OK/LA: New Perspectives on Place and People

By Skylar Smith

According to Associate Curator, Dr. Hadley Jerman, “the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is dedicated to exhibiting outstanding work by Oklahoma artists and creating intellectually engaging exhibitions about the history of art related to our region.” The OK/LA exhibition is certainly a sterling example of bringing this mission to life, and one that goes a step further as Dr. Jerman noted: “the six artists included in OK/LA held such a tremendous influence on the art world at large that the exhibition is significant not only on a local level, but nationally, if not internationally.” The exhibition opened on Sept. 10, 2020 and will run until March 7, 2021.

The exhibition focuses on a group of six men: Patrick Blackwell (b. 1935), Joe Goode (b. 1937), Jerry McMillan (b. 1936), Ed Ruscha (b. 1937) and his brother, Paul Ruscha (b. 1943), and Mason Williams (b. 1938). As the artists worked in diverse mediums, the pieces on display range from photography, graphic design, painting, sculpture, and in the case of Mason Williams who wrote for the Smothers Brothers Sketch Comedy Hour, commemorative memorabilia and film clips. Their individual portfolios are undoubtedly impressive and at first glance would probably appear complete, yet artists, like all people, are influenced by their surroundings; places and people leave impressions. This grouping of artists at first appears disparate, but in reality, their lives and their art have intersected for decades. Each artist spent their youth in Oklahoma and later moved to Los Angeles where five of the six men featured attended the Chouinard Art Institute and roomed together. Both locations, Oklahoma and Los Angeles, left indelible marks on their artistic practices as evidenced through the incorporation of red dirt, cyclonic forms, iconic skylines, and state shapes. Their relationships with one another come through most strongly in the photographs taken by McMillan and Blackwell, however, their friendship remains a steady undercurrent as inside jokes and visual puns frequently appear in one another’s pieces.

This show was thoughtfully laid out to draw you in and have you hunt for the connecting threads between and among these men. The pieces are not sectioned out by artist but grouped loosely by themes un-announced by wall panels. For visitors unfamiliar with these artists, it could be tricky to keep each man’s oeuvre separate, so it might be useful to look up biographical information before or after viewing the exhibition. That said, the more you look at the individual pieces and read the labels, the more the landscape—physical and mental—of this group of friends unfolds.

In addition to presenting these artists’ works together in an unprecedented fashion, OK/ LA has also dealt with the extraordinary circumstances brought on by COVID-19. The timeline for the show, which was initially planned to open over the summer, was pushed back as many lending institutions were shut down at that time. The staff however, skillfully adjusted and installed the show as works became available and the exhibition opened to the public in the fall. The Learning + Engagement department also pivoted to develop monthly Zoom sessions. Although

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Paul Ruscha (U.S. b. 1942), Dinner for Donald, 2020, table, toilets, and place settings, 156” diameter, Loan courtesy of the artist

Mason Williams (U.S. b. 1938), Boneless Roast, 1967, book, 8 ½” x 5 ¾” x ½”, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The University of Oklahoma, Norman; Gift of Mason Williams, 2018

Edward Ruscha (U.S. b. 1937), OKLA., 1968, gunpowder on paper, 14 ½” x 22 5/8”, Don Bachardy, Courtesy Tracy Lew, James Corcoran Gallery

ABOVE: Joe Goode (U.S. b. 1937), Lyon (Tornado Drawing #35), 1991, sumi ink on washi paper, 50” x 38”, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The University of Oklahoma, Norman; Promised Gift of Edward Ruscha IV and Danna Ruscha, 2016 LEFT: Jerry McMillan (U.S. b. 1936), Untitled (L.A. Skyline), 1971, photoetched copper, 10” x 30” x 4”, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The University of Oklahoma, Norman; Promised Gift of Edward Ruscha IV and Danna Ruscha, 2016

this shift is not necessarily preferable to inperson programming, going digital has allowed the show to reach more people than it might have under normal conditions since it has opened up the opportunity for interested parties to participate no matter their location or ability to visit Norman, OK.

The exhibition is the first to bring this group together and the show represents the last exercise in curation by Dr. Mark White for the Fred Jones as he has become the Director of the New Mexico Museum of Art. When asked about how this show fit in or diverged from others he curated for the museum, he responded that he:

was always interested in exploring how artists who had some attachment to Oklahoma engaged national and international trends. OK/LA was part of an unofficial series, at least in my mind, that included Picturing Indian Territory, A World Unconquered: The Art of Oscar Brousse Jacobson, Oklahoma Moderne: The Art and Design of Olinka Hrdy, and Macrocosm/Microcosm: Abstract Expressionism in the American Southwest. Each of those exhibits explored different artists, time periods, and aesthetic tendencies, but each also examined how Oklahomans were part of broader artistic discussions. As a native Oklahoman, I was always very interested in demonstrating that the artists of the state were not provincials and, at times, could be very influential, prescient, and insightful.

This exhibition certainly studies identity formation unique to our state and emphasizes the important contributions these artists have made in the fields of Pop Art, Conceptual Art, photography, comedy, music, and television.

Though the exhibition itself opened later than planned, it will run through March of 2021. There is also a complete digital walkthrough available on the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art exhibition page. OK/LA, is an in-depth and fascinating look not only into the works of six accomplished artists, but a grouping that allows viewers to see the humanity of these professionals through the indelible influences that places and friendships have exerted on their lives, and by extension, artistic outputs. n

Patrick Blackwell (U.S. b. 1935), Clouds, 1971, silkscreen print, 25 ¾” x 20 ¼”, Loan courtesy of Edward Ruscha

Skylar is a curator, writer, and artist living in Tulsa, OK. She is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, Dartmouth College, and Bard Graduate Center and a Fellow for the Norman Rockwell Center for American Visual Culture. sketchesbyskylar.com