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 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

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

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 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. 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 (continued to page 16)

an idea, then develops into a different thing. The same could be said for the for artists that can be found on their website. 3

visual arts as discovered by five female artists who each explored their own Organic Atmosphere.” The Jacobson House organization hosted virtual cultural events to connect the community with Native American artists. OKC’s Artspace at Untitled has been Jacobson House: The Quarantine Diaries holding a virtual exhibition entitled was created and held online with Native Linear-Reverse by Chris Chandler, hosting American art, literature, storytelling, and regular Zoom video meetings with artists traditional singing. They held weekly and patrons, and offering free public installments on Thursdays throughout workshops online during COVID-19. April and May through Zoom video Artists around the world may also sign up conferences. Chickasaw and Ponca artist for the Postcard Perspectives exchange & and singer Brent Greenwood and his sale hosted by Artspace. son sang during one of the installments. Greenwood notes, “that music and The Tulsa Arts District held its May the energy of other Native American First Friday event not just virtually, but artists also have a strong influence on utilized the partnership with Philbrook his creativity. Greenwood’s pride in his Museum of Art and the annual Living Arts of Tulsa ArtCar Porch Parade event Mark Sisson, Selfie Portrait, charcoal & oil pastel, from the OSUMA Tiny Studio Tour tribal heritage goes beyond his paintings. Singing is another important outlet to take art into the community. The of creative expression for the artist. ArtCar Porch Parade went beyond First Arts Organizations Greenwood takes pride in performing Friday and ventured through three different One of the unexpected changes for arts Ponca songs at local dances and at church. mapped routes for the Tulsa community to organizations has been through virtually He continues to share this spirit by singing view from the safe, social distance of their own conducted studio tours and interviews with his children and with youth in the Ponca porches. Living Arts of Tulsa has also been by selection committees for exhibitions, Nations community.” hosting virtual yoga classes and exhibitions fellowships, public art proposals, and more. 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. 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 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 Ahha Tulsa has partnered with OVAC to hosted by Jarica Walsh, Director of Art Cherokee artist, Kindra Swafford was honored host weekly Artist Happy Hour Zoom video in Public Places, to bring together public to be included. As pictured, Swafford’s pieces conferences that featured a different artist and art artists from across the state during the from Slowmentum were her first ones she had or topic each time. The Artist Happy Hours pandemic. Other staff from OAC frequent entered and accepted into a show through were limited to ten participants and helped keep these educational meetings, and provide OVAC. “[My] art retains the exuberance of the arts community connected across the state. support through all the ways OAC is that early passion in vivid colors and playful Ahha Tulsa also launched the Creativity Isn’t programming for the arts and artists across compositions, particularly in watercolor, a Cancelled movement and promoted its artists the state. OAC has placed open calls for both medium to which [I find myself] increasingly through various social media platforms. The teaching artists to submit curriculum and for drawn,” says Swafford on her work. ending weeks of the OVAC’s Concept exhibition held at ahha Tulsa was held virtually. public artists to apply for the public arts pool jury selection. OAC has compiled resources 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

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