Art Focus Oklahoma Summer 2020

Art Focus

O k l aho m a V i s ual A r ts C oal i t i on

Ok l a h o m a Vo l u m e 3 5 N o . 3

| Summer 2020

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Art Focus

Ok l a h o m a Vo l u m e 3 5 N o . 3

| Summer 2020

R e v i e w s a n d P re v i e w s 4 24 WORKS ON PAPER: Love Letters to the World of the Outside

By Bianca Martucci-Fink

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Imagine: New Experiences for Everyone

By Carleigh Foutch

11 Journey of a Bronze Statue—a Gift with Many Aspects—

From Idea to Community Icon

By Renee Fite

F e a t u re s 14 Oklahoma Art Organizations More than Six Feet Away

By Kristin Gentry COVER: Katelynn Noel Knick, Forbidden Fruit Loops, 2020, acrylic, colored pencil, and graphite on paper, 15” x 11”.

Part of 24 Works on Paper, page 4.

18 Supporting Creative Exploration and Identity

By Laurence Reese

20 Bright Golden Haze

By Penny Snyder

22 In the Studio with Malcolm Zachariah

By Mandy Messina

24 EKPHRASIS: Art & Poetry edited by Liz Blood

27 OVAC News 28 Gallery Guide A view of Andy Arkley’s installation, Together, page 8.

Support from: Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition PHONE: 405.879.2400 1720 N Shartel Ave, Ste B, Oklahoma City, OK 73103.

WEB: ovac-ok.org Editor: Krystle Brewer, director@ovac-ok.org Art Director: Anne Richardson, speccreative@gmail.com Art Focus Oklahoma is a quarterly 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 Anonymous letters will not be published.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.

2018-2019 Board of Directors: President: John Marshall, OKC; Vice President: Douglas Sorocco, OKC; Treasurer: Dean Wyatt, Owasso; Secretary: Laura Massenat, OKC; Parliamentarian: Jake Yunker, OKC; Susie Marsh Agee, Pauls Valley; Marjorie Atwood, Tulsa; Bob Curtis, OKC; Gina Ellis, OKC; Jon Fisher, OKC; Barbara Gabel, OKC; Saiyida Gardezi, OKC; Susan Green, Tulsa; Drew Knox, OKC Kyle Larson, Alva; Travis Mason, OKC; Kirsten Olds, Tulsa; Diane Salamon, Tulsa; Chris Winland, OKC; Ricco Wright, 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. © 2020, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. All rights reserved. View the online archive at ArtFocusOklahoma.org.

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24 WORKS ON PAPER: Love Letters to the World of the Outside

By Bianca Martucci-Fink

Crystal Z Campbell, Notes From Black Wall Street #59, 2020, mixed media on archival paper, 11” x 8.5”

As many of us are still staying indoors in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition is gearing up for another traveling installation. The biennial 24 Works on Paper exhibition is scheduled to begin its tour of Oklahoma on August 20th at the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Art Gallery in Weatherford. As the only show of its kind, designated to feature living Oklahoma artists, it is planned to visit ten locations. From smaller towns like Altus and Sulphur, to the state’s largest cities of Tulsa and Oklahoma City, these 24 works of art will be on view through 2022—ending with a reception at its final location of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

At its core, the title of the show lends viewers a great deal preparedness regarding the content—a collection of strictly twenty-four works of art on paper, each from a different artist. This year’s

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Liz Dueck, Fleeting Blooms, 2020, oil paint, 28” x 22”

selection however seems particularly cohesive.

Usually united by the initial requirements of the artists and their base medium of paper, previous collections of these 24 works have spanned varying themes within a single show. However, the 2020-2022 assemblage is strikingly connected not only by paper, but the artists’ interests in the natural world and outdoor spaces. heather ahtone is the Senior Curator at the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum (AICCM) in Oklahoma City, and is the curator for this round of 24 Works on Paper. ahtone has worked in the Native arts community since 1993 and has an established career as a curator, arts writer, and researcher. Her research and writing have

Jarica Walsh, We are One, Despite the Distance, 2020, cyanotype on paper, 20.5” x 14”

primarily examined the intersection between tribal knowledge and contemporary art. She has curated numerous exhibits, published articles on her research, and continues to seek opportunities to broaden discourse on global contemporary Indigenous arts. In addition, she is committed to serving the arts community of Oklahoma. She is a member of the Chickasaw Nation, descended from the Choctaw Nation and has strong family ties to the Kiowa and Navajo communities. ahtone says: “Working on paper was my favorite material as an artist. Paper-based arts have remained a focus for my research and exhibition focus. I look forward to supporting the artists who submit[ed] to provide audiences access to see the amazing

creations being made in our community through the 24 Works exhibition.” It is evident that ahtone’s admiration for paper shines through her selection of these 24 artists—calling the act of working on paper “magic.” She has selected a variety of works that absolutely seek to elevate the medium and broaden its potential. Black and white works display systematic and mechanical processes like printmaking, and precise lines made of graphite. While some of the colorful and more abstracted works remind viewers that paper lends itself to being bold.

As earlier stated, ahtone’s attention to the medium has clearly been focused to showcase (continued to page 6)

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Michael Elizondo Jr., Freaky Tails, Prismacolor pencil on Bristol paper, 12” x 9”

scenes and images from our outdoor world. In her curatorial statement, she says, “Many of the images were direct references to nature’s glory, the light found being outdoors, and the absolute beauty of the natural form. Each one was created with such care. It occurred to me that these were love letters to the world of the outside, perhaps created during this recent period of forced confinement.”

I initially viewed the collection of works prior to reading the curator’s statement, and had quite a similar line of thought to ahtone’s.

“Love letters to the world of the outside.”

I was reminded how quickly the visual arts impart themselves to subjective emotion.

Perhaps if I weren’t viewing these from the constant (and what feels like never-ending) confines of the indoors, I wouldn’t have felt

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Nicholas Malkemus, Guatama Buddha, Dark Blue, reduction woodcut, 14.75” x 11”

as struck by what may have been a different reading of these various nature scenes.

While many titles of these paperworks don’t particularly call attention to current global events, Jarica Walsh’s We are One, Despite the Distance does explicitly recall this time of social distancing. Walsh is a multidisciplinary artist, working mostly in ceramics. She describes herself with “a compulsion to collect scraps of paper, and the constant desire to spend time alone with trees.” Using the cyanotype process, Walsh has created four Rothko-like cyan color blocks—broken apart but united by the thread of flora that runs from top to bottom. It is interesting that Walsh has used an object from nature to unite the work, to unite the viewers, when it feels like nature is something we no longer have easy access to. In her Instagram caption to this work, the artist writes “We

are all connected and our roots are deep. Our togetherness surpasses the boundaries we create, reminding us we are always one, despite our physical distance.”

In a turn from Walsh’s direct linkage of physical distancing and natural elements, artist Crystal Z Campbell’s submission to this 24 Works iteration does not depict your typical peaceful landscape. Campbell is a multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and writer who typically “excavates public secrets through performance, sound, and film.” Her piece in this exhibition, Notes From Black Wall Street 59, is a mixed-media collage that’s title marks a significant geographic location in Oklahoma.

Referencing the Greenwood district in Tulsa, one of the most prosperous African-American communities in the early 1900s, Campbell’s work notably recalls a devastating and haunted

TOP LEFT: Matin Alavi, You Can Take Care of Your Heart and Emotions Without Being Considered Difficult or Dramatic, smoke alchemy on mixed media paper with acrylic ink embellishments, 1.75” x 11.75” TOP RIGHT: Bryan Dahlvang, Chickadee, watercolor on paper, 11” x 8.5” BOTTOM LEFT: Michelle Himes-McCroy, Get Around to It, relief print with colored pencil, 13” x 13” BOTTOM RIGHT: Lauren Rosenfelt, Green Darner Dragonfly, graphite, 6” x 7”

history of our state—the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. Intentionally bringing hidden and ignored stories to light, this piece tells a story of community and loss in both historical and contemporary contexts. As the pandemic continues to impact many black communities because of racial and social inequalities, Campbell’s piece carries such plurality in telling past and present stories of togetherness and continued injustices.

pencil, and graphite. While again the curator has selected a work that does not appear inherently natural, these kinds of shapes and colors still call the viewer into another type of space—perhaps one like Factory Obscura, where the unnatural is naturalized. This abstracted work amongst the neighboring 23, particularly allows viewers to critically examine our spaces, whether they be indoor or outdoor, physical or conceptual.

Katelynn Noel Knick is a multidisciplinary artist working in Oklahoma City. As a part of the Factory Obscura Artist Team, she is working collaboratively to make immersive art in OKC. These experience-based arts may be functioning differently in the future, particularly because they do so heavily involve touch, place, and a type of confined gathering.

Knick’s Forbidden Fruit Loops is an abstracted work of swirling and colorful acrylic, colored

It will be a fascinating experience to not only see these works in person, but to be in the presence of others while doing so. Although the viewing of objects in museums and galleries may be different, I look forward to being in a space with others and discussing these works on paper down the line. Will these views of nature remind us of our previous time without it and without each other? And finally, while we continue to remain indoors, perhaps paper is

another medium we can appreciate during this time. While we stay connected digitally in the time of Zoom, maybe these twenty-four artists can help us find inspiration in a medium we may have laying around the house.

For a full schedule of 24 Works on Paper and artist and curator information, visit 24works.org. Any updates on the show will be shared by the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition staff across their digital and social platforms. n Bianca Martucci-Fink is a graduate of Oklahoma State University’s Art History Master’s Program. She co-hosts the Artpop Talk podcast— available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube. You can learn more about Bianca and her work at artpoptalk.com.

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Katherine Hair’s whimsical, towering deer sculptures are made from discarded and recycled branches.

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IMAGINE: New Experiences For Everyone

By Carleigh Foutch

A view of Andy Arkley’s installation, Together.

Six artists have been chosen to bring to life the next installment of ahha Tulsa’s interactive art exhibition The Experience. The latest installment—called The Experience: Imagine—has tasked these incredible artists with daring to create something unforgettable, collaborative, and, most importantly, inspiring.

Ahha has always been a place for Oklahoma artists to express themselves in innovative ways that you may not think of as “conventional” art; ahha seeks to bring the Tulsa community accessible and equitable artistic experiences in order to challenge viewers and participants, and Experience: Imagine is no different.

The first installation of The Experience opened in 2018 to much acclaim and interest. After an 18-month run, ahha wanted to create a new

experience that would simultaneously spotlight artistic talent and innovation.

Ahha opened the application process and saw a tremendous amount of artist interest.

Ultimately, artists were blindly chosen based on the originality, cohesion, durability, interactivity, and feasibility of their proposed projects. The six artists—Andy Arkley, Justice Gutierrez, Katherine Hair, Alton Markham, Emily Simonds, and John White—are doing that and then some.

From collaborative music making to sky-high deer sculptures to an entire story world realized and brought to life, The Experience: Imagine is sure to heighten the public’s perception of experiential art.

“I am always hoping that it just really opens people’s minds to what art can be and what art is,” said Lauren Teague Collins, Ahha’s Director of Communications. “I will never forget the first Experience, one day I was giving a tour to a person who didn’t consider herself creative...we went to [the first] Experience; and she’d never seen anything like that before. She became very emotional and started crying and asked me ‘Is art supposed to elicit emotions?’ and I said ‘Of course it is!’ I hope that there’s one of those people every cycle of [the new installation].”

Amber Litwack, Director of Education and Exhibitions at ahha Tulsa, agrees.

“I hope to provide patrons with an unexpected experience that removes them from their daily

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Schematics for Emily Simonds installation, The Shard.

lives, unlocks their creativity, and provides an unprecedented sense of wonder where creative possibilities are endless,” she said.

And now, more than ever, it seems like we need just that.

As with everything nowadays, The Experience: Imagine was on track to open in May 2020 until the COVID-19 pandemic shut things down and everything came to a screeching halt. With Tulsa on a shelter in place order, both artists and the ahha administration didn’t have access to the art space and equipment needed to create their individual stations.

However, once restrictions were relaxed a little, artists were thankfully allowed back inside.

(With proper PPE and other strict safety precautions, of course.)

“But ahha is so cool and special, and I know that they’ll weather the pandemic storm. I can’t think of another place that provides artmaking space that also does what ahha does.”

Simonds agrees.

“Taking on a project of this magnitude speeds up your life in general, and when something like the pandemic stops everything it becomes difficult to find a new normal,” she said. “But it has been fun getting to create a quarantine project while still interacting with the community. One of the really beautiful things I’ve seen from this community are people coming together and helping each other. It’s really truly wonderful.”

For featured artists Andy Arkley, (a visual artist, musician, and animator) and Emily Simonds (a mixed media installation artist and writer), creating a collaborative and artistic experience during the pandemic has provided a certain catharsis on the importance of art in these strange, unprecedented times.

Both Arkley and Simonds’s installations require collaborative teamwork. Arkley’s installation is all bright pops of color and three dimensional shapes that create a different tune when various participants hit display buttons, while Simonds’s installation utilizes recycled materials to create another world entirely that must be journeyed through alongside friends both old and new.

“Most art is meant to be experience by groups of people and it was hard to be in a situation that required building something,” Arkley said.

Both the artists and the ahha staff know these innovative creations are meant to be experienced in person and not via a Zoom call,

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and are determined to create an environment that’s safe, first and foremost, while simultaneously reaching new heights. And while the pandemic has caused things to look a little different, ahha is confident that The Experience: Imagine will be, well, experienced come what may.

While the pandemic has thrown quite the wrench in things, no matter what these artists, Tulsa, and the entire world faces, one thing remains constant: art is a powerful, healing force that will always succeed in bringing people together.

There will be music and joy created together once again. (And hopefully very soon!)

For more updates on The Experience: Imagine, stay tuned to the ahha Tulsa website at ahhatulsa.org/the-experience-imagine. n Carleigh Foutch is a writer and activist living in Oklahoma City. She received her BA in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and continues to write stories of all kinds in her spare time (although her favorite things to write are screenplays). To learn more about Carleigh and her work, visit www.carleighfoutch.weebly.com.

Journey of a Bronze Statue—a gift with many aspects—from idea to community icon

By Renee Fite

The impact of public art is multi-faceted. It can help define a community, bring it together, draw tourists to visit and share its history, especially when a committee of citizens decide to surprise an exemplar volunteer.

Oklahoma sculptor Denise Ford was commissioned last year to capture Beth Herrington’s likeness. When completed the statue will be featured on Tahlequah’s historic Thompson House lawn, an icon she rallied to rescue. It will commemorate her 90th birthday as well as honor ongoing decades of community service.

Known fondly as a woman of many words, the retired elementary school music teacher and local history expert was shocked speechless on the occasion of learning people were planning a statue of her, “I’m very, very, very humbled. I just cannot believe it. Needless to say, I’m thrilled beyond words!”

Last fall when first visited by this writer, Ford was soft spoken, yet welcoming and enthusiastic to show the early progress and not the least insecure about it being photographed. Even in the beginning stages her face and form were clearly recognizable. From the time Ford saw the photos she thought Herrington seemed like someone she “would like to know.”

“I was so grateful to receive the call that, ‘our Beth,’ was to grace my studio! I saw photos of her walking with a young child and instantly the flood gates of my perception opened. Candid photos give me a truer sense of the person and their nature. In a particular photograph, I saw her whole body was, actively listening to the young boy as they walked together. Her head bent down, closer to the boy, as she was matching him step by step. This was the aspect that bridged the gap in their differences.”

She is a very special lady, “and I’m honored to have been able to create this work of her. Working with the clay day to day, I could feel Beth’s heart for children.”

Asked if she would like to meet the model in person, Ford said, “before I meet Beth, I need to complete what I’m doing. It is important for me to see her reaction to the work. I am needing that initial gut critique in her response, and I only get one shot at that.”

When Herrington was treated to a trip to Tulsa to view the finished clay piece, accompanied by a few committee members—friends and church members where she has played music for decades—she never dreamed it would be so incredible.

Sculptor Denise Ford works from photos and intuition creating this piece of Beth Herrington and a child that will grace the historic Thompson House lawn in Tahlequah, OK. Photo by Renee Fite

“I was flabbergasted,” she said, in awe of Fords’ ability. It was an inspiring experience, “to think someone can create something so life like. She’s very talented, I can’t imagine being able to do what she does. It’s just amazing, not because it’s me but that she captured the posture of me with the child wonderfully.”

Mark Gish, committee organizer, said seeing Beth’s reaction was, “a blast! Beth was speechless, that says it all! I can think of four or five people in town who could be honored with statues, every town has

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experience. And love, it’s why we build for those who come behind us.”

Sculpture is a gift with many aspects. When the committee first saw Fords’ work they were impressed and considered it the best of what they saw and her bid was the lowest at $40,000. Three bids were taken, one came in at $60,000, and one around $70,000.

It only takes a quick perusal of her website - www. madeinbronze.com - to see masterful talent. The composition is fluid yet precise and the people lifelike as though a conversation might occur.

Beth Herrington visited sculptor Denise Ford to see the results of her artist hands and heart, which left Herrington feeling humble, and very impressed with Fords talent. From left, sculptor Denise Ford, and some committee members Etter Nottingham, Mark Gish, Diane Kindall, David McClain and Herrington.

Courtesy photo

its pillars. Beth is, and she’s one in a million, always willing to share the history of our community,” he said. “The statue is art and art is a commodity that needs to be shared with the community, not everything needs to be in a museum, but outdoors to be enjoyed by everyone.”

Committee member Etter Nottingham noticed her friends’ love of music was missing when she saw the piece, “music is your life and there’s nothing that depicts it.”

With many broaches in Herrington’s collection she chose a favorite that is a music note. A mold was made and put on her dress, said Gish, “it’s perfect!”

He appreciates the quality of Ford’s work and seeing all the details, “the young man’s hand is extended palm upward and the sculptor had in mind to put a little frog or globe there.”

After some thought she decided that seeing nature through the eyes of a

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child was important, but after a few days consideration she chose the globe, “I loved the frog, it was great, but I came home and realized the globe represents the world of learning and possibilities and of the obligations to those who follow us!” The child is modeled after Fords’ grandson George Ford V. Funding can be a hurdle for public art, but not in this case. Funds came in more quickly than the committee had dreamed. Now a base and landscaping are coming together and a final task for Herrington is to choose an inspirational quote to go on the base. “I’m still thinking about that.

Something about education, music, commitment, the future, and love,” she said. “Education opens the mind to the wonders of the world. Music is a universal language; it touches people in a way nothing else can.

Without dedication and commitment, you’ll never get to a mountain top

Ford has found within herself that place of creative perfection. From magical mermaids to graceful dancers, children, athletes, veteran’s, religious themes, and Native Americans, Ford has an exceptional array of sculptures in private and public collections as well as available for purchase. Her work can be found in Tulsa, Muskogee, Atlanta, Chicago, and Oklahoma City.

“I’ve always had this, ‘gift,’ I just didn’t know it was called, ‘sculpting,’” Ford said. As a 3-year old she was constantly crushing Kleenex tissues in her hand, “only later in life did that action make any sense as I held my first bit of clay. Genetically, I was hot-wired from the beginning to do this.”

After a series of jobs over the years, she is grateful her path came across a nationally recognized sculptor who became her mentor. “Rosalind Cook was loving and kind. She shared all of her knowledge without reservation over 10 years. She was the one to take my fledgling attempts at sculpture and honed me in the direction I find myself today. Thank you, Roz.” It is hard to pick a favorite among her sculptures, said Ford, “and I can’t say if there are any specific sculptors I admire save mentor Rosalind Cook, but there are all kinds of sculptors who use all types of mediums today, like 3 D printing, which we are fortunate now to be able to watch how this direction of sculpture will unfold. We now are privileged to a whole new era of sculptures that are aided by computers. People who once had these visions in

SPOTLIGHT JUNE 4 - JULY 18 Spotlight Artists Emma Difani, Daniel Helm, and Spencer Plumlee will have their work at Modella Art Gallery through July 18.

their heads but couldn’t put it to clay will now have a voice using this tool.”

More info: momentumoklahoma.org

The creative process for Ford includes intuition, inspiration and joy. “I look at the world through an artist’s lens seeing what others, with a tight grip on creativity sparked in imagination, cannot.” She likes working from photos, and attempts to explain how creativity works for her.

OVAC'S ANNUAL MEMBERS'MEETING

“See if this makes sense. On land, if a glass of milk gets knocked off a table we all have the comfort of knowing which way the milk will spill. However, in my creative state, (like a novice scuba diver in deep, dark waters) down there, if a glass of milk should spill, I won’t know which way the milk will fall,” she said. “This fracture of self is the state I seek while working on a piece, because my preperceptions and heart are unlocked then, and that’s when I find the keys to all the different aspects of the sculpture on which I am working. When the muses hit, that is when the work is ‘hot.’ I rarely dictate those flash moments, but I can trigger them into happening by a number of methods.”

Ford had made arrangements to rent a truck to drive the completed piece to the Bronze Services of Loveland in Colorado, but the arrival of COVID-19 found the company unable to rent her a truck. So she moved to plan B, learning to make molds.

“I’ve been in communication with the foundry and they’ve been so helpful, telling me where to make mold cuts and answer all my questions,” Ford said, “how appropriate I’ve had to learn a new skill since Miss Beth is a teacher.”

In fact, Ford is glad to add to her vocabulary in the sculpting world and is enjoying the process, “and it’s actually easier to make the molds under my care than to take a clay piece in a truck.”

A dedication of, Our Beth, is tentative for October. n Renee Fite is a freelance writer who also enjoys 5 grandchildren, gardening, watercolor, stained glass, pottery and more. She serves as president of Arts Council of Tahlequah, a non-profit she started, with fellow artists after graduating from OAC’s Leadership Arts class 7, to give back to her community.

ONLINE: JULY 25 Connect with other OVAC members and provide feedback for what we can improve.

More info: hayley@ovac-ok.org

SEPTEMBER 4 - OCTOBER 16 Concept//Focus projects open at Harvester Arts in Wichita, KS for a second showing.

More info: concept-ok.org

AUGUST 20 - SEPTEMBER 25 The biannual exhibition will be on view at the SWOSU Art Gallery before traveling to nine more locations in Oklahoma.

More info: 24works.org

FOR MORE INFO: OVAC-OK.ORG

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Oklahoma Art Organizations More than Six Feet Away

By Kristin Gentry

Kristin Gentry, First Friday May 2020 – Empty Streets at the Tulsa Arts District, Digital Photography

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers—so many caring people in this world.” - Fred Rogers The care and creativity of arts organizations around the state of Oklahoma to continue their support of artists by executing programming through new avenues have been felt throughout the entire state. Not only has the impact of COVID-19 been financially felt, but the social and emotional

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impact on artists and arts organizations has caused a drastic shift throughout the state for how art is seen, sold, experienced, and even created. Although the difficult challenges have been unpredictable, arts organizations collectively have been reaching out to its artists, working to create virtual galleries for arts sales, gathering grants and aid information to help artists, and finding ways to keep art in a part of everyone’s daily lives through online means. Organizations have established some new collaborative partnerships with each other, with artists, and with the community they both serve. Through the pandemic, arts organizations are working to fill the need the for artists to still maintain some semblance of their original arts practices, and still grow with new ones to expand how they create, show,

and are connected with their communities through their art. The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s Executive Director, Krystle Brewer said, “it has been so inspiring to see all of our colleagues coming up with digital solutions to keep the arts present, even if not in person.”

Oklahoma Arts Education

One of the positive changes that the pandemic has brought for arts organizations is a large increase in virtual arts learning opportunities that are accessible to a world-wide audience.

Just as elementary and secondary institutions went virtual for public education, their fine arts education was sought to be retained through the help of local arts organizations.

Tulsa Public Schools, Mayfest, Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS),

Karen St.Clair, Koi Pond, oil, 36”x48”, featured in the Philbrook Art Marketplace

and ahha Tulsa collaborated, prepared, and distributed bilingual art kits to local schools for children to pick up to complete at home.

Ahha Tulsa also partnered with RSU Public TV to broadcast arts education programming through television for children. To view more ways to do art at home from ahha Tulsa, visit their website. 1 The Arts Council of OKC has been offering online curriculum and teaching videos. Arts Council of Oklahoma City is a non-profit organization that brings award-winning, nationally-recognized arts events programs and outreach, all for free. In regards to COVID-19, Peter Dolese, Executive Director of ACOKC, says, “Our mission here at Arts Council Oklahoma City is to ‘Bring the Arts and the Community Together.’ That mission hasn’t changed, but the way we deliver is shifting to new formats to ensure we continue to reach the many populations of students and seniors that depend on our services. More than ever, continuing classes for newly homeschooled kids and senior centers is our primary 1 ahhatulsa.org/social-distance-studio

concern.” Visit the Arts Council Oklahoma City’s Facebook page for live streaming experiences.

Oklahoma Arts Districts

The state of Oklahoma has several major arts districts. These arts districts have large community, family, and arts focused events on the first Friday of every month to celebrate the opening of new exhibitions and community arts events. Typically, community members choose to attend a First Friday event in one city. During COVID-19, the arts districts across state have been holding virtual events for First Friday. This allows everyone to watch a live artist demo from Tulsa, switch to watching a live music performance from Oklahoma City, watch a #tinystudiotour from Stillwater, and then join in on a Zoom video chat with community members from all over the state to socialize and view virtual art exhibitions from different galleries and museums. This positive change will help bring more of the Oklahoma arts districts events to more people than ever before.

Brent Greenwood, artist & singer, Photo courtesy of the artist

The Paseo Arts District invited everyone to First Friday at Home to engage virtually by saying, “Though we aren’t able to gather in the way we typically would at this time, you are invited to take a virtual stroll down the curved Paseo Drive and get your monthly dose of First Friday magic. Stop in to your favorite galleries and meet the artists.” During their May First Friday event they worked to not only connect everyone, but they also used the opportunity to raise funds alongside The House Helps in an effort to raise money for district personnel who became unemployed during the pandemic.

The Paseo Arts District also offered an online exhibition at the Paseo Arts Space entitled Organic Atmosphere, and can be viewed on their website.2 This exhibition featured the art of Annalisa Campbell, Kafie Carman, Jean Longo, Michelle Metcalfe, and Carol Ann Webster. Organic Atmosphere is described as “Music that is organic grows from the seed of 2 thepaseo.org/organic-atmosphere

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for artists that can be found on their website.3

an idea, then develops into a different thing. The same could be said for the visual arts as discovered by five female artists who each explored their own Organic Atmosphere.”

OKC’s Artspace at Untitled has been holding a virtual exhibition entitled Linear-Reverse by Chris Chandler, hosting regular Zoom video meetings with artists and patrons, and offering free public workshops online during COVID-19.

Artists around the world may also sign up for the Postcard Perspectives exchange & sale hosted by Artspace.

The Tulsa Arts District held its May First Friday event not just virtually, but utilized the partnership with Philbrook Museum of Art and the annual Living Arts of Tulsa ArtCar Porch Parade event to take art into the community. The ArtCar Porch Parade went beyond First Friday and ventured through three different mapped routes for the Tulsa community to view from the safe, social distance of their own porches. Living Arts of Tulsa has also been hosting virtual yoga classes and exhibitions online for community members to participate in. 108|Contemporary, Cain’s Ballroom, and Rainbowland Art Studios were some of the other participants in Tulsa’s First Friday events in May. Lauren Lunsford, of Rainbowland Art Studios, showed her recorded painting video feed through YouTube, and she also has a virtual fairy class that children can sign up for through ahha Tulsa.

Ahha Tulsa has partnered with OVAC to host weekly Artist Happy Hour Zoom video conferences that featured a different artist and or topic each time. The Artist Happy Hours were limited to ten participants and helped keep the arts community connected across the state.

Ahha Tulsa also launched the Creativity Isn’t Cancelled movement and promoted its artists through various social media platforms. The ending weeks of the OVAC’s Concept exhibition held at ahha Tulsa was held virtually.

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Mark Sisson, Selfie Portrait, charcoal & oil pastel, from the OSUMA Tiny Studio Tour

Arts Organizations

One of the unexpected changes for arts organizations has been through virtually conducted studio tours and interviews by selection committees for exhibitions, fellowships, public art proposals, and more.

Without having to fly or drive long distances for selections for projects every time; artists and organizations have found a more cost and time effective way to hold final selections. This change could forever affect how organizations hold their selection processes, and for what opportunities artists apply.

The Oklahoma Arts Council (OAC) has held monthly Zoom video conference meetings hosted by Jarica Walsh, Director of Art in Public Places, to bring together public art artists from across the state during the pandemic. Other staff from OAC frequent these educational meetings, and provide support through all the ways OAC is programming for the arts and artists across the state. OAC has placed open calls for both teaching artists to submit curriculum and for public artists to apply for the public arts pool jury selection. OAC has compiled resources

The Jacobson House organization hosted virtual cultural events to connect the community with Native American artists.

Jacobson House: The Quarantine Diaries was created and held online with Native American art, literature, storytelling, and traditional singing. They held weekly installments on Thursdays throughout April and May through Zoom video conferences. Chickasaw and Ponca artist and singer Brent Greenwood and his son sang during one of the installments.

Greenwood notes, “that music and the energy of other Native American artists also have a strong influence on his creativity. Greenwood’s pride in his tribal heritage goes beyond his paintings.

Singing is another important outlet of creative expression for the artist.

Greenwood takes pride in performing Ponca songs at local dances and at church.

He continues to share this spirit by singing with his children and with youth in the Ponca Nations community.”

The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition has taken two of their current exhibitions, Momentum and Concept (mentioned above), to virtual means. By creating a fully virtual show for the annual Momentum exhibition, the show has been transformed into Slowmentum held at the Dead People’s Stuff venue. There was a fully virtual tour and online gallery for shopping for this year’s event. Many emerging artists are supported through this exhibition, and Cherokee artist, Kindra Swafford was honored to be included. As pictured, Swafford’s pieces from Slowmentum were her first ones she had entered and accepted into a show through OVAC. “[My] art retains the exuberance of that early passion in vivid colors and playful compositions, particularly in watercolor, a medium to which [I find myself ] increasingly drawn,” says Swafford on her work.

3 arts.ok.gov/pdf/News/COVID19_Resources_for_ the_Oklahoma_Arts_and_Cultural_Sector.pdf

In addition to exhibitions, OVAC paired with Philbrook Museum of Art for the virtual art market place of featured Oklahoma artists.

Pieces are sold through the Philbrook website, and artists receive the funds without a typical gallery commission being taken from the sale price. Artists that have been involved with both Philbrook programming and are OVAC members were selected to be featured to sell their art. Through the piece, Koi Pond,

by Karen St. Claire, she described her piece as, “an attempt to capture and record my surroundings. This painting is the result of a trip to the zoo a few years ago. The koi pond was a huge circular pond that had an overlook.

I remember standing there snapping multiple photos of the constantly swirling multicolored fish suspended in the water.” To view and purchase Artist Marketplace artwork, visit Philbrook’s website.4 Philbrook has created a variety of virtual and socially distanced art opportunities.

Philbrook says, “we’re doing our best to deliver beauty, joy, fun, and moments of peace on a daily basis while practicing social distancing. Philbrook offers Creative Distancing on Mondays and Thursdays on YouTube with artist demonstrations. Their Family Art Club, Singalong Saturdays, Storytime, are some of their other programs for at home arts learning. Philbrook has adopted the motto of Stay home, but stay social, by saying, “right now on social media, we’re doing virtual tours, collection highlights, social media takeovers, concerts, and more.”

One museum switched up its social media marketing, and now the world has taken notice and viewed their collections online more than ever! The positivity from the Twitter posts from Oklahoma’s National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum cannot go unnoticed as the world has been taken aback with the humorous, educational, and uplifting posts from its security director, the infamous 4 shop.philbrook.org/collections/oklahoma-artistmarketplace-1

ArtCar Porch Parade hosted by Living Arts & Philbrook Museum, Photography by Kristin Gentry

#hashtagthecowboy, Thanks, Tim. Tim’s posts have shown a personal and authentic view of the collections with the honest voice of how our outlook can help our greater community get through tough times together—all through using art, culture, and a little comic relief.

The Oklahoma State University Museum of Art (OSUMA) in Stillwater has been creating daily online content of through virtual studio tours and artist demonstrations shown on their Facebook and Instagram pages. The OSUMA says, “Daily Art at the Museum arose from our desire to engage virtually with our Stillwater community in a more personal, accessible, and familiar way. Activities will be based on works from our permanent collection, future exhibitions, and requests from the community.

Some themes derive from our institutional interests, including STEAM and Design Thinking, others derive from our current preoccupation of helping the community to slow down, meditate, and feel peace during this difficult time.”

Artist and OSU Professor Mark Sisson participated in the Tiny Studio Tour program

to talk about his work and share his studio.5 Mark is also a former and current artist for the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s 24 Works on Paper traveling exhibition (see the story on page 4). His works have been labeled as both “moralist” and “iconoclastic” which makes the powerful contrast of relief printing a perfect complement. His prints are often called political, sometimes humorous and occasionally acerbic. #TinyStudioTour can be searched for more videos.

Throughout everything that fell apart, and then was re-created, an unexpected larger community connection was created out of the pandemic from COVID-19. Artists, art organizations, and the community they both serve all came together for new experiences through the connecting trend that Oklahoma supports its artists, and its artists support Oklahoma. n Kristin Gentry was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is a Choctaw artist, writer, educator and curator. She creates her work to continually preserve her traditional culture. kristingentry.com 5 facebook.com/OSUMuseumofArt/ videos/953083135130478

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Supporting Creative Exploration and Identity

By Laurence Myers Reese

LEFT: Suzanne C. Thomas, Just One of Those Things, 2019, layered embroidery on tulle, painting on canvas, 12”x12” RIGHT: Julianne Clark, Grandmom’s China, 2019, archival inkjet print, 12”x15”

Every year, the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC) offers four awards of unrestricted funds to artists: two artist fellowships of $5,000 and two student awards of excellence at $500.

Through this support, OVAC highlights work being made in the state and encourages artists in their careers.

OVAC selects a new juror annually, giving applicants an opportunity to show their work to a new audience, viewed by a qualified curator. This year’s juror was Sara O’Keeffe, the Associate Curator of Modern & Contemporary art at Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa.

O’Keeffe came to Oklahoma just this year, after serving as the curator at the New Museum in New York City. O’Keeffe’s first curatorial exhibition at the Philbrook will deal with representation and identity. Her curatorial vision comes through in this selection of awardees, as all four artists deal with identity and the relationship to self and community.

Each artist finds their artistic practice as a place to explore identity and our place in the world.

Many of them find respite in making as a way of healing and strengthening identity.

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The 2020 Fellowships were awarded to Suzanne Thomas (OKC) and Sarah Ahmad (Tulsa).

Suzanne Thomas creates mixed media works

that explore familial relationships and the body through embroidery. Thomas’ works depict feminine figures on linen, often wearing clothes that are reminiscent of past fashions. Thomas says her work is, “inspired by personal history, familial history, and vintage ‘glamour.’” Her embroideries on lace, linen, and tablecloths all draw connections to the historical relationship of women to fashion, delicacy, womanhood, and domesticity. The world of figures she creates feels matrilineal. Women seem joyous in fields of embroidered flowers, others stand with gold and yellow halos around their heads, now saintly.

Thomas sees her work as meditative.

Embroidery demands repetition. She uses this meditative practice to build histories with a dedication to fine craft. Thomas’ work invites us to contemplate the act creation through her handling of diverse materials, including fiber, embroidery, and applique. Her work builds a narrative of the women that have come before us, saints,

heroes, relatives, friends, and perhaps the ones that come after us.

Sarah Ahmad creates installations that mimic the Islamic patterns that Ahmad grew up seeing in Pakistan. Many of her installations are built with painted wood, that have been cut and carved to create intricate geometric patterns and scenes. Other installations use paper, fiber drawings, and technology to reflect the patterns of space and our universe. Ahmad explores what a borderless, universal humanity could look like, while drawing from her own intersectional experience as an immigrant, South Asian woman, and a single mother. Her artwork is a gateway to transcension. When it comes to making, “I feel free,” says Ahmad.

Her acts of creation build scenes both real and surreal, transporting a viewer into a glimpse into something beyond. This is fitting, as many of the geometric patterns she draws on are from the ubiquitous screens that separate rooms and buildings in Islamic architecture. Her fiber installations and drawings use repetitive lines to thread together space and build a web of support. Ahmad’s installations are a way of rebuilding after personal and generational

LEFT: Sarah Ahmad, Cosmic Identity, 2020, multimedia installation, dimensions variable RIGHT: Janae Grass, To Thâkînâwe, 2020, acrylic, antique brass, thread on canvas, 15” x 30”

trauma. As we stand at the threshold, Ahmad gives us the opportunity to look at the details and see how things come together.

This year’s Student Awardees are Julianne Clark (Tulsa) and Janae Grass (Tulsa).

Julianne Clark is a recent MFA graduate from the University of Tulsa. She mines the archive to investigate generational relationships in context with the landscape of the South. Clark’s collage-like installations and photographs explore how memory is tied to the natural world, linking disparate images to create both real and fabricated histories.

Clark has previously made work using found photographs and performance to express the difficult intersections of identity, race, memory, history, and the South. Her recent work relates much more to science and to memory; however, the theme of race is still present in the images of white southerners, of white china in a glass case, juxtaposed with colorful landscapes, sometimes devoid of human activity. Clark’s work uses her memory and family history to explore the relationship between art making and nature, as we live on the verge of an anthropocene.

She wants us to, “consider how degradation

of the land relates to the erosion of family and community.”

Janae Grass is a student at Tulsa Community College. Drawing from her Sac & Fox heritage, Grass uses beadwork and painting to continue tradition and honor the work of those who keep these traditions alive.

Her paintings recreate the patterns of ribbon work and applique design from indigenous culture. She enlarges the designs, zooming in and bringing eye level to what would normally be small and close to one’s body.

These colorful and meaningful designs would typically move with the body they clothe; now they sit still for the viewer to admire. In her large geometric patterns, Grass’ paintings subvert the history of non-Native Abstract Expressionist artists drawing from Native American paintings. Instead, she brings us insight into tradition through the tools of contemporary art. Her goal is to change the “perception that indigenous art is stagnant and unchanging.”

OVAC puts no limit on what funds are spent on, giving the artists the freedom to use the stipends for materials or any other funds an

artist needs. With these funds OVAC encourages a diverse array of art being made in the state, and directly supports artist’s livelihoods.

OVAC will select a new juror for 2021 and will announce the call in the spring of next year. Learn more at ovacawards.com. n Laurence Myers Reese is an artist and activist in Las Vegas, NV. He is a co-founder of the Vegas Institute of Contemporary Engagement at University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he is pursuing his MFA. He received his BFA from the University of Oklahoma in 2012, and has since worked as an independent curator, arts writer, factory worker, art instructor, and non-profit director. His work can be found at lmyersreese.com

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Bright Golden Haze

By Penny Snyder

Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center

The new Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center was ten years, 16,800 aluminum fins, 19-recently installed luminous and immersive works of art, and 92 staff members in the making, when, on March 12, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the ascendant arts organization to temporarily cancel all of their opening events. With only a small celebration for special guests behind them, the staff was left with a brand new 53,916 square feet building with no visitors to see it.

In a state known for dust bowls, booms, busts, tornadoes, and tragedy, it seems almost unsurprising that one of the biggest cultural moments in the state’s history would not go off without a hitch. As Executive Director, Eddie Walker commented, “It’s hard to not feel like we were left alone at the altar.”

But the Oklahoma Contemporary team responded with characteristic Okie grit and

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care for their neighbors and community. Even their cancellation (after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for COVID-19 scheduled to play against the Thunder) made out of concern for the health of the 10,000 people they anticipated taking part in opening weekend festivities, came before those of major museums and art centers across the country.

Although the staff felt the overwhelming impact of closing right as things were planned to take off, Oklahoma Contemporary moved quickly to ramp up their digital presence through an online content hub called New Light. At the same time, they worked to devise a phased re-opening plan that would be able to safely allow some visitation to the new complex, albeit a fraction of the 100,000 visits that the team had initially predicted.

Although a final date hasn’t been announced yet, Oklahoma Contemporary’s flexible plan will allow them to invite the public to see their

exhibitions and space, and participate in some educational programming, as soon as it is safe.

“I look forward to the day when we can operate at full capacity. Certainly, I can’t wait to see the excited faces of our visitors as they experience, explore, and create,” remarked director Eddie Walker. “But more so, I want to see our team in action. I want to see them fulfill their individual and our collective destinies. We have really talented people, capable of so much, and they deserve the chance to shine.”

During this surreal interim period, the Contemporary’s staff is continuing to work—while taking a much needed moment for recognition and respite; Walker and the rest of the leadership team declared May as staff appreciation month—and waiting to welcome the public back to a truly special and comprehensive art space for Oklahoma City and beyond.

As the first purpose-built arts center of its size in Oklahoma City, the complex includes a four-story building with exhibition space, a flexible theater space, a dance studio, and nine classroom studio. Adjacent is a renovated historic warehouse with ceramics, fiber, metal, and wood sculpture studios, as well as a three-block art park. The centerpiece is Rand Elliott’s luminous new building, with a façade of attached fins covered in aluminum.

Taken together, the soft glow of the metal façade, the decorative brise soleil, angular footprint, and crenellated roofline that is reminiscent of Gio Ponti’s original Denver Art Museum, evoke the sleekness often associated with contemporary art.

However, the sheen of their new building only complements the care that Oklahoma Contemporary took in planning their program.

In the last decade, the organization’s staff engaged thousands of central Oklahoma residents in surveys to understand their needs. And as their attendance at the State Fairgrounds location increased and their exhibition offerings matured under the curatorial guidance of Jennifer Scanlan, they began building and strengthening partnerships across the city. Many of those partnerships came to the fore in their newest exhibitions, which featured companion art installations or activations at cultural institutions and sites across the city including the Oklahoma History Center, Scissortail Park, and more.

Likewise, Oklahoma Contemporary’s commitment to Oklahoma artists is remarkable. The new building has dedicated gallery space for artist from or living in Oklahoma, or for work that substantially engages with issues relevant to the state.

The major exhibition for the new building Bright Golden Haze, which explores light-based works, includes works by blue-chip artists like James Turrell, Olafur Eliasson, and Teresita Fernández alongside a commissioned work by Oklahoma artist Yatika Fields. And of course, the studio spaces, dance studio, and classrooms in the

Installation view of Bright Golden Haze at Oklahoma Contemporary, Photo: Alex Marks. Tavares Strachan, I Belong Here (White), 2012, Blocked out neon and glass, 24” x 61”

Installation view of Bright Golden Haze at Oklahoma Contemporary. Photo: Alex Marks. Olafur Eliasson, Black glass eclipse, 2017, Convex mirrors, monofrequency light, stainless steel, paint (white), motor, control unit 47 1/4” x 47 1/4” x 4”

(continued to page 26)

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IN THE STUDIO: Malcolm Zachariah

By Mandy Messina

Malcolm Zachariah doing an ArtMoves demo. Photo credit Carly Davis of Arts Council Oklahoma City

How would you describe yourself professionally?

I would say, I’m an artist and scientist. I feel like I’m focused in broad areas—all the arts, all the sciences.

When did you start becoming involved in the OKC arts community?

I burnt out on the PhD track and came back to OKC in 2014. I just made art for a whole year until I got my job (at the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality) in 2015.

How did you become so involved in such a short period of time?

It’s mainly showing up! I just started to attend events, because I wasn’t aware of much outside of the Paseo District, and the OKC Festival of the Arts. I didn’t know that there was such a vibrant community! Also, Downtown has changed a lot from when I was growing up to what it is now.

Which came first for you, science or art?

My mom was just talking about how I always started with art first. At my kindergarten graduation, (where we dressed up as our future careers), I was a painter.

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Malcolm Zachariah, La Convivencia, 18 in x 24 in watercolor on cold-pressed Arches paper, 2019)

I started in first grade with these kirigami sculptures: I was cutting and folding paper birds, from my Birds of the World book.

I liked dinosaurs—Jurassic Park had just come out that year—maybe that was the trigger?

Could you expand a bit on this integration of art and science?

In both art and science, you learn by experimentation and being rigorous. My sketchbooks are basically a continuation of my lab notebooks. Science teaches you to be observant and very methodical, and I’ve integrated that into my art practice.

For instance, I started keeping marine coral reef aquariums in middle school, and even I went to grad school to study marine drug discovery. That’s how I learn best—by making connections to other things that I understand.

Marine biology is definitely the inspiration for the watercolours. Fish sometimes use colour as a warning, ironically, that also gets them caught, because home aquariums

are often installed with black lights to make the fluorescent colours more vibrant.

Also, as someone who’s interested in materials, I feel like being a biochemist in particular, gives you x-ray vision mostly in identifying materials. This thing is made out of fiber, plastic, etc.; those are all molecules and atoms.

Have you had any new developments in one of the mediums you work in?

I had an Art Group (ARTGRP) studio visit where the group asked if I’d considered adding colour to my kirigami. I told them that it’s very difficult to colour those after you form them, because the paper can get wrinkly. Learning about paper at Artspace at Untitled really helped. Collaborating with Emma Difani (printmaker and fellow ARTGRP member) has been great because we each know our practices well and we don’t have to tell one another what to do.

We each do our parts and combine them together. When we made a life-size yucca plant last year, we were just thinking about

Cuesta Cortada, 80 in x 56 in x 40 in (variable) screenprint, dye, paper, 2019, A collaboration with printmaker Emma Difani

how I would design the shape and how she would get the colours on a flat piece of paper, and how to then cut and fold it. It was an iterative process.

Could you tell us more about ARTGRP, and how you got involved?

I met the ARTGRP founders as they were doing ARTMOVES demonstrations in Downtown OKC, because that’s where my job is. I’d just take my lunch breaks to see all these people and get connected.

ARTGRP started with former art students who felt disconnected from the arts after graduation. As a self-taught artist, the monthly studio visits were very informative.

It’s the same practice in the science community: you have to learn to talk about your work and get feedback. What made me nervous about showing my kirigami was that I hadn’t seen anyone else doing something similar—would it be accepted or not?

For the second ARTGRP Group Show, I did my first installation with kirigami birds,

Lion’s Den, 9 in x 18 in x15 in (variable) screenprint, dye, Strathmore 500 cotton paper, 2019, A collaboration with printmaker Emma Difani

because eventually I’d like to take bigger steps and get into public art installation.

How has this pandemic affected ARTGRP, and your own practice, respectively?

I’ve been much less productive than I normally would be. All I’ve done are the virtual kirigami workshops, and the ARTGRP Instagram LIVE events.

One of our leadership team members talked about this church group that was doing a day-long relay event, so we adapted that format. We had the artists do demonstrations of their work, studio visits and included artists’ Venmo information for viewers if they wanted to support them directly. We had time slots for each artist, and they were scheduled over a weekend. It’s been a great learning experience for us.

I started doing martial arts after college and they have a system where the senior student eventually becomes the teacher only by teaching on their own. When you get to a certain level you’re supposed to be helping out the less advanced students. I think that that system—like the apprentice and master system—is a great way to learn how to teach.

Any aspirations for the next few years?

I’ve been part of the OKC public [PreQualified] Artist Pool, but have not applied for anything because I feel very intimidated by expensive projects. I’d like to translate the kirigami sculptures into an outdoor installation with more durable material. Learning how to bend metal, cut it. Celebrating nature, especially wildlife in public art installations, I think resonates with a lot of people. n

What motivates your teaching in your workshops?

I’ve learned from my ceramics teacher Susan Cromer Yback at House of Clay—and all of my various teachers—how to describe what the process is, in bite-sized pieces.

Mandy Messina is a non-binary, South African artist, writer and educator living and working in OKC. Their work can be found at mandymessina.com

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EKPHRASIS: Art & Poetry Edited by Liz Blood

Ekphrasis is an ongoing series joining verse and visual art.

Here, poet Steve Bellin-Oka responds to a painting by John Wolfe while recalling the life and death of Matthew Shepard, a 21 year-old student who was killed in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in 1998.

Poem after John Wolfe’s “Residence, Anadarko Okla.” for Matthew Shepard

If we think of time as a whole bolt of cloth we cut swatches from, blue cotton that begins slowly to immediately fray, then for a moment you were the newest well-built thing in the world: the perfect angle of your peaked roof, the unwarped frames of your windows, the glass so clear it almost isn’t there.

Then those who planned you hanged white curtains, arranged the furniture— the table in the kitchen with its smooth wood legs, the brown leather loveseat against the dustless living room wall.

The closets grew gray suits, a patterned morning dress with sunflowers, the yellow still brilliantine and deep twenty years before it faded to newly ripe lemon rind.

And the bassinet in the other room upstairs, the one whose walls they papered with cartoon race cars. As the body does, when it’s allowed to grow older, the bones of the house eventually will begin to creak, the plumbing to lose in its constant wrestle to contain the push of water that flows like blood through arteries. But that much is the future: as the painter puts away her brush, the canvas filled with another well-made thing, the house you grew up in with its green lawn and shrubs spreading forever out of the frame, no one knows but she how they will beat you and hang you like a picture on a cattle fence outside of town.

No one knows you will not live. No one knows they will say it could have been me.

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ekphrasis

John Wolfe, Residence, Anadarko Okla., 2019, acrylic on panel, 36” x 36”

John Wolfe was born in Vernon, Texas in 1947.

He attended public school in Davidson, OK, college at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and graduate school at the University of Central Oklahoma. John taught for 35 years in Mid-Del Public Schools and was an adjunct at Rose State College and Adams State University in Alamosa, CO. Now in retirement, John is a full-time studio artist.

Steve Bellin-Oka is a 2019–2020 Tulsa Artist Fellow in poetry.

He is the author of Instructions for Seeing a Ghost (University of North Texas Press, 2020), which won the Vassar Miller Prize in Poetry, as well as two chapbooks, Dead Letter Office at North Atlantic Station (Seven Kitchens Press, 2017) and Out of the Frame (Walls Divide Press, 2019). His poems have appeared in numerous journals, including Nimrod International Journal of Prose and Poetry, Valparaiso Poetry Review, and Four Way Review, and have received nominations for both the Pushcart Prize and the Best of the Net prize.

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(continued from page 21)

Marianne Nicolson (Dzawada’enuxw First Nation/Canada) KanKagawí (The Seam of Heaven), 2018, Glass and wood, Two glass panels, each 8 feet high

Leo Villareal (NY), Star Ceiling 2, 2019, LEDs, custom software & electrical hardware, aluminum, 120” x 240” Photo: Alex Marks.

new complex will serve Oklahoma City-area students and children, impacting the artistic community into the future.

Rand Elliott’s design for the Oklahoma Contemporary building, with a façade that reflects back Oklahoma’s changing light from sunrises to sunsets to sun-showers, is an attraction in and of itself. To me, the porousness of the façade with nature—boundaries between interior and exterior dissolve in a hazy colored reflection—symbolizes openness and connection. Rather than being a container for art, the center is an organic part of its community.

The beauty of the plains is that no matter where you’re standing, everyone has the same view.

Pandemic or not, Oklahoma Contemporary has been working diligently for ten years to give that view to everyone, and we can’t wait to see it. n Penny Snyder is an avid museum-goer, urban explorer, and writer. She graduated from Wesleyan University in 2016 and is the PR & Media Manager for the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas. Read more of her writing at penny-snyder-writes.squarespace.com.

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Camille Utterback, Entangled, 2015. Dual channel interactive installation on scrims. Commissioned for Installation at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco. Photo credit JKA Photography, 2015.

OVAC NEWS

SUMMER 2020

We hope you will join us on July 25th for our Annual Members’ Meeting to help us plan our next year and provide feedback. Though this year’s meeting will be hosted on Zoom, it will still be filled with updates from the last year, a fun interactive game, the Golden Doughnut Award, breakout groups, and more. For more information and to register, visit ovac-ok.org/annual-members-meeting.

Returning this fall, our bi-annual traveling exhibition 24 Works on Paper opens on August 20th at the SWOSU Art Gallery in Weatherford and remains on view through September 25th. From there, the show will travel to nine additional locations around the state for the next 18 months. Find a location nearest you at 24works.org.

Last month, the three Spotlight projects from Momentum traveled to Modella Art Gallery in Stillwater and will remain on view until July 18th.

Though these projects couldn’t be experienced in-person in March, we hope you will take the opportunity to see them at our partner location. For more information, visit momentumoklahoma.org.

Finally, we are thrilled to announce this year’s Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowship and Student Awards of Excellence recipients: Suzanne Thomas (OKC), Sarah Ahmad (Tulsa), Janae Grass (Tulsa), and Julianne Clark (Tulsa). To learn more about their work, check out the article in this issue on page 18.

Upcoming in August, the eight Focus projects from Concept will also travel to a partner location for a second showing. The show opens at Harvester Arts in Wichita, KS on September 4th and runs through October 16th. For more information, visit concept-ok.org.

Sincerely,

Krystle Brewer, Executive Director

Krystle Brewer, Executive Director

Thank you to our new and renewing members from February 2020 to April 2020 The Vault Art Space A Gathering Place Paseo ArtWorks Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum Aeternitas, Inc. Morrison/Dyke Studio Kenzie Adair Sarah Ahmad heather ahtone Andrew Arkley Kelly Armstrong Stuart Asprey Alyson Atchison Sarah Atlee Alexis Austin Margaret Aycock Kerry Azzarello Natalie Baca Ginnie Baer Paul Bagley Robert Bailey Randall Barnes Hope Bass Marwin Begaye Lori Billy Mark Bishop Megan Black Kathleen BlanchardGrell Ahimsa Bodhran Erica Bonavida

Colby Bowers Maggie Boyett Alissa Brock Caryn Brown Deborah Burian Carla Cain Crystal Campbell Sarah Caputo Laura Carnagie Maria Chaverri Karam Cheong Lydia Cheshewalla Dian Church Dayton Clark Tiffany Conn Annavittoria Conner Rafael Corzo Gayle Curry Ebony Iman Dallas Madeline Dillner Lizzie DiSilvestro Anke Dodson Michael Downes Lillyann Dreaux Gilmore Amber DuBoise Julia DuBreuil Liz Dueck Denise Duong Aimee Eischen Tess Elliot Ben Ezzell

Kris Fairchild Daniel Farnum Jake Faucett Beverly Fentress Karen Gonzalez John Gooden Shelly Goodmanson Rebekah Griffith Marsha Gulick Janet Hawks Mark Hawley Carla Hefley Briana Hefley-Shepard Cynthia Heldreth Daniel Helm Shane Hemberger Billy Hensley Geoffrey Hicks Terri Higgs Gayla Hollis Todd Horner Kaylee Huerta Todd Jenkins Jennifer Johnson Micheal Jones Farooq Karim Jean Keil Lauri Ketchum Robbie Kienzle Izzy Kienzle Jared Kinley Katelynn Knick

Tara Kudlacek Lindsey La Valle Tonia Landers Kyle Larson Erin Latham Anitra Lavanhar Darci Lenker Melinda Littlecook Michael Litzau Trace Logan Dana Lombardo Ruth Ann Loveland Naima Lowe Solomon Mahlatini Michelle Martin Jonathan Martindale Mirella Martinez Dustin Mater Elizabeth Maxwell Morgan McClellan Michelle McCrory Paul Medina Mandy Messina Sara Michael Anthony Mitchell Dianna Morgan Molly Murphy-Adams Darran Newsom Mary Nickell Kristi Ostler Christie Owen romy owens

Matthew Paden Raechel Palmer Stephen Parks Soni Parsons Gay Pasley Sandra Patterson Brian Payne Kelly Pennington-Reed Bryon Perdue Jared Perkins Ronna Pernell Katie Pernu Nancy Peterson David Phelps Angela Piehl Eric Piper Cristiana Prado Katie Rake Marium Rana Suzanne King Randall Betty Refour Patrick Riley Jim Rode Liz Roth Brooke Rowlands Todd Scaramucci Barbara S. Scott Evie Shaffer Polly Sharp James S Shelley Sabrina Sims Indu Singh

Mark Sisson Jamie Slone Timothy J Smith Cheryl Smith Robert Sober Cindy Swanson Suzanne Thomas Stephanie Thompson Clara Titus Milton Trice Albert Vadnais Cindy Van Kley Jason Wallace Carlene Wallace Jarica Walsh Carla Waugh Leslie Waugh Dallam Jim Weaver Kathryn Webster Brian Whisenhunt Steve Whitfield Dean Wilhite Dawn Williams Jason Wilson Holly Wilson Mark Wittig Jenny Woodruff Malcolm Zachariah Richard J Zimmerman

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Gallery Listings & Exhibition Schedule Ada

Chickasha

Edmond

Idabel

Pogue Gallery Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center East Central University 900 Centennial Plaza (580) 559-5353 ecok.edu

Nesbitt Gallery Davis Hall University of Science and Arts Oklahoma 1806 17th St (405) 574-1374

Donna Nigh Gallery Nigh University Center, Third Floor University of Central Oklahoma 100 N University Dr (405) 974-2000 uco.edu/cfad

Museum of the Red River March 10 - Aug 23 Art in Community: The Harold Stevenson Collections 812 E Lincoln Rd (580) 286-3616 museumoftheredriver.org

Chokma’si Gallery Chickasaw Nation Arts and Humanities Building 201 N Broadway (580) 272-5520

Foundations Gallery Rogers State University 1701 W Will Rogers Blvd (918) 343-7777 rsu.edu

Edmond Historical Society & Museum 431 S Boulevard (405) 340-0078 edmondhistory.org

Lawton

Davis

Fine Arts Institute of Edmond July Lana Lopez August Behnaz Sohrabian September FAI Adult Student Show 27 E Edwards St (405) 340-4481 edmondfinearts.com

Altus Wigwam Gallery May 18 - Aug 14 Expression: What They Say 117 W Commerce St (580) 481-3150 nbcwigwam.art

Alva

Claremore

Chickasaw Nation Welcome Center 35 N Colvert Rd (580) 369-4222 chickasawcountry.com/familyattractions/Chickasaw-nationwelcome-center

Graceful Arts Center July Through the Lens: Photography August Artists Now and Then September Native American Art 523 Barnes St (580) 237-ARTS gracefulartscenter.org

Duncan

Bartlesville

Durant

Price Tower Arts Center May 15 - Aug 23 Tattered Aesthetics and Peculiar Portrayals 510 Dewey Ave (918) 336-4949 pricetower.org

Broken Bow Forest Heritage Center Beaver’s Bend State Park North US Highway 259 (580) 494-6497

28 g a l l e r y g u i d e

Garis Gallery of the American West Brent Learned - Looking Through Indian Eyes Chisholm Trail Heritage Center 1000 Chisholm Trail Pkwy (580) 252-6692 onthechisholmtrail.com/artlovers/garis-gallery

Centre Gallery The Visual Performing Arts Center Southeastern Oklahoma State University 1614 N. First Street (580) 745-2735 se.edu/act/centre-gallery

Durham Metcalfe Museum 8647 N 1745 Rd (580) 655-4467 metcalfemuseum.org

Melton Gallery University of Central Oklahoma 100 N University Dr (405) 974-2000 uco.edu/cfad University Gallery Garvey Center Oklahoma Christian University 2501 E Memorial Rd oc.edu

El Reno Redlands Community College 1300 S Country Club Rd (405) 262-2552 redlandscc.edu

Guthrie Owens Arts Place Museum 1202 E Harrison (405) 260-0204

Guymon All Fired Up Art Gallery 421 N Main (580) 338-4278 artistincubation.com

The Leslie Powell Foundation Gallery June 8 - August 28 We Are Not Satisfied: A Visual Protest 620 SW D Avenue (580) 357-9526 lpgallery.org Museum of the Great Plains Elmer Thomas Park 601 NW Ferris Ave (580) 581-3460 discovermpg.org

Norman The Crucible Gallery 110 E Tonhawa (405) 579-2700 thecruciblellc.com Downtown Art and Frame 115 S Santa Fe Ave (405) 329-0309 Firehouse Art Center May 8- Jul 18 2020 FAC Faculty Exhibition 444 S Flood Ave (405) 329-4523 normanfirehouse.com Jacobson House Native Art Center Aug 1 - Sep 30 Azhwakwa: Contemporary Anishinaabe Art 609 Chautauqua Ave (405) 366-1667 jacobsonhousenac.org

Fred Jones Jr Museum of Art Renegades: Bruce Goff and the American School of Architecture O. Gail Poole’s Sideshow University of Oklahoma 555 Elm Ave (405) 325-4938 ou.edu/fjjma Lightwell Gallery OU School of Visual Arts University of Oklahoma 520 Parrington Oval (405) 325-2691 art.ou.edu MAINSITE Contemporary Art Gallery June 10 - Jul 24 ONEderland 122 E Main (405) 360-1162 mainsitecontemporaryart.com Moore-Lindsay Historic House Museum 508 N Peters (405) 321-0156 normanmuseum.org The Depot Gallery 200 S Jones Ave (405) 307-9320 pasnorman.org Tribes 131 Gallery 131 24th Ave NW (405) 329-4442 tribes131.com

Oklahoma City ARTSPACE at Untitled Fourth Annual Mentorship Virtual Exhibition Linear-Reverse: Chris Chandler Virtual Exhibition 1 NE 3rd St (405) 815-9995 1ne3.org Contemporary Art Gallery 2928 Paseo (405) 601-7474 thepaseo.org/contemporary-artgallery

Due to changes caused by COVID-19, please check the individual institution’s website for current information.

DNA Galleries Jul 9 - Aug 2 A Surrealism Photography Show Aug 13 - Sep 13 Illustrator Show / Holly Wood + Sam Washburn + Ryan Wilson Sep 10 - Oct 4 Rick Sinnett 1709 NW 16th (405) 525 - 3499 dnagalleries.com Exhibit C 1 E Sheridan Ave Ste 100 (405) 767-8900 exhibitcgallery.com Factory Obscura 25 NW 9th St factoryobscura.com Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum June 30 - Sep 10 From Earth to Sky: The Art of Barbara S. Scott & David Holland 1400 Classen Dr (405) 235-4458 oklahomahof.com Grapevine Gallery 1933 NW 39th (405) 528-3739 grapevinegalleryokc.com Howell Gallery 6432 N Western Ave (405) 840-4437 howellgallery.com In Your Eye Studio and Gallery July Andrea Kissinger August Jerron Jonston & Margaret Hoge September Dana Powell 3005A Paseo (405) 525-2161 inyoureyegallery.com Inasmuch Foundation Gallery Oklahoma City Community College Visual and Performing Arts Center 7777 S May Ave (405) 682-7579 occc.edu

Individual Artists of Oklahoma 1900 Linwood Blvd, Ste 100 (405) 232-6060 iaogallery.org JRB Art at the Elms 2810 N Walker (405) 528-6336 jrbartgallery.com Now-May 10 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum May 18 - Aug 30 Girls of the Golden West March 21 - Nov 15 Storytellers and Sellers: Artist Illustrators 1700 NE 63rd (405) 478-2250 nationalcowboymuseum.org Nault Gallery May 18 - Aug 31 Photographs by Jon Burris 816 N Walker 1(405) 642-4414 Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery Norick Art Center Oklahoma City University 1601 NW 26th (405) 208-5229 okcu.edu North Gallery Studio Northpark Mall 12100 N May Ave, Ste L (405) 254-6674 northgallerystudio.com Oklahoma City Museum of Art June 17 - Aug 16 Art with a History June 17 - Sep 13 POP Power from Warhol to Koons: Masterworks from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation July 7 - Aug 16 The Art of Light Now-Dec 31 From the Golden Age to the Moving Image: The Changing Face of the Permanent Collection 415 Couch Dr (405) 236-3100 okcmoa.com

Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center NW 11th St (405) 951-0000 oklahomacontemporary.org

Ponca City

Oklahoma State Capitol Galleries 2300 N Lincoln Blvd (405) 521-3356 arts.ok.gov

Shawnee

Paseo Art Space July 3 - Aug 1 Print on Paseo Aug 7 - 29 Tour de Quartz Sep 4 - 26 Paseo Photofest 3024 Paseo (405) 525-2688 thepaseo.org Red Earth 100 N Broadway Ave Ste 2750 (405) 427-5228 redearth.org Science Museum Oklahoma Now-Oct 25 Tom Shannon: Universe in the Mind Now - September Cosmic Culture: Intersections of Art and Outer Space smART Place 2020 Remington Place (405) 602-6664 sciencemuseumok.org/exhibits

Park Hill

Ponca City Art Center 400 E. Central Ste 500 (580) 765-9746 poncacityartassociation.org

Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art 1900 W MacArthur (405) 878-5300 mgmoa.org

Stillwater Gardiner Gallery of Art Bartlett Center for the Visual Arts, 107 Oklahoma State University (405) 744-6016 art.okstate.edu Oklahoma State University Museum of Art June-July In the Mind of a Collector: Virtual Tour August The State We’re In Water: Constructing a Sense of Place in the Hydrosphere 720 S Husband St (405) 744-2780 museum.okstate.edu Modella Art Gallery 721 S Main (405) 880-4434 modellaartgallery.org

Sulphur

Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc. 21192 S Keeler Dr (918) 456-6007 cherokeeheritage.org

Chickasaw Visitor Center 901 W 1st St (580) 622-8050 chickasawcountry.com/familyattractions/chickasaw-visitorcenter

Pauls Valley

Tahlequah

The Vault Art Space and Gathering Place June 12 - July 31 From the Ground Up: Virtual Exhibition and Online Store 111 East Paul, Suite 2 (405) 343-6610 thevaultpaulsvalley.com

Arts Council of Tahlequah Gallery August Jamie Stocks Photography Show September Cherokee Art Spider Gallery 215 S Muskogee Ave artscounciltahlequah.com

Cherokee Arts Center 212 S Water (918) 453-5728 artscenter.cherokee.org

Tonkawa Eleanor Hays Gallery Kinzer Performing Arts Center Northern Oklahoma College 1220 E Grand (580) 628-6670 noc.edu

Tulsa 108|Contemporary May 20 - July 26 Susan R. Michael Aug 7 - Sep 20 Celebrating a Century of Life: Bob Hawks 108 E Reconciliation Way (918) 895-6302 108contemporary.org Aberson Exhibits 3624b S Peoria (918) 740-1054 abersonexhibits.com Ahha July 1 - Sep 27 COVID-19 Artist Relief Exhibition July 3 - Sep 20 Re/Convening: Native Arts of Oklahoma 101 E Archer St (918) 584-3333 ahhatulsa.org Gilcrease Museum Jan 24 - July 26 Memories & Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art 1400 N Gilcrease Museum Road (918) 596-2700 gilcrease.org Henry Zarrow Center for Art and Education 124 E Reconciliation Way (918) 631-2736 gilcrease.org/zarrow

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(continued from page 29)

Due to changes caused by COVID-19, please check the individual institution’s website for current information.

Alexandre Hogue Gallery School of Art, Design and Art History University of Tulsa 2935 E 5th St (918) 631-2739 artsandsciences.utulsa.edu Holliman Gallery Holland Hall 5666 E 81st St (918) 481-1111 hollandhall.org Joseph Gierek Fine Art 1342 E 11th St (918) 592-5432 gierek.com

Liggett Studio Jul 10 - Aug 2 Anti-Venom Jul 10 - Aug 2 Dalia 314 S Kenosha Ave (918) 694-5719 liggettstudio.com Living Arts 307 E Reconciliation Way (918) 585-1234 livingarts.org Lovetts Gallery 6528 E 51st St (918) 664-4732 lovettsgallery.com

M.A. Doran Gallery 3509 S Peoria (918) 748-8700 madorangallery.com Philbrook Museum of Art July 1 - Aug 2 Tulsa Treasures: Private Collections in Public 2727 S Rockford Rd (918) 749-7941 philbrook.org Pierson Gallery 1307-1311 E 15th St (918) 584-2440 piersongallery.com

Collector Level + Community Supported Art (CSA) Program $1,000 ($85 a month option) 2 original and quality pieces of art by Oklahoma artists 2 tickets to CSA Launch Events twice a year 2 tickets to 12x12 Art Fundraiser $400 of this membership is tax deductible All of below

PATRON $250 · · · · ·

Listing of self or business on signage at events Invitation for 2 people to private reception with visiting curator 2 tickets each to Momentum OKC & Momentum Tulsa $200 of this membership is tax deductible.

All of below

FELLOW $150 · · · · ·

Acknowledgement in Resource Guide and Art Focus Oklahoma Copy of each OVAC exhibition catalog 2 tickets to Tulsa Art Studio Tour $100 of this membership is tax deductible.

All of below

FAMILY $75

· Same benefits as Individual, for 2 people in household

INDIVIDUAL $45 · · · · ·

Subscription to Art Focus Oklahoma magazine Monthly e-newsletter of Oklahoma art events & artist opportunities Receive all OVAC mailings Listing in and copy of annual Resource Guide & Member Directory Invitation to Annual Members’ Meeting

Plus, artists receive: · Inclusion in online Artist Gallery, ovacgallery.com · Artist entry fees waived for OVAC exhibitions · Up to 50% discount on Artist Survival Kit workshops · Affiliate benefits with Fractured Atlas, Artist INC Online, Artwork Archive, and the National Alliance for Media Arts & Culture.

STUDENT $25

· Same benefits as Individual level. All Student members are automatically enrolled in Green Membership program (receive all benefits digitally).

30

Urban Art Lab Studios 1130 S Harvard Ave (918) 625-0777 urbanartlabstudios.com Waterworks Art Studio 1710 Charles Page Blvd (918) 596-2440 waterworksartcenter.com

Weatherford SWOSU Art Gallery Art Building Southwestern Oklahoma State University 100 Campus Drive (580) 774-3756 swosu.edu

Wilburton The Gallery at Wilburton 108 W Main St (918) 465-9669

Woodward Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum 2009 Williams Ave (580) 256-6136 nwok-pipm.org

Tulsa Artists Coalition 9 E Reconciliation Way (918) 592-0041 tacgallery.org

Become a member of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition.

Join today to begin enjoying the benefits of membership, including a subscription to Art Focus Oklahoma.

· · · · ·

Tulsa Performing Arts Center Gallery 110 E 2nd St (918) 596-2368 tulsapac.com

MEMBER FORM ¨ Collector Level + Community Supported Art Program ¨ Patron ¨ Fellow ¨ Family ¨ Individual ¨ Student ¨ Optional: Make my membership green! Email only. No printed materials will be mailed.

Name Street Address City, State, Zip Email Website

Phone

Credit card #

Exp. Date

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?

Y

N

Detach and mail form along with payment to: OVAC 1720 N Shartel Ave, Ste B, Oklahoma City, OK 73103 Or join online at ovac-ok.org

POP_PrintAds_ArtFocus_Full_V6.pdf

7

3/4/20

4:19 PM

C

M

Y

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Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer.

From Warhol to Koons: Masterworks from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation

© Estate of Roy Lichtenstein

Organized by the Taubman Museum of Art

Support for the exhibition and

Roy Lichtenstein (American,

related educational and

1923–1997). Sweet Dreams,

outreach programs has been

Baby!, 1965, published

made possible by a grant

1966, from 11 Pop Artists.

from the Jordan Schnitzer

Screenprint. 37 7/8 x

Family Foundation.

27 5/8 in. (96.2 x 70.2 cm).

Summer 2020

Art Focus

Ok l a h o m a

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

1720 N Shartel Ave, Suite B Oklahoma City, OK 73103 Visit ovac-ok.org to learn more.

UPCOMING EVENTS July 25:

Annual Members’ Meeting

July 15:

OVAC Artists Grants deadline

July 31:

OVAC Fall Internship deadline

June 4 - Spotlight, Modella Art Gallery, July 18th: Stillwater August 20: 24 Works on Paper opens,

SWOSU, Weatherford Sept 4:

Concept opens, Harvester Arts, Wichita, KS

Sept 25: Virtual 12x12 Art Fundraiser

ANNUAL ANNUAL MEMBERS' MEETING M E M B E JR u l yS2 '5 , 2 : 0 0 P . M .

Online via Zoom MEETING Join

us

as

we

celebrate

July 25, 2020 and But

developing

more

Oklahoma's

importantly,

Here's to another year! Join us h e l p for our Annual Members' Meeting

another

us

we

plan

visual

want

our

to

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year

arts hear

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year!

For more info: ovac-ok.org/annual-members-meeting

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