CREATIVE RESONANCE by Karen Paul
Resonator Art Space, the metro’s newest art gallery and collaborative art space, is challenging traditional ideas of artists and exhibition spaces as it removes many of the creative restrictions artists face as they begin to share their works publicly. Located in a large warehouse on north University Avenue in Norman, Resonator is deliberately creating a gray area between traditional non-profit arts spaces and DIY galleries. This new space is led by a core group of volunteers, including Laine Bergeron, OU printmaking professor Curtis Jones, and artist Jenna Bryan. Together these artists are establishing an avenue for introducing new artists to the community, with a special
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emphasis on their chosen media, which includes print, sculpture and digital art. “We saw this artist-led concept in other communities across the country,” Bergeron said. “We know it worked well there, and thought it could be useful here.” Bergeron and the other co-founders know that their space fills an interesting role in the art community by intentionally remaining on the fringes of mainstream exhibition spaces, but integrating traditional gallery operations and collaborative artist studio spaces. “If we’re a little separate from the mainstream art world, then we can serve as a bridge between the DIY community and the traditional arts community,” Bergeron said.
Resonator’s 3,600 square foot exhibition space includes industrial looking white walls, which make installations challenging given the scale of the space. The Resonator team knows that with each exhibition they schedule, the pieces must be integrated with the space in a way that will not make the pieces look isolated, especially when they are site-specific works. “We intentionally make sure that our artist space does not distract from the work on display,” Bergeron said. The Resonator founders draw on their personal experience as both creators and curators to be respectful and protective of the works they select. Even though the physical space is sometimes challenging to work within, the benefits of the