for childhood as well as a visual celebration of negative ions—molecules that exist in lush landscapes and have been found to contribute to feelings of well-being. The Washi tape functions to break up the space
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