Art Of The Matter: Drip Painting

Submitted by Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art

Have you ever been to an art museum and looked at modern art? Perhaps you saw a painting where the paint was poured onto the canvas with no discernable image. Perhaps you said to yourself, “I could do that!”

The point is that you didn’t do it. Neither did I, but we can all learn from visiting an art museum. Jackson Pollock poured paint onto canvas and became a world-famous artist. His paintings can teach us physics. A team of engineers and scientists examined Pollock’s paintings and his drip technique. They discovered that the artist knew how to avoid what engineers and physicists call “fluid coiling instability.” Sam Gilliam’s “As Kids Go” at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art incorporates many techniques including drip painting.

Every human culture and civilization has created art, and we still do today. You can learn history by studying the suits of armor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art or learn about dimensionality and geometry by visiting the “WalkIn Infinity Chamber” by artist Stanley Landsman at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Many museums have developed virtual activities and tours during the COVID-19 pandemic. A good place to find them is Google’s Arts and Culture platform: artsandculture.google.com. You can also find virtual content via an art museum’s website. The Mabee-Gerrer Museum’s website is www.mgmoa.org.

Prior to the pandemic, thousands of Oklahoma students visited the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art in Shawnee each year, where they learned science, language arts, history and math. The museum is preparing for the day that large groups can visit again, according to Amber DuBoise-Shepherd, Manager of Education and Outreach at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum.

During the pandemic, the museum has added free content to its YouTube channel, including behind the scenes tours featuring some of the 96 percent of items not on display. Recently, schools from as far away as Brooklyn, New York; San Diego, California; and Ontario, Canada have virtually visited the MGMoA.

Art museums are meeting the needs of everyone craving creative inspiration and cultural awareness. It’s easier than ever to bring amazing art into your home or classroom, and as the world re-opens, museums are waiting for you to experience their collections firsthand.

“As Kids Go” by Sam Gilliam incorporates many techniques including drip painting, a style that many associate with artists like Jackson Pollock. Gilliam’s piece is on display at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art and can provide some inspiration for this month’s at-home drip painting project.

Create Your Own Drip Painting

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Large white paper • Rocks or tape to secure the paper • Washable paint (such as tempera) • Water • Paintbrushes • Cups for the paint

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place paint in cups and add some water to make the paint the thickness of pancake batter. 2. Lay out large paper and secure in place with rocks or tape depending on where you are painting. We recommend you do this outside. 3. Try to drip and splat the paint onto the paper only. You might get some paint on your clothes or feet, so make sure to wear clothes that can get dirty. 4. Start with a darker color, such as dark blue. Start dripping paint in a variety of ways over the "canvas" like Jackson Pollock or Sam Gilliam. 5. Use other brighter, more contrasting colors next to drip and splat. Keep layering the colors and drips until you feel that your masterpiece is finished.

Be sure to take photos of your work and share on social media using hashtag #MGMOAart.

Scan this code to visit the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art’s at-home project page.

HELPING HANDS

Local Organizations Respond To COVID-19 Pandemic

From staff reports

Local businesses and organizations have not only found creative ways to operate while navigating the response to the coronavirus pandemic, and many have also found ways to give back and lend a helping hand to their neighbors in the community.

Here are a few some people told us about and some others who are still offering any assistance they can.

If you are part of a group or know of a group who has been working to help locally, please email editor@shawneeoutlook.com or contact us via facebook.com/shawneeoutlook.

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is still providing all social services – including vouchers to its Family Store for clothing items – along with food pantry, shelter services and Boys & Girls Club activities. For more information about details about the Salvation Army’s local response to the public health crisis, call (405) 275-2243. Those needing emotional or spiritual help can also reach out to (844) 458-4673.

Emmanuel Episcopal Church/United Presbyterian Church

Throughout the pandemic crisis, Emmanuel Episcopal Church has continued its daily lunch program. Hearing that patron numbers were increasing and that some supplies were becoming more difficult to obtain, United Presbyterian's Session decided to contribute to Emmanuel's efforts.

In November, the Session of United Presbyterian Church of Shawnee voted to contribute $5,000 to Mission Shawnee to support their food pantry and any special food baskets prepared for the holiday season.

OHCE

Oklahoma Home and Community Education chapters around the state responded to the call for masks as soon as the need became apparent. From mid-March through early June, OHCE groups worked together to produce 42,000 masks, including 2,500 from chapters in Pottawatomie County. These masks have gone to several medical facilities, firefighters and military personnel as well as many family and friends.

Those who would like to help OHCE’s efforts with community projects such as this and others including assisting women’s shelters, church organizations and more, contact the county OSU Extension Office at (405) 273-7683.

Gateway to Prevention and Recovery

Any community member can contact our Shawnee office at 273-1170 ext. 0 Monday-Thursday, between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m.-3p.m. and speak to a behavioral health professional free of charge.

Community Renewal

Community Renewal is providing a list of resources that it updates every weekday. Visit communityrenewal.org to find a link to its resource page.

Immanuel Baptist Church

Visit ibcshawnee.org/serve-coronavirus or call (405) 273-2105 for opportunities to serve, such as: • Signing up to deliver groceries, prescriptions,

DVDs and other essentials to those in need. • Sew face masks for health care providers. • Make care packages for health care providers. • Providing free to-go meals from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. every Thursday at Mission Shawnee at 126 S.

Center St.

Shawnee Forward

The organization is gathering and posting information for local businesses to help understand the impact of the current crisis and where they can find help. Visit shawneeforward.com.

United Way

United Way Worldwide is operating its COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund and has already helped provide resources for local organizations providing relief to families. Visit unitedway.org/recovery/covid19 for more information.

Oklahoma Blood Institute

Blood donation typically takes only about an hour, and one donation saves up to three lives. Appointments can be made by calling 1-877-340-8777 or clicking here or visiting a donor center listed below: • Ada – 1930 Stonecipher Blvd. • Central OKC – 901 N. Lincoln Blvd. • Edmond – 3409 S. Broadway, Ste 300 • North OKC – 5105 N. Portland Ave.

Please be aware of and observe all local distancing guidelines and social restrictions when deciding how to donate.

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SHAWNEE HISTORY

Brick Production In Shawnee Fired Up

Around Turn Of 20th Century By Ann McDonald, Courtesy Pott Co Historical Society Member

After members of the tribes living in what became Pottawatomie County chose their 160 acres, government officials declared the remaining land surplus and purchased from those tribes. County B, which was later named for one of the tribes, was opened for further settlement on Sept. 19, 1891. It’s reported that some 20,000 hopefuls lined up on the borders prepared to race for the homesteads.

The government had earlier designated Tecumseh to be the county seat. After a couple of years, some of those whose claims were on the north side of North Canadian River were recognizing the hardship of having to cross over to conduct business. Their solution was to draw up a portion of their own property into city lots then sell them for homes and businesses. They marked off streets and soon the area was swarming with new residents.

At first, many building supplies had to be brought in from outside sources. Because much of the area was thick with forests, there was wood available once sawmills were built. But brick? Especially for the downtown buildings?

Because of more land donations by local citizens, railroads soon followed the development of the new community, so some brick could be hauled in from outside sources, but the entrepreneurial spirit of Shawnee’s early citizens overcame the problem. Reports are that the first kiln of brick was burned in Shawnee in 1898. The plant was located on S. Market Avenue where it dead-ended at the high bank of the river. Edward Danal owned and operated it and built his home from the plant’s yield. The materials were obtained below the bank southwest of the house.

H. B. Dexter, a carpenter who lived at 9th & Bell, was also reported to have used the brick from this plant to build his residence, and some reports were that there was a brick plant near where the Santa Fe deport was later built, also using the river bank as a source.

By 1901, there was a brick plant at the corner of N. Philadelphia Avenue and Park Drive, still noticeable today by the depression about a block long where there’s now a park. Early citizens are quoted as remembering a mule pulling the mixer to mix the clay.

About 10 years later, the largest brick factory in the young community was the Shawnee Pressed Brick Works about a half mile southwest of town. The red shale was plowed loose, hauled to the plant in wheeled scoops, grounded in a nine-foot dry pan and molded on a Freese-Union machine. Three rectangular updraft kilns with a capacity of 200,000 each were used, and the dryer was heated by gas. The output averaged 18,000 common and pressed bricks per day. Supposedly, during the plant’s operation many of the early downtown buildings were constructed with these bricks.

The town’s first brickyard that had started on S. Market Avenue stopped operation about 1912. The house that was built of the bricks was demolished, but another domicile one block north and a block west, according to the memories of old timers, was built of bricks from that plant. The second house of the original bricks sat at 801 S. Park across from Farrall Park and in the early days was occupied by the Dunn family followed by the Mercers and later by a Mrs. Doyle. It stood for more than 80 years, according to current residents in the area, until falling into disrepair and was also taken down. Many of the bricks are still found around the now vacant lot. The current owner of the property reports that he used some for other purposes and disposed of many by dumping them in the creek to the east, which he says can still be located with a little digging.

Likely, there were many other homes and businesses built in Shawnee with bricks from early local manufacturers, but within a few years, especially with freighting available by the railroad and even later by trucks, brick manufacturing in Shawnee ceased.

Some houses like this on S. Park Avenue were built from bricks manufactured in Shawnee.

Photo submitted