ARTS

Artspace at Untitled embraces the local arts community through mentorship programs and fundraisers such as Exquisite Corpse.

Mentors, Makers and Exquisite Corpses

A look inside OKC’s Artspace at Untitled

BY LAVINIA CRESWA

NESTLED AT THE CORNER OF NE

3rd Street and Oklahoma Avenue, Artspace at Untitled has proudly been serving the arts community for almost 30 years. “Our mission has not really changed,” said founder and creative director Laura Warriner. “But maybe the way we approach our vision has, because we are now focused more on education rather than on exhibition.” Its mission is “bringing art to life” with a vision of being “an inclusive environment designed to inspire curiosity, creativity, collaboration and dialogue with the community through quality arts programming.” In 2003, Artspace became a nonprofit contemporary art center.

“We are a community-based organization,” Warriner said. “This is a workplace, a living place and an exhibition place for artists, as well as a place for students to be interactive in our mentorship program — the mentorship program is our largest initiative and probably the most gratifying for me.”

The program works with about 150 students across 13 high schools and one middle school in the Oklahoma City area, with eight to 12 students coming from each school. Learning everything from stop-motion filmmaking and fiber works to fashion design and printmaking, each student is paired with an individual mentor who is a local artist. The students spend entire days creating at Artspace and are free to come on weekends to continue honing their craft. Most of these aspiring artists begin the mentorship program as sophomores in high school and continue through their senior year. Plus, the most impressive aspect is that this program is completely free for the students and the schools.

Artspace at Untitled also proudly hosts an artist-in-residence program, with Philadelphia illustrator and printmaker Kees Holterman being the most recent artist to stay at the facility. While in OKC, he will teach classes through the mentorship program and offer a lecture for the community; his exhibition “Copper Snakes” is on display and will close Oct. 13.

Artspace hosts two annual fundraisers: the spring Steam Roller Print Fest and the fall Exquisite Corpse Costume Ball, which happens this year on Saturday, Oct. 29. The ball’s corresponding exhibition will open the same day and run through the end of the year. The Halloween-themed gala will feature a silent auction, fortunetelling, palm reading, live music, a tequila and wine pull and seasonally scary games such as eyeball tossing. If you love all things Halloween, from costumes to creepy crawlies, this ball should not be missed. All money raised from these fundraisers is put directly back into Artspace’s free programming.

Artspace is free to visit, open to the public and even dog friendly. Its hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The facility also is home to The Hive gift shop, which features unique work from 50 local artists, and might be a perfect creative destination for the upcoming holiday season.

For more information on Artspace at Untitled or to purchase tickets to the Exquisite Corpse Costume Ball, visit 1ne3.org.