VisionMakers2024 Catalog

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VisionMakers is 108|Contemporary’s signaturejuried biennial exhibition for contemporary fine craftbased artists in a seven-state region who bridge cutting-edge concepts and traditional skills as they approach boundaries among art, craft, and design.

With an internationally recognized juror and $5,000 in artist awards, VisionMakers2024 is displayed in the architecturally stunning 108|Contemporary gallery in Oklahoma’s Tulsa Arts District. On view from December 6, 2024 through January 25, 2025, this exhibition is brimming with innovative craft work.

PRESENTING SPONSOR

Special thanks to the generous sponsors of VisionMakers2024

ARTIST AWARD SPONSOR The Mervin Bovaird Foundation

PROGRAM PARTNER SPONSORS Commerce Bank Elizabeth Downing & Jana Ecrette Marcy and Bernard Robinowitz GH2 Architects

Art + Craft Dialog Award At 108|Contemporary, we aim to dissolve the traditional boundaries between fine art and craft. This award is designed to honor a work that either distinctly bridges or creatively blurs these lines, fostering a dialogue between the two disciplines. The Art + Craft Dialog Award is given to an artist whose work challenges these categorizations, reflecting our commitment to merging and redefining what art and craft mean today.

AWARDS Art + Craft Dialog Grant Akiyama Contemporary Design Emily Main Craftsmanship Jane Dunnewold Innovation Lizzie DiSilvestro Regional Identity Kirsten Taylor

Contemporary Design Award This award is granted to those who not only embrace but also drive forward the dialogue surrounding modern craft techniques, materials, and concepts. This accolade celebrates works that are not just visually striking but also intellectually engaging, capturing the essence and spirit of innovation that defines the field of contemporary craft.

Craftsmanship Award The essence of fine craft lies in the mastery of construction and the attention to detail. The Craftsmanship Award recognizes an artist who exemplifies exceptional skill and precision in their craft. This award celebrates artworks that are not only technically demanding but are also exemplary in their execution.

Innovation Award In a field as dynamic as contemporary craft, innovation is key. This award is designated for an artist who pushes the boundaries of what can be achieved with traditional and non-traditional materials.

The Innovation Award highlights works that are at the cutting edge, demonstrating novel approaches and pioneering techniques in the world of contemporary craft.

Regional Identity Award Distinct from our other biennial exhibitions, this award focuses on works that embody the essence of our seven-state region, extending beyond our Oklahoma member artists. The Regional Identity Award is presented to an artist whose work best represents regional techniques, materials, or concepts, thereby reflecting the unique cultural and geographical characteristics of our broader community.

VISIONMAKERS2024 SELECTED ARTISTS Grant Akiyama, OK

Alicia Kelly, KS

Elizabeth Richards, OK

Cassie Arnold, TX

Justin Korver, MO

Luanne Rimel, MO

Marilyn Artus, OK

Darci Lenker, OK

Irene Roderick, TX

Elaine Buss, KS

Mark Lewis, OK

Amy Sanders de Melo, OK

Harlan Butt, TX

Emily Main, OK

Mark Schmidt, MO

Al Canner, CO

Cynthia Marcoux, OK

Gayle Singer, OK

Maryalice Carroll, OK

Elizabeth Morisette, CO

Shawn Smith, TX

Lizzie DiSilvestro, OK

Kate Nelson, TX

Kirsten Taylor, KS

Jane Dunnewold, TX

Terise Harrington Phillips, CO

Suzanne Thomas, OK

Kim Eichler-Messmer, KS

Kayla Powers, NM

Casey Whittier, MO

Jean Ann Fausser, OK

Adams Puryear, MO

Pamela Husky, OK

Erin Rappleye, OK

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What impressed me most was the diversity of artistic voices represented.

Owner, Duane Reed Gallery

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DUANE REED, JUROR

It has been a privilege to serve as the juror for VisionMakers2024, which celebrates both the exceptional talent and the vibrant artistic community of the region. With a large number of submissions received, the selection process was both daunting and inspiring, as the depth of creativity and skill on display was truly remarkable.

Each work submitted spoke to the immense passion and dedication of its creator, making the decision-making process quite challenging.

As I reviewed the wide array of submissions, I was particularly struck by the incredible craftsmanship evident in so many of the works.

From intricate techniques to bold experimentation with materials, the artists demonstrated not only technical mastery but also a profound understanding of their chosen mediums. Whether the pieces were rooted in tradition or pushing the boundaries of contemporary art, each artist showcased a unique vision, voice and a high level of execution.

What impressed me most was the diversity of artistic voices represented. The works span a wide range of styles, subject matter, and approaches, reflecting the richness of the artistic landscape in the region.

This diversity underscores the depth of talent and highlights the

importance of exhibitions like this in providing a platform for such a broad spectrum of creative expression.

Ultimately, this all serves as a testament to the power of art to connect, inspire, and challenge us. The sheer quality and variety of the submissions speak to a thriving creative community that continues to push the limits of artistic excellence. I am confident that viewers will find themselves as captivated by these works as I was throughout the selection process, and I hope they leave with a deeper appreciation for the artistry and craftsmanship that define this exceptional collection.

Grant Akiyama, OK Yellow Bowl Stoneware, glaze 15” x 14” x 7”

ART + CRAFT DIALOG

AWA RD $1,000

My craft centers on a deep veneration for the natural origins and geological neighbors of clay. I strive to mirror the ecologies of the natural world through processes intrinsic to the ceramic medium.

Drawing inspiration from vivid ores, sumptuous boulders, and crystalline formations, I layer different clays, glazes, and raw materials to emulate geomorphic collisions and growths. This process creates forms suggesting functional objects like cups and bowls. In each piece, I aim to capture the rhythm of geological elements and their transformation in coordination with pottery— a medium as old as civilization. By doing so, I seek to uncover diverse expressions of the earth and showcase a numinous, hidden nature underfoot, highlighting its stewardship by hand.

Cassie Arnold, TX Claw Cables (Sepsis and Hospital Stays) Handknit cotton tubes 42” x 42” x 2”

My work explores the unspoken and taboo topics connected to life as a woman and caregiver. By using traditional fiber techniques, like hand knitting, my hope is to challenge and change the cultural narrative that attempts to define femininity.

My own experiences are reflected in each piece so that all people feel welcome to engage in an open and unashamed dialogue.

Stitch by stitch, the goal is to push back against the stereotypes surrounding females, their bodies, their work, their capabilities, and their lives.

I have made lots of work that has tackled social and political issues. I am currently drawn to making art that reminds us of beauty and our commonalities.

Marilyn Artus, OK We Have More In Common Mixed media with hand and machine embroidery 102” x 22”

I love buying needlework at garage sales that is unfinished or was never started. The multi color stripe component of this piece is a vintage needlepoint canvas that I created with a backstitch embroidery technique and tied off each strand in the front. This is an unusual way to stitch on a canvas of this type. I leave loose threads and have irregularities in the piece. This is intentional as a metaphor for life.

Elaine Buss, KS Breathe Before (Birth/ Growth Iteration) Ceramic, terra silgillata, melted minerals, glass frit 3’5” x 5’10” x 2”

In my work, I decontextualize historical sources such as stone artifacts, sacred architecture, and utilitarian objects.

Anthropological sources provide a place of empathy with past humans and a way to understand my own humanity more thoroughly. I use the aesthetics of the forms, spaces, and surfaces as the visual language within my own work. The resulting sculptures are not meant to allude to any specific origin or object, but rather remain anonymous and elusive. I play with the tension between the familiar and unfamiliar. I find mystery to be one of the most compelling emotions, and I try to arrive at a sense instead of a certainty.

As an artist working in metal and enamel and writing haiku poetry, I have formed vessels which reflect themes, colors, textures and the beauty, severity and mystery of the natural world. The Earth, its plants and animals, geography, and landscape, inspire me to create and to try to convey some of the emotional response to being present in wilderness.

Harlan Butt, TX Property Copper, enamel, brass 12” x 6” x 6”

My Extinction Series focuses on the erosion of diversity in the natural world due mostly to humanities urge to thrive at the expense of all else and a misunderstanding of the interconnectedness of all things. Pollution, habitat loss, the introduction of invasive species and unregulated hunting and fishing have been issues that concern me and which I have attempted to comment on in my artwork.

Al Canner, CO Alluvial Flumes Knotted cords of cotton, nylon, and polyester 19” x 18” x 4”

My work—which relies on the repetitive use of the humble double hitch-hitch—is, like more traditional concepts of tapestry, weft-faced; but it’s restricted neither by the confines of a loom nor of two-dimensionality. Many of my works are wall hangings, although others sit on flat surfaces. I begin each piece with a fairly well-formed idea of the final product; however, the work constantly is informed by the character of the cord and the dynamism created by combining cords of varying gauges and textures.

Color plays a central role in all my pieces, which commonly combine fibers made of cotton, hemp, jute, nylon, and polyester.

The ability to sharply shift cord from the role of warp (here, the core around which the half-hitch is knotted) to that of weft opens endless opportunities for color play. Rather than rely on an infrastructure for support or shape, most of my pieces depend solely on the robust strength of the knots themselves.

Maryalice Carroll, OK Everything Is Fine Clay, glaze, luster 11” x 11” x 24”

I attempt to find acquiescence in physical discomfort with the use of textural glazes layered on top of each other. I create lumpy Beings covered in exaggerated pores, or holes, that are oozing bodily fluid, or glaze. The Beings are abstract forms crafted out of clay that are physical representations of my emotional self. The Beings serve as an extension of the sensations I feel on a daily basis, animated by way of curves and lumps. I have termed them Beings because they are not quite human, but they hold the essence of being alive. The surfaces of the clay objects offer an analogy to being overstimulated to the point of discomfort.

As a hyper-sensitive person, both emotionally and physically, I’ve grown keenly aware of my body’s reaction to stress.

Psychosomatically, my skin will start to feel almost electric and crunchy, the pores on my body swell up. I feel every single pore, and each one tingling; this is overwhelming enough to bring me to tears. Those tears mix with the uncontrollable sweat that may or may not be real. Despite its severity, this feeling is invisible; in this clay, I attempt to create physical representations of invisible sensations.

I believe objects hold energy, and often what we discard is just as revealing as what we cherish. Using a net made of reclaimed textiles, I acknowledge that clothing can play a vital role in the formation and expression of personal identity. But with rapidly accelerating trend cycles and the emergence of fast fashion it calls into question not only the integrity of the net, but what else is getting caught in the shared American identity.

Lizzie DiSilvestro, OK Your Mother is Choking Reclaimed textiles on wood board 30” x 80” x 48”

INNOVATION

AWA RD $1,000

Habits like overbuying to return, donating after a few wears, and demand for low cost garments have branded Americans with the identity as the second largest producer of textile waste in the world. While the alarming effects of textile waste permeate communities everywhere, it’s most often poorer countries that pay the price of American overconsumers. A study from the Hot or Cool Institute determined that an average of 5 articles of new clothing per person per year is all our environment can handle to bring us back into balance.

Botanical printing on the heat press allows me to honor the wild plants and flowers that blanket central Texas for eight months of the year. This piece incorporates botanical prints transferred to silk through the alchemical magic of heat, moisture and pressure— further enhanced with long hours of hand embroidery and stitching.

Jane Dunnewold, TX The Earth Heals Herself Silk noil, plants and flowers, embroidery, photo transfer on silk habotai, gold metallic thread, sewing thread, felt backing 44” x 48”

CRAFTSMANSHIP

AWA RD $1,000

Our planet is precious and in peril. But be assured. The earth heals herself. As Paul Simon so poignantly wrote: “If every human on the planet And all the buildings on it Should disappear Would a zebra grazing in the African Savannah Care enough to share one zebra tear?

Questions for the angels”

My work explores pattern, color, structure, line, and rhythm through various mediums. Tactility, play, the transformation of materials, and unknown outcomes are the guiding factors I’m drawn to in making. My primary media is quilts and I add color and marks to fabric through dyeing, painting, printing, and stitching. I construct my quilts in an improvisational way and I like to invite uncertainty into my work by overdyeing or discharging (bleaching) the work at various stages of the sewing process.

Kim Eichler-Messmer, KS Down Under the Earth Hand-dyed cotton fabric 45” x 63”

For inspiration, I look to the natural world and the built environment. My relationship with nature plays a crucial role in my studio practice. Gardening, foraging, walks, and vacations spent hiking allow me the time and space to observe, reflect, and feel simultaneously small and expansive. I am increasingly aware of how fast time goes and attempt to slow down and follow the things that speak to me. By spending time observing, in quiet and stillness, I can open myself up to the beauty and strangeness of living that is easy to overlook in the monotony of daily life.

Jean Ann Fausser, OK Psyche Embroidery floss, wire, beads, repurposed hand form 8” x 9” x 3.5”

Psyche is the word for butterfly in formal Greek and it is a symbol for the soul. This piece explores the profound symbolism of butterflies, representing the soul, transformation, beauty, and the ephemeral nature of life. In addition to the reference to metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly they are sensitive indicators of ecological health, and their declining populations signal a deeper environmental crisis. Through intricate details and vibrant hues, I aim to capture their fleeting beauty while highlighting the urgent need for conservation. The juxtaposition of their ethereal presence against a backdrop of environmental degradation serves as a poignant reminder of what we stand to lose. This piece is both a celebration of the butterfly’s symbolic legacy and a call to action to protect the delicate balance of our ecosystems. The use of the hand as the structure is a reminder of man’s role in the destruction or protection of our environment.

Pamela Husky, OK Winding Stair Mountain Handspun, dyed, felted wool and silk 38” x 49”

My five decades of work in fiber art as a tapestry weaver and feltmaker has focused on landscape as subject. As a volunteer, I’ve worked in environmental cleanups, park and lake restoration, and as an election poll officer. But my artwork is not a climate or political statement. I work to convey the impression of a place I’ve lived or traveled; and the beauty of the sky, waters, grasses, trees, rock formations, mountains. It is the challenge of “painting” with wool and silk, of dyeing, spinning and blending these materials, and sharing a sense of place and time that compels the work.

My love of paper and its suspicious delicacy developed alongside my love of the printed multiple. Originally trained as a printmaker, my work focuses on the manipulation of cut paper, repetitive processes and the use of large scale sheets of interactive Tyvek.

Using a utility knife as a pen, intertwined with obsessive mark making, each of my papercut works become a practice of meditation and concentration.

Alicia Kelly, KS Raised and Removed Hand-cut paper, sculpted paper, acrylic 26” x 40”

My current works have been exploring the introduction of encompassing installations and sculptural paper wearables that mimic entrances and relics of hidden worlds. Punctured surface textures, the playfulness of shadows and a simple color palette create a multi-layered, multi-dimensional conversation inside each of my paper creations.

With loose mental plans of each cut out, I welcome the spontaneous patterns that imitate a foreign, undiscovered world.

Ephemeral in nature and material, my works allow for play on the subtlety of our everyday rituals and how quickly they evolve by our moment to moment decisions.

Justin Korver, MO Reshooting: Rub and Rut Pearled cotton embroidery with archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle paper 21” x 27”

My recent work is located within hunting culture and my experiences in a hunting family. My dad is an active hunter and my first model of traditional masculinity, a mold I do not fit. I lacked the killer instinct that supposedly was my birthright. My education in feminist and queer theory has led me to reject much of the masculinity I saw modeled growing up. The resulting art is an argument for inclusive ways of being and dismantling the “man as a predator”. I alter the masculinized spaces of hunting using a campy tone that highlights romance, color, humor, drama, and hyperbole.

This piece is from a body of work grouped under the title BUCK. The collection is focused on a relationship between the hunter and a single type of prey, the deer. The title, BUCK, is a reference to the name hunters use for male deer but also names our fictitious hunter. The slippage between hunter and hunted is one of the goals of this work. Often my art asks the viewer to inhabit multiple roles and imagine what it is like to be someone or something other than themselves. This kind of imaginative theatre is a chance for us to develop a greater sense of empathy.

This body of work utilizes weaving, embroidery, and appliqué.

These modes of production are often associated with feminine labor. The critical contrast in my work is to approach the masculine subject with a feminine action. The resulting work is both [and neither] and constitutes a gender non-conforming act of making.

Embroidery combines my love for drawing and fiber art. For me, the act of creating art is just as important as the end result and with the slow, meticulous process of thread painting, I can enjoy the possibilities of what can be done with a single strand of thread and how detailed the medium can be. I find inspiration anywhere there are interesting colors and textures, light and shadows, and the tiny details that really make something unique.

Darci Lenker, OK Self-Portrait with Cats Cotton embroidery floss, hand-dyed linen fabric 15” x 12”

I paint, draw, and collage street scenes. I respond visually to the environment that I live in. Twilight Painter is a fictional piece dealing with ordinary and extraordinary experiences from daily life. I construct these works using traditional and non-traditional materials. I love to use found and collected objects and all the implications that these discovered materials can provide. I love the democratic spaces we live in and I enjoy exploring the human condition through these street scenes.

Mark Lewis, OK Twilight Painter Mixed media, acrylic paint, afghan fragments, canvas, clothing, found objects 108” x 144”

Emily Main, OK Healing Embroidery, fabric, oil 5’ x 5’

CONTEMPORARY DESIGN

AWA RD $1,000

The work of art, Healing, comes from my experience with people who suffer from neurological disorders. More specifically, from my time volunteering at a speech camp for people who suffer from aphasia and from being a mother of a son with autism. In this work of art, the tree is an angiogram, which is a depiction of the blood vessel in the human brain. Angiograms show whether or not an obstruction in the blood vessels of the brain has caused the blood vessels to break creating a stroke. Often after a stroke the person has a long road to recovery as he or she starts various forms of therapy. It struck me at how much an angiogram of the human mind resembles a tree.

In Healing I wanted to play between different visual depths and levels of realism. To do this I brought in elements of fabric and embroidery for the flatter, stylized effect. I left the tree flat to help it resemble an angiogram. However, the crows have more depth and are painted in the style of expressionism. In this art piece, the crows are helpers that come in to heal and unlock parts of the mind that have been damaged or are not fully functional by replacing the neurologically damaged areas with flowers, a.k.a. various forms of therapy in the real world.

This piece is part of a series of beaded found objects representing my childhood memories during the 1960’s. I’ve been collecting items I had or coveted as a child for many years and decided that making them into art would be a wonderful way to transform them, drawing them further away from their life as mass-produced objects to something more labor intensive and personalized.

Cynthia Marcoux, OK The Wacky Doctor’s Game Cardboard, beads 7” x 12” x 2”

In these sculptures, I used a technique that I discovered in traditional bead work, like 20th century Huichol art, which allows for a threadless beading.

Covering the surface surrounds these remembered pieces of pop culture in armor—obscuring the wear and aging of their paper packaging, and clothes them in a more timeless character, more like it is to encounter them in memory and childhood desire—soft focused and gem-like—than like it is in the everyday world.

An important aspect of my work is the use of recycled or repurposed materials. I like using materials with a history.

This history often draws viewers in to experience these often common objects in a new manner. By giving the pieces catchy, nostalgic names, I invite the viewer to remember a time, place, or person that they once knew. Though the objects are common, often the memories invoked by the work are as varied as the individuals who view them.

Elizabeth Morisette, CO Grandma’s Cocoon Found granny squares, balloons 6’ x 3’ x 2’

I explore the complexities of interpersonal relationships; specifically, the spatial and supposed interaction between two or more persons caught in a single moment of time. Through the process of breaking down and deconstructing the figure into smaller more intimate aspects of a bodies posture the emphasis is redirected to the non-descript area between, creating a permanent shifting state of tension.

Kate Nelson, TX wish there was something you would do or say Cone 6 porcelain, gold luster 8” x 6” x 1”

Terise Harrington Phillips, CO Transforming Strength Hand-dyed fabric, paint, thread 22.25” x 18.75” framed

In the ebb and flow of creation, my work emerges as a testament to the harmony between structure and freedom. Guided by a strict pattern that intertwines with organic growth, each piece begins with a palette of fabric that suggests a direction. Thread and paint become my tools of augmentation, embellishment, and transformation. As I immerse myself in the process, I witness the piece taking on a life of its own. It is within this dynamic interplay that the true essence of my art unfolds—the ebb and flow of creativity, where rigidity yields to fluidity, and form evolves into new dimensions.

Through my work, I invite viewers to experience the beautiful tension and delicate balance that evolves with contrasting textures. Welcome to my world of fiber art, where strict patterns merge with organic growth, and every stitch is a testament to the ebb and flow of creativity.

Kayla Powers, NM Groundwork (Buckthorn) Cotton, wool, linen, woven on TC2 loom 28” x 30”

Observing the possibilities and limitations of a seasonally and geographically specific palette, my work comes from a place of curiosity, intuition, connection, reverence, and ancestral knowledge expressed by hand. Gardening in an urban environment—planting, harvesting, and processing botanicals— and fostering community form an extension of my studio that is central to my place-based practice. Through foraging, dyeing, weaving, and quilting, my work melds elements of traditional craft with a contemporary sensibility, exploring common threads of our shared humanity and what it means to be here and now.

Adams Puryear, MO That extra year of learning more nothing (iphone) Ceramic, glaze, laser-etched imagery 6” x 2.5” x .25” That’s why I’m wiser. That extra year of learning more nothing (iphone) Ceramic, glaze, laser-etched imagery 6” x 2.5” x .25”

Experimentation, deep inquiry, humor, and interdisciplinary assemblage drive my practice. I use a punk DIY ethos involving appropriation, materiality and suspicion of existing popular frameworks to create a speculative response to our technological and economic immersion. This is accomplished by merging craft traditions with physical elements and unexpected modes of sculpture and installation. By approaching 3D, craft and timebased art from experimental perspectives and using a variety of materials and techniques, I present an elemental vision of our possible future.

Core strategies are borrowed from the punk music I grew up with. Punk in my broad definition includes an individualist attitude that questions standards and authority, a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) attitude, as well as a preference for choosing friendship over money. In music, technical aspects of bands like the Ramones or Stooges are minimal and straightforward: a few simple guitar chords and unadorned driving drum patterns. But what is evoked with the feeling and attitude of a song like the Stooges’ I wanna be your Dog, gives the music its lasting effect. From a certain perspective, can anyone really do better than Iggy Pop, high on acid walking on people’s hands, smearing peanut butter and glitter on himself during a performance in front of thousands of people? Within my artwork I try to reflect this attitude, style and ethos of Iggy and the other punks by reducing my work to the fundamentals which puts the urgency in focus.

The objective of jewelry is to impact or complement the story of the human body. This is informed by inherent material value and psychological/emotional value.

Erin Rappleye, OK I need to remember I’m gluten intolerant (cordcutting ritual, part 1) Hand-fabricated brass and copper, powder coat, paracord, garden hose 18” x 12.5” x 1.75”

My work explores relationships, gender, behavior, communication, and sexuality through failure and absurdity in genuine efforts to find connection and love both with another person, and for myself. Each series functions as a time-stamp in a long process of self-discovery and learning.

I create jewelry and sculpture using a combination of technology and hand-skills. I start by drawing blueprints for objects using Rhinoceros 3D modeling software; I then use those drawings to guide my hand fabrication process, which could involve anything from piercing and sawing, cold-connections, welding and silver soldering to casting or forming. I work with a variety of materials from rubbers, plastics and fabrics to brass and silver. Many of the objects I make incorporate a machined component. The conversation between the machine and the hand is important—the defined edge of a machined component lends credibility and emphasis to the hand’s translation of emotion, sincerity, and history.

Elizabeth Richards, OK Pops Cotton fabrics, cyanotypes from photograph of Pops soda bottle on Route 66, old soda pop bottle caps, machine quilted using variegated thread 15” x 29”

I developed my curiosity with mixed media art when I was young, always inspired by nature and encouraged by my grandmother to create with my hands. Although I have no formal training, I have learned many techniques and processes that I use to create my designs, and my style. I often include hand dyed fabrics for the variation in color and shading that adds depth and character to my art quilts. I enjoy the slow and meditative process of hand stitching and the added texture it provides. My work tells a story of joy found in the beauty of nature, life, and imagination through fabric, color, and stitch.

My work explores the passage of time and lingering memory of the present. In the Bed Series, photographs of the unmade bed reveal a body just there. One-third of our lives are spent with this piece of furniture—from birth, sleep, love, illness and death— and images of pillows and rumpled sheets remind one of life’s journeys. They also evoke a sense of vastness and landscape as well as intimacy.

Luanne Rimel, MO Dreamscape / Sun Burst Photograph digitally printed on silk with archival inks, hand stitched with embroidery threads 14” x 14” Dreamscape / Sun Dagger Photograph digitally printed on silk with archival inks, hand stitched with embroidery threads 14” x 14”

I merge traditional domestic practices of embroidery and cloth with contemporary technology of digital printing. The images are printed onto silk with a wide format printer and archival inks. Detailed sections are collaged and stitched onto the cloth, referencing earlier traditions of mending and repair. I carefully investigate the colors and patterns in the image and utilize hand embroidery and quilting stitches to slowly activate the surface, creating shadows and textures, alluding to the marking of time.

Irene Roderick, TX Ripe Cotton fabric, cotton/ polyester batting, polyester thread 74” x 64”

My artwork is grounded in the textile arts, focused on quilt making and fabric dyeing. I am trained as a painter and I have always been interested in pattern and color and how these elements can evoke emotional and political responses. A few years ago, I encountered modern quilting and loved the idea of making a “utilitarian painting.” I learned to quilt and accidentally discovered improvisational quilting, an intuitive, spontaneous process I call “dancing with the wall.” The technique opened up a new-found creativity for me. This quilt began with large shapes of black fabric on my design wall. I worked on top and behind the shapes adding color intuitively until I felt the composition was balanced and interesting. I then sewed it all into one piece and quilted it on a longarm quilting machine. Through this act of making, I have learned to embrace the joy of creative intuition, spontaneous expression, and a blind trust in process.

Amy Sanders de Melo, OK You Belong Here Porcelain and 22k gold, reduction fired to 2300°, 2 settings of nested plates, handwritten Braille text: You Belong Here 24” x 11” x 3”

As a Colombian-American ceramic artist and educator with both vision and hearing loss, I strive to create work that speaks to the resiliency of the human spirit. My ceramic series feature hand-textured Braille messages that encourage empathy and empowerment for all individuals. These wares create moments of connection through recognizable forms and their function, while in other instances, they create disconnect as the Braille is unreadable by most viewers. This back and forth feeling mimics the way I often feel—somewhere between disabled and ablebodied, non-functional and functional.

We all experience loss, grief, and healing in different ways throughout our lives. Using Braille on ceramics started as a way of coping with my vision loss, and it has evolved into a storytelling method intended to be felt and used by anyone, blind or not. Braille is a tactile way of placing emotions, convictions, and intentions directly on my work, and these tactile pieces aim to create a home for all of us, not just some of us– a place where everyone can experience acceptance, dignity, and healing.

The focus of this work is the rural town of Verona in Southwest Missouri. Once a thriving area rich in agriculture, manufacturing, and mining, Verona now has fewer than 600 residents.

I chose Verona as the site for this work because it represents two important themes: The loss of small communities due to global industrialization and the ravaging of impoverished rural areas by toxic waste.

Mark Schmidt, MO Verona BCP #1 Cyanotype on fabric toned in natural dye, thread, stretched 19.5” x 17.5” x 1”

Regarding the first, I want to invite the viewer into the abandonment, and subsequent isolation, of American communities and small towns. I hope that impact is one that forces us to grapple with our American sense of manifest destiny, to question our own values as we starkly observe inequality and poverty, and to consider who—and what— gets left behind with changing social structures.

As to the second, ProPublica found that Verona is a hotspot for toxic air pollution and elevated cancer risk. My artwork balances the natural beauty of the town with EPA reports that outline the violation of BCP Ingredients and its parent company, Balchem. This is connected to the poverty of the town: Environmental hazards are often forced upon communities too poor to wage legal battles, and individuals too marginalized to spark larger outrage.

Gayle Singer, OK Rhapsody in Blue Porcelain (thrown, altered, assembled) glaze fired to cone 4, oxidation 6’6” x 12”

I am inspired by structural elements, the growth process and abstraction of forms found in nature. Energy, tension, and motion are compelling forces that I continually strive to emulate in my work, and are best translated by the way I choose to manipulated and exaggerate the plasticity of the clay. My approach to the material is direct, yet responsive to its innate properties. The hand and material connection that clay provides, in relation to the use of the potters wheel, engage me physically and allow me to respond spontaneously.

My current sculptural explorations involve forms that are assembled on a metal rod, mounted to the wall, and free standing vertical forms. The installation process provides flexibility to the final angle and orientation of the wall piece, contributes to the illusion of movement, and aids in the distribution of weight within a given sculpture. The incorporation of functional elements contribute to the structural foundation and establishes a format for interpretation and interplay. The use of saturated color and textural surfaces enhance the juxtaposition of the parts within the composition and invite a visual and tactile response.

Shawn Smith, TX Orion MDF, pigment 43” x 30” x 30”

My work investigates the slippery intersection between the digital world and reality. Specifically, I am interested in how we experience nature through technology. We are currently living in a digital age where we predominantly experience the natural world through our phones, computers, and television screens. This distance from the reality of nature distorts our perspective and creates a disconnect. As species decline and fade into memory, so many animals and organisms now have a stronger presence in the digital world than in the natural world. I use systems of nature as a point of departure to create sculptural work.

With my series, Re-things, I create three-dimensional sculptural representations of two-dimensional images of nature I find online.

I build my objects pixel by pixel in an overtly laborious process in direct contrast to the slipperiness and speed of the digital world.

I am interested in how each pixel plays an important role in the identity of the object, the same way each cell plays a crucial role in the identity of an organism. Through this process of pixelation, details become distilled, distorted, or deleted. Currently, I am exploring extinction, evolution, animal lore, mimicry, and the collision of digital and biological systems to pose the question: “What is nature becoming?”

“In the game of life and evolution there are three players at the table: human beings, nature, and machines. I am firmly on the side of nature. But nature, I suspect, is on the side of the machines.”

–George Dyson

I am a multimedia artist based in the tallgrass prairie ecoregion.

Informed by my rural childhood, I focus on our relationship with the nature. Through my art I encourage empathy and connection with the more-than-human world. I learn from nature and place by using methods of embodied learning. I collect materials from places such as clay, plants, and sounds.

Kirsten Taylor, KS Glacial Drift Locally sourced clay, locally sourced catalpa 24” x 72” x 48”

My practice is sometimes site specific and always informed by place. Influenced by science, indigenous teachings, and Black feminism, I ask how we as humans can reconnect and recreate a better world. I draw from thinkers such as adrienne maree brown and return to their ideas of imagination, thinking with nature, and starting small.

My work takes the form of mixed media sculptures, videos, installation, poetry, and social practice projects. Previous projects have focused on themes such as loss of ecological knowledge and connection, human constructs of wilderness, invasive species, and habitat restoration. I continue to explore art’s potential for healing and positive cultural shifts.

REGIONAL IDENTITY

AWA RD $1,000

Suzanne Thomas, OK Silent Reflection Embroidery on Tea Cloth 20” x 30”

My art is an invitation to the viewers to feel the work, both literally and figuratively. The mark of the brush, the use of color or a particular stitch are used to actively engage the viewer.

Working with a variety of mediums as well as incorporating different materials and techniques onto the surface, is an invitation for the audience to experience the art making process with me. Including embroidered images, either on tulle or directly on linens, is a new form of creative expression for me. The challenge for me is to create work that is always informative, truthful, and celebratory.

The images I choose are inspired by personal history, identity and some pop culture. I chose to embroider because it is very methodical. It has come to be a form of meditation for me to some extent. Plus, I love color and texture and I get that satisfaction with embroidery. This approach has allowed me to find a deeper level of creativity as well as to be more direct with the art making process.

The systems of construction I use are adopted and adapted from historical craft disciplines. Although the unit or material may change from one work to another, these systems highlight the interdependence of each unit upon the whole. I use simple tools and work in low-tech ways to keep evidence of the hand and the human present. The studio is an ecosystem of my making: I repurpose as much as possible often using local clay and leftovers from other artists. I insist on making my work fit the life I want.

Casey Whittier, MO De Donde Vienen Los Colores / Where the Colors Come From (Mexico) Lana, algondón y cerámica (wool, cotton, ceramics) 24.5” x 34” x 1”

Each sculpture and installation is a way to advocate for an intentional relationship with material and metaphor. An exploration of touch and intuitive making is embedded in my practice. Clay serves as palimpsest; I seek to exploit inherent variations in surface and texture, its ability to mimic, to be thick, thin, ephemeral or permanent. The physical recordings that come through rolling, tearing, squishing, dipping, pushing, pinching, casting, and scratching become representations of touch, of thought, of time spent. Living is a dynamic, daily process: tenuous and thrilling, delicate and precarious, simple and complicated, wry and serious. I ask my work to quietly embody these qualities.

PATRONS Myra Block Kaiser George Kaiser Family Foundation The Anne and Henry Zarrow Family Foundation The Hardesty Family Foundation The Maxine & Jack Zarrow Family Foundation Arts Alliance Tulsa Oklahoma Arts Council The Mervin Bovaird Foundation Corey Block Cecil & Virgie Burton Foundation Frederic Dorwart Jean Ann Fausser Wallace Design Collective Melinda Adwon Bank of Oklahoma Stephanie Block Commerce Bank Kathleen Gerety GH2 Architects Penni Gage Janet Shipley Hawks The Kirkpatrick Family Fund Kalpana Misra Chris Murphy Bernard & Marcy Robinowitz

Diane & Richard Salamon The William F. and Susan W. Thomas Charitable Foundation Whit Todd Tulsa Artist Fellowship Tulsa Community College Peggy Upham Peter Walter Walter & Associates, Inc. Kathleen Patton Westby Foundation Williams Companies Martin Wing Nancy Boughey Dan Burnstein Fiber Artists of Oklahoma Jeff & Annie Van Hanken Susan & Bob Mase Scott & Laura Andrews Otto Duecker Janet Hasegawa Mary Huckabee Kenneth Lawrence Amber Tait Litwack Leigh Ann Moss Kirsten Olds Andrew Webb

Special thanks to the generous patrons of 108|Contemporary

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

STAFF

VM24 COMMITTEE

Myra Block Kaiser, Chair Jean Ann Fausser, President Andrew Webb, Treasurer Penni Gage, Secretary Melinda Adwon Shuntasia Coleman Mary Huckabee Amber Litwack Kathy McRuiz Chris Murphy Kirsten Olds Diane Shen Whit Todd Susie Wallace Martin Wing Lisa Zarrow

Jen Boyd Martin Executive Director

M. Teresa Valero, Co-Chair Kalyn Fay Barnoski, Co-Chair

Laurel Ryan Programs Director

Laura Bennison Jean Ann Fausser Penni Gage Myra Block Kaiser Karnika Iyengar Kathy McRuiz

Jolie Hossack Associate Director Han Dinh Gallery Manager Claire Wintle Gallery Assistant Amy Rockett-Todd Gallery Assistant

108|Contemporary is a nonprofit community arts organization dedicated to exhibiting the finest in contemporary craft and supporting the artists who create it. Our vision is a community where world class craft and design inspire and educate audiences of all ages, where diverse cultural traditions flourish, and local artists thrive. Our organization was founded in 2011 and we moved into our physical location in 2013. We are celebrating eleven years at our beautiful gallery located in the heart of the burgeoning Tulsa Arts District.

The gallery is 3,000 sq. ft. of wide-open space with minimal features designed to accentuate the art and invite cutting-edge installations.

We are dedicated to providing exhibition space for the highest level of innovative contemporary craft from Oklahoma and around the world. Exhibitions feature contemporary ceramics, glass, fiber, jewelry and metals, furniture and wood, and more. Six exhibitions each year drive programs and partnerships based on content, materials, artists, and styles.

Brady Craft Inc., dba 108|Contemporary, is a charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

VisionMakers2024 Graphics

by Cristina Umezawa © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

Updated by Jolie Hossack

12.06.24 - 01.25.25 108|Contemporary 108 East Reconciliation Way Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103 www.108contemporary.org