Art Focus Oklahoma Fall 2019

Art Focus

O k l aho m a V i s ual A r ts C oal i t i on

Ok l a h o m a Vo l u m e 3 4 N o . 4

| Fall 2019

KINETIC WORLD October 4 - November 24, 2019 October 4 - November Scrambles (detail), by Liz Whitney Quisgard

JURIED BY DR. KIRSTEN OLDS December 6, 2019 - January 26, 2020

Rock Candy Mountain (detail), by Taylor Painter Wolfe

Brady Craft Inc., dba 108|Contemporary, is a charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 108|Contemporary is an equal opportunity employer committed to principles of the broadest form of diversity. Design by Elisa Vandersloot, Third Floor Design, The University of Tulsa

www.108contemporary.org 108 East Reconciliation Way Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103 918.895.6302

Art Focus

Ok l a h o m a Vo l u m e 3 4 N o . 4

| Fall 2019

R e v i e w s a n d P re v i e w s 4

Constructing Our Landscape, Crafting Our World

by Lauren Hutson

7

Standing Their Ground in OKC

by Carleigh Foutch

10 Water, Water Everywhere COVER: Jean Ann Fausser, Tempest, mixed fiber, 42” X 35”, page 10. BELOW: Harvey Pratt, Blue Cloud Man, oil on canvas, page 7

by Karen Paul

12 Animating History

by Bianca Martucci-Fink

14 What Do You See?

by Zoe Bigbie

F e a t u re s 18 Oklahoma Visual Arts Awards

by Laurence Reese

21 Norman Library Unbound

by Jill Farr

24 EKPHRASIS: Art & Poetry edited by Liz Blood

27 OVAC News 28 Gallery Guide

Support from: Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition PHONE: 405.879.2400 1720 N Shartel Ave, Ste B, Oklahoma City, OK 73103.

WEB: ovac-ok.org Editor: Krystle Brewer, director@ovac-ok.org Art Director: Anne Richardson, speccreative@gmail.com Art Focus Oklahoma is a quarterly publication of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition dedicated to stimulating insight into and providing current information about the visual arts in Oklahoma.

Mission: Supporting Oklahoma’s visual arts and artists and their power to enrich communities. OVAC welcomes article submissions related to artists and art in Oklahoma. Call or email the editor for guidelines. OVAC welcomes your comments.

Letters addressed to Art Focus Oklahoma are considered for publication unless otherwise specified. Mail or email comments to the editor at the address above. Letters may be edited for clarity or space reasons. Anonymous letters will not be published. Please include a phone number.

2018-2019 Board of Directors: President: John Marshall, OKC; Vice President: Douglas Sorocco, OKC; Treasurer: Dean Wyatt, Owasso; Secretary: Laura Massenat, OKC; Parliamentarian: Jake Yunker, OKC; Susie Marsh Agee, Pauls Valley; Marjorie Atwood, Tulsa; Bob Curtis, OKC; Gina Ellis, OKC; Jon Fisher, OKC; Barbara Gabel, OKC; Saiyida Gardezi, OKC; Susan Green, Tulsa; Drew Knox, OKC Kyle Larson, Alva; Travis Mason, OKC; Kirsten Olds, Tulsa; Diane Salamon, Tulsa; Chris Winland, OKC; Ricco Wright, Tulsa The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition is solely responsible for the contents of Art Focus Oklahoma. However, the views expressed in articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Board or OVAC staff. Member Agency of Allied Arts and member of the Americans for the Arts. © 2019, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. All rights reserved. View the online archive at ArtFocusOklahoma.org.

3

Constructing Our Landscape, Crafting Our World

by Lauren Hutson

Sharon Massey, Cocktail Ring, copper, enamel, nickel, 4” x 4” x 4”

Ornamentation meets architecture in 108|Contemporary’s latest exhibition, Building on the Body: Identity, Materials, Jewelry. Shown from August 2 to September 22, the show featured works from fifteen contemporary artists, both well established and up-andcoming. Hailing from Texas, Japan, and everywhere in between, the artists contributed a collection of jewelry constructed from industrial materials like steel, concrete, copper, rope, enamel, and Velcro fasteners. Building on the Body experimented with and explored our notions of what architecture encompasses, what jewelry is 4

re v i e w

capable of, and how the two compare and coexist in society.

Stationed in the heart of downtown Tulsa’s Arts District, 108|Contemporary used its spacious and elegant environment to its full potential for Building on the Body. The exhibition was housed in a mostly white gallery space.

Throughout the room, bold pops of yellow accents caught the eye like cautionary fluorescents in a construction zone. To compliment the exhibition’s theme of architecture and jewelry in tandem, curator Erin Rappleye created a range of unique displays for the wearable sculptures.

Sturdy tables and wall mounts presented half of the works in a manner similar to traditional jewelry displays, though restrictive glass and mannequin hands were noticeably absent. The remaining half of the collection sat gracefully on sleek and stacked I-beams.

The manner of display informed different ways of approaching the jewelry. When viewing the works at eye level or just below, as was the case with the wall mounts and tables, patrons felt no hesitation in becoming more intimate with the jewelry. However, when the necklaces were resting elegantly on

Gallery view, photo by Jack Dean

the unconventional I-beams, they appeared less like jewelry and more like miniature structures. As they sat low to the ground, the patron viewed these works as the birds view the rooftops. Not holding the jewelry, but still essential to the exhibition’s atmosphere, was the towering scaffold planted near the gallery’s entrance. Scrim drapes over the metal bars as a video projection illustrated potential ways of fashioning the featured jewelry.

The decision to vary the methods of display created a visually dynamic environment while simultaneously challenging our notions of what jewelry and architecture can be.

Pristine gallery and industrial site married beautifully in the exhibition’s visual presentation.

As a collection of works, Building on the Body stirs up a handful of crucial questions. When jewelry is crafted from nontraditional materials, what space does it now occupy?

Would the average patron still view these as a wearable accent of personal ornamentation or is it now more digestible as sculpture? Can a work rest comfortably in the Venn Diagram of jewelry and sculpture?

Building on the Body asks its visitors to contemplate the spaces that jewelry, sculpture, and architecture share.

Buildings and accessories are mainstays in our daily lives. We awake to our bedroom walls and confront our workspace halls; outfits feel complete with that favorite piece and the wrist is naked without the trusted watch. Despite their constant, engulfing presence, architecture and jewelry can often go unintentionally ignored or passively unnoticed. What if time was taken to reflect on the presence and significance of these structures both sky scraping and skin resting?

A tower furnishes a skyline much as a necklace adorns the flesh. Jewelry builds on the landscape that is (continued to page 6)

re v i e w

5

(continued from page 5)

Viewers observing Demitra Thomloudis’ Over the Fence

Jiří Šibor, Untitled, The Circle Series, stainless steel, acrylic, cold connected-riveted, 2.4” x 2.4” x 0.5”

our bodies. As a ring can become a cherished heirloom, a distinct structure can come to symbolize an entire city. Both architecture and jewelry can become homes to our personal memories and our cultural identities.

Jewelry constructed from building materials reflect an artist’s architectural environment and social congruence. Many of these participating artists infuse, both literally and figuratively, their heritage, surroundings, and sense of self into their jewelry. Motoko Furuhashi’s wrapped and spiraling brooches include fragments collected from stretches of road. These streets can now live nomadically, eternally.

Tiff Massey’s statement necklaces are named for various streets in Detroit.

Through their names, designs, and materials, these necklaces celebrate the artist’s unique experiences and journey. When a patron adopts the piece, its significance changes; 6

re v i e w

it is now a traveling work of art, a building in motion, a structure in transformation. Each of the participating artists had a unique process and inspiration in creating their work but each contributed uniquely and beautifully to the exhibition’s overall theme.

The collection weaves together engineering, crafting, and storytelling to produce a series of striking and though- provoking microstructures.

Building on the Body: Identity, Materials, Jewelry shakes up our perceptions of what jewelry and architecture can be. We are challenged to reconsider how we interpret the walls we inhabit and the accessories we collect. Concrete and steel can exist in the streets and in the wardrobe. Diamonds and gold may be elegant but they do not have a monopoly on what can decorate our skin. This collection highlights the relationships between jewelry, architecture, and sculpture and

Tiff Massey, Nevada St., hazelnut wood, copper, rope, caution tape, 12” x 8.25” x 1.25”

how they work together to create miniature marvels. Art lives in the skylines and engineering plays in the jewelry box. Every building we pass carries a distinct history and holds a special place in its environment, both organic and architectural. Each morning as we dress for our day, we select pieces that reflect our stories, our interests, and our identity. As we continue to explore our world, we continue to rework ourselves, we continue building on our body. n Lauren Hutson is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Tulsa and is a summertime instructor at WaterWorks Art Center in Tulsa.

Standing Their Ground in OKC

By Carleigh Foutch

Harvey Pratt, The Awakening, oil on canvas

If you stop by the Exhibit C Gallery at 1 East Sheridan Avenue these days, you’ll find it’s become the home of the Standing Their Ground exhibition, shedding some much-needed light on the personal and professional sacrifices made by Native American veterans in the United States.

The history of Native Americans is taught a certain way in our country, with many stories of the multifaceted tribes being glossed over and, more often than not, forgotten. The stunning work in Standing Their Ground brings Native voices to the forefront by featuring Native artists in order to better understand and learn from the

stories that make up our nation’s history.

“One of the most important aspects of this show for me was to bring awareness to the fact that Native Americans, as a demographic, have the highest rate per capita of volunteer military service,” said Thomas Farris, Exhibit C Gallery manager. (continued to page 8)

re v i e w

7

in the process of ‘standing down’ and becoming human beings again,” he said.

“It refers to a long time ago when Plains people, specifically the Cheyenne, went out to hunt and came home. They were not allowed back into camp. The tribe would make them stand out in order to purify them and make them human after killing things so they wouldn’t bring that negative energy around everyone else.

“They were treating PTSD way before anyone else was. I think I suffered from that. My family had a ceremony for me when I came home. They fed everybody and sang me a song and that really helped me. Even though we have people with problems, we also have people who are healed by these [coming home] ceremonies,” Pratt said.

Enoch Kelly Haney, The Guardian, bronze

“Native Americans have defended this country despite a very complex history and [their] culture has been utilized as an advantage by the U.S. military.”

The pieces range from poignant paintings to larger-than-life sculptures and installations.

Harvey Pratt, featured artist and member of the Cheyenne/Arapaho tribe, has created an incredible mural of his time in Vietnam on a tipi liner. The images juxtapose his time on the ground in Vietnam with Cheyenne ledger art, lending a modern and personal take on the history of war.

Honoring the history of the tribe’s original ledger art with Pratt’s personal stories breathes a new life into the piece.

“Indian people are just like everybody else, yet we’re still different,” Pratt said. “We have the same issues and problems. We have a strong connection that a lot of other cultures have, culturally and spiritually speaking.”

Pratt’s journey as a Native American artist started out in grade school. His teachers

8

re v i e w

Harvey Pratt, Blue Cloud Man, oil on canvas

were quick to identify his talent, but it wasn’t until he was a junior in high school at St. Patrick’s Indian Mission in Anadarko, OK, that he was given the tools he needed to succeed.

“They didn’t have any art classes, but one of the priests took an interest in my talent and bought me some watercolors. I painted an image of the crucifixion, but made the people Native Americans instead,” Pratt said.

Pratt sold that painting (also his first) to a woman from Midwest City, thus launching his career as an artist. It wasn’t until Pratt received some backlash for mimicking the flat style of many southwest Native Americans that he returned to his roots and started telling the stories of the Plains Indians.

Pratt says that his ceremonious returning from Vietnam made him feel closer to his native ancestors and family.

“A stand-down is about warriors— veterans—that have come home and are

Powerful stories like those told by Pratt and featured artists Enoch Kelly Haney (Seminole and Monty Little (Navajo), bring a rich history to life. With Standing Their Ground, Native Americans are no longer relegated to just the 19th century, but are instead rewriting their roles in our history books with their own voices.

“I hope the audience comes away with an appreciation, not only for the contributions these men have made with their military service, but also the impact they’ve made with their art work.

Haney and Pratt have laid a foundation for the next generation of Native artists– represented by Monty Little—and you can really see the evolution of Native art in this exhibit. It makes me excited to see what next generation of artists will produce,” Farris said.

Standing Their Ground will be on display until October 31, 2019. The Exhibit C Gallery is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., so be sure to catch the exhibit before it’s gone! However, if you aren’t able to make it down to Bricktown, Pratt’s art will be featured in the National Native American Veterans Memorial, which will be located on the National Mall in Washington D.C., Veterans Day in 2020. n

Harvey Pratt, The Challengers, oil on canvas

Carleigh Foutch is a writer and activist living in Oklahoma City. She received her BA in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and continues to write stories of all kinds in her spare time. She works as a full-time copywriter in Edmond. To learn more about Carleigh and her work, visit www.carleighfoutch.weebly.com. Â

Monty Little, Precursor IV, oil on canvas

re v i e w

9

Water, Water Everywhere

By Karen Paul

Jean Ann Fausser, Rapids, mixed fiber, 51” x 21”

Water, an unspoken theme weaving together Tulsa artist Jean Ann Fausser’s creative career, is a major influence in her upcoming exhibition entitled Water, Water Everywhere, Nor Any Drop to Drink, a line from Samuel Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Her upcoming exhibition features works that examine the profound environmental struggles facing our society.

Fausser, who feels that literary themes often limit her work’s ability to stand on its own, made an exception in using a literary title for this show because Coleridge’s line represented one of the core thoughts that she has had in mind during the creation process for this collection of work.

“The line seemed to state what I was thinking, but I often pull myself back from using literary concepts and themes to title work,” she said. “While I want people to appreciate the theme, I would rather the work be appreciated on a purely artistic level.”

10 p re v i e w

From her original beginnings as a watercolor artist to her current work, water has always been a part of Fausser’s work in some way.

“I originally started as a painter with an emphasis on watercolors, but moved into mixed media and fiber,” she said. “I first learned felting in a VisionMakers workshop led by Pam Huskey. I liked the tactile nature of the medium. Adding it to my mixed media processes has been something I continue to explore. It has a certain quality that speaks to the work I want to do.”

In this exhibition, Fausser’s felting abstracts will focus on the environmental issues on her mind. They are not meant to be specific depictions.

“The thoughts of global warming, water shifts, and having enough water are on my mind as I’m working,” Fausser said. “To focus my work in this direction is a conscious decision that I’ve made in the last two or three years.”

Fausser feels her work in this exhibition is deliberately purposeful in construction, and will span multiple sizes, shapes and textures, all with an underlying theme of water or environmental concern. She uses wool roving in a painterly manner creating works that flow in much the same way as more traditional paint media.

While some of her pieces are still being finished, Fausser knows the exhibition will include several smaller three-dimensional pieces on pedestals, in addition to larger wall pieces, some as large as 47 x 36 inches that will serve as a backdrop for the pedestal pieces. Much of the show will feature wet felting techniques but will include some basketry techniques and beading as well.

Her finished pieces, include Canals which was inspired by a recent trip to the Netherlands, a country with a long history of coping with water management issues, as well as a piece entitled Seven, which refers to the seven continents and seven seas, or the balance between land mass and water.

The central piece in the show, is entitled The Gift, which is a small sculptural piece that expresses Fausser’s deep feeling about our lack of good stewardship in protecting our planet.

This piece incorporates multi-media elements such as beading, and felting. As a counterpoint to this piece is, Paean, which is a celebratory message. These are two of the smallest works in the exhibit but may be the most important in terms of message.

“While I’ve displayed at the Tulsa Artist Coalition before, the process of setting up a show changes every time,” Fausser said. “It all depends on the pieces in the show and how I want these things to be in conversation with each other.”

Fausser recently returned from Colorado where she was working on some of her artworks.

“I really enjoy being involved in the Tulsa arts scene through 108|Contemporary and AHHA,” she said. “However, out there I can just work without distractions. I already had the work started when I went to Colorado, so I was mostly working on finishing the pieces.”

Fausser’s creative process includes working on multiple pieces concurrently. She may work on as many as three or four artworks a time, jumping from one piece to another as the pieces come to life.

“I’m basically thinking about art all of the time,” she said. “The creation process happens over long periods. Sometimes, the pieces do sit for awhile. As that happens it’s an advantage to have other work started while thinking about the first one. I can work on something else until what’s bothering me about a specific piece works itself out in my mind.”

While Fausser may be working on multiple pieces at one time, she never starts something that she doesn’t finish.

“I may work on something for a while; I need to let it sit and give it time to speak to me,” she said. “However, I never have anything I don’t eventually finish. I just don’t work that way.”

Water, Water Everywhere, Nor Any Drop to Drink will be on view November 1 through November 30, 2019 at the Tulsa Artists Coalition in the Tulsa Arts District. n Karen Paul is an arts writer based in Oklahoma City. She is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College. You may contact her at karenpaulok@gmail.com.

p re v i e w 11

Animating History at the OSU Museum of Art

By Bianca Martucci-Fink

Avedon Frontier, Image Caption & Credit Line LaTurbo Avedon, Frontier Study, 2018, single-channel projection installation with audio. © LaTurbo Avedon, courtesy of the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, animation still by TRANSFER Gallery.

What do we think of when we hear the words animation, video games, or Disney? These words may often carry nostalgic perceptions and personal recollections—and not necessarily interactions with museum displays. However, the newest show at the Oklahoma State University Museum of Art in Stillwater is sharing with audiences the history of animation in the context of an art museum.

From comic strips, to movies, to video games, this exhibition explores the creative processes of popular animation and its relationship to well-known contemporary animation artists.

Under the direction of its curator Mora J. Beauchamp-Byrd, Ph.D, three undergraduate students and I (a graduate research assistant for the OSUMA) worked to create an encompassing exhibition that focused on three key components. Dr. Beauchamp-Byrd’s first

12 re v i e w

objective was to provide a visual history of the one hundred years of global animation art. Using Windsor McKay’s Little Nemo as the foundational work (one of the earliest examples of animation that first premiered in the United States in 1911), our team then constructed a timeline that highlights key moments in animated innovation—ending with the 2018 feature film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. In the exhibition space, a detailed timeline presents familiar photographs, movie posters, DVD boxes, and video game covers—illuminating viewers on how these animated works have influenced popular culture, as well as technological advancements in the arts.

Secondly, Beauchamp-Byrd focused on addressing how the process of creating different forms of animation has been executed

differently over time, while also presenting the means by which contemporary artists employ those past technologies to create works today.

She worked with several of the featured artists to acquire what she calls “process items.” For example, Lyndon J. Barrois and Gabrielle Tesfaye are both contemporary animation artists who create artworks through the process of stop-motion. While their means of moving images are similar, Barrois molds gum wrappers to create models while Tesfaye uses paper puppets. These “process items” of paper and wrappers are on display in the gallery next to their respective artist’s completed animated project. Each process viewed throughout the gallery is part of the curator’s desire to convey how a completely still artwork, (whether it be gum wrappers, puppets, or hand-painted cels) has been tediously manipulated by the artist to create spectacular narratives and moving

Steinkamp Bouquet, Jennifer Steinkamp, Bouquet 1, 2013, computer-generated animation. © Jennifer Steinkamp, courtesy of the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, photo by Joseph Rynkiewicz.

From left to right: Bianca Martucci-Fink, Project Coordinator (OSU Museum of Art Graduate Research Assistant); Syd Hammond (Video Game Design/History Assistant); Kayla Andrus (Curatorial Assistant); Hope Bailey (Exhibition Design Assistant), and Mora J. Beauchamp-Byrd, Ph.D (exhibition curator).

images. According to Beauchamp-Byrd, these “process items” are essential to “how the magic is made.”

The third and final component realized in this exhibition is the impact of animation on contemporary art and visual culture. A variety of interactive contemporary works from LaTurbo Avedon, Daniel Canogar, Daniel Rozin, and Jennifer Steinkamp are also on view—creating an immersive and engaging space that exemplifies the endless possibilities of animation art. After moving with, looking at, and listening to these works, museum guests can move to the ArtLab to play videos games discussed in the show and further interact with these technologies.

Working on this project has been a rewarding and enlightening experience which has allowed me to learn from the diverse history of animation, and bring light to some of its forgotten or ignored contributors. The curator consistently placed diversity and inclusion at the forefront of our research—asking the student team to represent films, games, and figures from all backgrounds and all areas of the animation process. When I finally walked through the completed space, I realized how often we take popular animation for

granted. I hope that when audiences visit the exhibition, they learn not only about who worked on these famed stories, but also come to understand the implications of where they come from and how global perceptions influence the creation of artworks. The incredible work of Dr. Beauchamp-Byrd and the OSU Museum of Art Staff has brought these important stories to the forefront of our experience with this show, one unlike we have seen before at this museum.

For additional information on Little Nemo’s Progress, museum programming, and art events in Stillwater, visit museum.okstate.edu and follow the museum’s social media @osumuseumofart. n Bianca Martucci-Fink recently completed the art history graduate program at Oklahoma State University and is an independent curator working in Oklahoma City.

The show is on view for free at the OSUMA until December 19th, 2019. Dr. Mora J. Beauchamp-Byrd will be hosting a public talk on the history of animation and the implications of Mickey Mouse at Stillwater’s LexiCon Comic Con festival on Saturday, September 14th. Featured artist Lyndon J. Barrois will be joining the curator for a panel discussion on Thursday, September 26th at 6:00pm, and an opening reception for the exhibition will be held at the museum on September 27th from 4:30 to 7:00pm. Following the reception, a Final Friday Art Crawl will take place in the Downtown Stillwater area with local food, drinks, and gallery openings.

re v i e w 13

What Do You See?

By Zoe Bigbie

The Seeing Now exhibition at 21c Museum Hotel is highly conceptual and perceptual; the individual derives their own meaning and experience entirely based on their own ability to see. While viewing the exhibition, there are times the viewer is forced to reckon with harsh truths and question realities that may have been previously obscured from their

14 re v i e w

view. There are moments of awe, of shock, of discomfort. Those emotions are carefully crafted, shaped with startling intention by the artists, and passed directly to the consumer.

Seeing Now knows that artists have an explicitly important and vital role in shaping the perceptions and opinions of the public.

Every piece of art in the exhibition has been

carefully selected from artists who have stories to tell, and techniques that truly to force the viewer to see in a whole new way.

Travis Somerville’s mixed media collection 23 Reasons shows a distinct point of view that the artist seems to want to convey to the viewer. Many of the pieces in the collection

are Antebellum statues, pictures, and other knick knacks that Somerville has put his mark on. Notably, the collection features posh statues wearing black face and holding baskets of cotton, children on church fans wearing KKK robes, and busts with nooses around their necks. Somerville is clearly trying to deconstruct any romanticism surrounding 19th century America with vivid racist imagery— but it is enough? Should someone need such obvious direction to reach a such a conclusion about American history, or is it even about that at all? Is Somerville actually perhaps trying to make a statement that in a country ripe with red hats and concentration camps, that history is embraced? Ultimately, as is the theme of the entire exhibition, it’s up the viewer’s perception. It’s the viewer’s choice if they see

a dancing statue representing a time sadly lost, or a horrific representation of a history that shouldn’t be mocked or repeated. It’s the viewers choice if they see a reminder of historical fact, or a warning of dangerous desensitization.

Less obvious in its intentions are Tali Weinberg’s tapestries: What Color Was the Water? At first glance the tapestries are quite simple—monochromatic with few details.

On closer inspection, little ripples in the weaving can be seen moving up the tapestries in vertical lines. These lines symbolize actual data detailing 137 years of ocean temperatures.

The data, the woven threads of her tapestries, tell a story of climate change, a cause Weinberg is passionate about. The choice to weave data, particularly highly important and controversial

data, is historically a political act in of itself.

By expressing herself and her beliefs through weaving, Weinberg is calling on a legacy of feminism dating back millennia. From the pages of Greek mythology to her own hands, Weinberg is using a medium that has long been the sole form of expression for outspoken women. In a society where women do have more of a place in the public sphere, and communicating through weaving isn’t commonplace, Weinberg’s use of the medium as a feminist political statement requires even more from the viewer. The viewer must not only actively engage with her pieces to gather the data, but they must also be able to perceive how her identity as an artist interacts with the chosen medium to unveil the whole story. (continued to page 16)

re v i e w 15

(continued from page 15)

Perhaps the most technologically innovative pieces in the exhibition though, are by Hank Willis Thomas.

At first glance And I Can’t Run is hard to decipher.

An image can be seen but it’s not in focus and it’s over exposed. However, upon taking a picture of the image with flash, a whole new image is revealed.

On the viewers cell phone is an image of a young African American boy being publicly flogged in front of an overwhelmingly white crowd can be seen. The photograph is dated to the 1940s, however it stills holds truth with the current crisis of police brutality and over-criminalization of people of color. What makes it ring truly modern though, is that the viewer is forced to engage with the scene through their phone. In the age of social media, anyone anywhere can be a spectator to violence and oppression. In some ways, the internet has aided in desensitization, but it has helped bring attention to issues like police brutality with cell phone

16

re v i e w

videos and the like. Whatever your opinion of internet culture is, Thomas’s screen prints put the viewer where they are most comfortable: behind their phones.

Seeing Now is innovative, abstract, and runs directly on the pulse of what’s current, fresh, and important today.

Each piece tells a different story than the one before it, and in a completely different way. There is truly something for everyone, and the vast variety reflects the differences in perception from individual to individual.

The exhibition will be on display at 21c Museum Hotel now through December 2019. n Zoe Bigbie is currently a senior at Oklahoma State University. She is earning her degree in English with a minor in Gender Studies. When she isn’t studying, Zoe finds fulfillment in art, literature, and her dog Sasha. You can contact her at zoebigbie@gmail.com.

17

Awarding Excellence

By Laurence Myers Reese

Jason Wilson, Far and Wide, Acrylic on canvas, 36” x 36”, 2018.

Every year, the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition offers four awards of unrestricted funds to artists: two Oklahoma Visual Art Fellowships of $5,000 and two Student Awards of Excellence at $500. These awards are given to highlight art being made in the state, as well as to support artists’ careers.

The awards are chosen by a juror from out of state, changing year to year. This gives the pool of applicants a chance to show their work to a new audience, and to have their work viewed by a qualified out-of-state curator. This year’s juror was Leesa Fanning, an independent curator and the previous curator of contemporary art at the NelsonAtkins Museum in Kansas City, MO. Fanning was tasked with selecting only four artists out of over 55 applicants. This was a difficult feat according to her. But in the

18 f e a t u re

Taylor Painter Wolfe, Low Water Marks, handmade, hand-dyed felted wool and thread, 45” x 40”, 2018.

end, Fanning said her process was to look at consistent images, strong workmanship, and clear statement that reflect the work.

She was also interested in artists who were “doing something unusual or innovative,” said Fanning.

The 2019 Fellowships were awarded to Jason Wilson (McAlester) and Taylor Painter-Wolfe (Tulsa).

Painter-Wolfe’s work uses textiles and fabrics informed by geography, while Wilson is inspired by the Native American quilting patterns of his grandmother.

Taylor Painter-Wolfe draws from aerial photography of landscapes to create shapes and colors through fiber work. Using handdyed felted wool, Painter-Wolfe creates vibrant compositions of the world from

above. Her work often deals with areas affected by climate change. By taking macro images of the landscape and reducing them to smaller, fabric works, Painter-Wolfe’s work is digestible, cozy, but not meant to be easy. “My intent is to create a simplified and thought-provoking way to view land, our impact on it, and relationship to it,” says Painter-Wolfe.

“Painter-Wolfe has a deep and fundamental understanding of materials,” says juror Leesa Fanning. “She celebrates wool’s imperfections and...subtly remind us of our relationship to the earth.”

Jason Wilson grew up watching his

grandmother quilt, and continues to be inspired by her patterns. His paintings are geometric and use hard lines and bright colors.

This optical art is inspired by traditional

Sam Kennedy, Stub Toe, Stuffed fabric, embroidery, mixed media, 4’ x 6.5’ x 8”, 2019.

Native American patterns, and continues a legacy of craft and workmanship through contemporary painting. His paintings take hours to construct, using mathematical formulas and precise measurements. The end result is a technically flawless design, yet the paintings do not feel cold or soulless, no doubt due to his familial influences.

Currently, Wilson is working in collaboration with a group of quilters for an exhibition. They will create quilts inspired by his paintings, and he will create paintings inspired by their quilts.

Courtney Segrest, The Edge of Chaos, Clay, Thread, and Steel, 72” x 48” x 50”, 2019

This year’s Student Awardees are Sam Kennedy (Tulsa) and Courtney Segrest (Norman).

Sam Kennedy is a second-year graduate student at the University of Tulsa in the MFA program. Kennedy’s work uses fiber, sculpture and collage to explore the body. Her work mixes soft sculptures and textiles with rigid and bulky objects to talk about the daily experiences of having a painful physical condition. “All of my daily experiences influence the way I approach a project,” Says Kennedy. “The concepts deal with my own experiences with disease.”

Kennedy uses installation to transform spaces and create immersive experiences with organic shapes and undulating patterns, hanging ceiling to floor. “Such room-size installations envelope the spectator’s body and engender an impactful participatory experience,” says Leesa Fanning.

Courtney Segrest is a BFA student at the

University of Oklahoma in Norman, studying contemporary sculpture and ceramics.

Influenced by the duality of nature, her work uses both fiber and steel to create contrasts (continued to page 20)

f e a t u re 19

(continued from page 19)

between soft and hard. Using thread wrapped around metal to create tension, Segrest’s work resembles both natural elements, like spider webs, and geometric patterns.

“I enjoy working with contrasts, and lately I have been thinking about fragility and strength,” she says. “The idea of contrasts appeals to me because even though they are complete opposites they almost always exist together.”

For these four artists, this award is about more than just the money. The experience of receiving an award is meant to inspire them to keep working.

Says Courtney Segrest of her experience, “I feel as if this award was the perfect validation I needed to know that I am doing something that will lead me to the places I want to be.”

This annual award from OVAC is meant to ensure artists continue their practice, and hopefully keep them in Oklahoma.

“I don’t have the pleasure of following up to see what happens,” says juror Fanning, “but in a more general sense I would think that the money would allow an artist to potentially upgrade or change their materials to something of more quality in a way that would really affect the end art object.”

Jason Wilson has already started purchasing new materials for a body of work. “The additional income will allow me the freedom to advance my production of original paintings and give me the ability to introduce new products to my inventory,” he says.

Beyond money and material changes, the award fosters confidence in artists. “Having the support of OVAC and the promotion of my art by OVAC are of immense value to my artistic career,” Wilson says. “I have no doubt with the backing of OVAC, it will bolster my art journey.”

The University of Tulsa’s School of Art, Design, and Art History is an intimate school where students are encouraged to thrive as an individual with their own goals, talents and vision.

TU art history junior, Elly Stewart enjoys exploring the world from a different lens – the arts. “I believe with an understanding of how cultures grow and thrive through art, one develops a greater understanding and appreciation of what makes us human,” Stewart said.

Art preserves a moment in history, and in her career, Stewart plans to share and safe-guard those stories.

“I will attend graduate school to pursue a career in art conservation,” she said. “I love using my sometimes overly curious mind to understand a work and use my background in chemistry to preserve it for future generations.”

The faculty in the art program have cultivated Stewart’s passion to not only prepare her for a successful career but also a lifetime of learning, and through TU’s partnership with Gilcrease Museum, she spent countless hours gaining experience at Gilcrease in art conservation. “The opportunities that have been made possible for me thanks to professors’ constant support has changed my entire life,” she said. “With their help, my goals are no longer just a hope for the future but my everyday reality.”

For students, this award can be even more of a boost to confidence. Says Sam Kennedy “This award has not only bolstered my career, but also my confidence especially after receiving news late last school year that TU was discontinuing the MFA program after my graduation.”

Looking at these four artists, patterns do indeed emerge in subject matters and themes: textiles, nature, craft. These emergent themes show a group of artists who think about materials in relation to concept. This year’s fellowship is unique like that of each year, and over the next year, their practices will change and evolve. n Laurence Reese is an artist in Las Vegas, NV. His website is www. lmyersreese.com OVAC will select a new juror for 2020 and will announce the call in the spring of next year. It is free to apply.

Learn more at www.ovac-ok.org.

20

f e a t u re

Please Follow us on Facebook. www.facebook.com/utulsaschoolofart/ For more information, visit www.cas.utulsa/edu/art/ or call 918.631.2739 • TU is an EEO/AA institution

Norman Library Gains Global Phenomenon With Unbound

By Jill Farr

Paul Cocksedge, Unbound

One of the latest public art installations in Norman is Unbound, by London-based artist Paul Cocksedge. A unique love letter to the written word, adorning the front of the new Norman Public Library Central, Unbound represents Cocksedge’s first permanent public piece—his previous projects for cities such as Lyon, France and Milan, Italy (you can see his portfolio at paulcocksedgestudio.com) were all temporary works.

Cocksedge studied at the Royal College of Art and was nominated for Designer

of the Year by London’s Design Museum in 2004. He’s one of the principals (along with Joana Pinho) of Paul Cocksridge Studio and has designed for clients such as BMW, Swarovski, Sony, and many others, in addition to having his work featured in museums around the world.

This eclectic repertoire is mirrored in his choice of media; in addition to anodized aluminum (used in Unbound and other works), Cocksedge has used gas filled glass, cotton webbing, concrete, paper, and even chocolate to evoke impressions in viewers.

In keeping with Cocksedge’s other work, Unbound makes use of movement and innovative structural design to give breathtaking dimension to the environment it inhabits.

Norman public art manager Debbie Williams explains that Oklahoma itself was, in part, the inspiration for Cocksedge’s offering.

“We used the same process to gain applicants for the Central Library art installation that we use for all of our public art pieces. We (continued to page 22)

f e a t u re 21

Paul Cocksedge, Unbound

22 f e a t u re

sent out a request for applications, using the criteria that our selection panel agreed on. We received over 200 applicants--not just from Norman, but around the world,” Williams explains.

“In the process of answering the application call, artists sent images of 10 of their work. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that when we looked at Paul’s work, we were awestruck.

The panel had it narrowed down to three finalists, which included Paul, and they were invited to come to Oklahoma, visit the site, talk to the panel, and propose a piece. The impression that Oklahoma made on Paul—the open sky, its contrast to London’s skyscrapers, not to mention the wind—resulted in that sculpture.”

Oklahoma inspired Unbound.

The piece’s singularity seems a good fit for Norman, a city that has a unique investment in its community’s connection with art.

Erinn Gavaghan, executive director for the Norman Arts Council, explains that the amount and range of public art you see in Norman is no accident.

“Back in 2016, the city of Norman contracted with the city’s art council to administer the new 1% for Art program.

These are all projects tied to Norman Forward, an initiative passed by voters to do quality of life improvements around the city. Two new libraries, sports facilities, and a lot of upgrades across the city. We’re in charge of administering funds for those projects.”

Williams adds, “This is actually our third project with this [initiative]—Westwood’s Splash sculpture, and the East branch library on Alameda were the first two.”

The Public Arts Board, part of the Norman Arts Council, partners with the city to administer Norman Forward, giving the city a unique ability to act as a patron to artists and art organizations.

“It all started 40 years ago when a citizen led initiative campaigned to put

a portion of the hotel tax towards public art,” Gavaghan explains. “We’re the only community in the state of Oklahoma that has that. The Norman Arts Council gets 25% of the annual hotel tax for public art. We take that and disperse it to arts organizations. There are currently 22, and since the inception of this initiative we’ve granted almost 4 million dollars to the arts community in Norman. That gives arts organizations a strong base for funding.”

This budget and focus allow for the process of deciding on a public art piece for a small city library to include inviting applicants like Cocksedge, who is a worldrenowned artist.

“One of my favorite things about the process,” Gavaghan says, “was when the panel went in to deliberate about the decision, and Paul’s proposed piece was discussed, someone said, ‘There’s nothing like this in Oklahoma!’ and the representative from MSR Architects, out of Minneapolis, who were helping with this, said, ‘There’s nothing like this in the country.’ So that sealed the deal.”

Despite the international influence, with a London artist/designer, Unbound was created with collaborators who are very local.

“The piece was engineered and fabricated here,” Williams explains, “With local companies. Flintco did the construction, Matherly created the pages—they are rolled aluminum—and the structural engineering firm, KFC, is local as well. So, we have this globally renowned artist, but we also have several local companies that made it possible.”

“That’s what I love about it. It was a magical thing.”

Unbound can be found at the new Norman Library Central located at 103 W. Acres Street in Norman. n Jill Farr lives and writes in Norman. You can see more of her work at jillfarr.com and she can be reached at info@jillfarr.com.

f e a t u re 23

EKPHRASIS: Art & Poetry edited by Liz Blood

Ekphrasis is an ongoing series joining verse and visual art. Here, poet Sly Alley responds to three of Hannah Phillips’ paintings in a series of linked poems.

Once Upon a Recliner in a Cabin Near Hermansville, Michigan It was the kind of Thanksgiving that people celebrated before the pilgrims and Old NDNs sat down at a table that some old guy built out of reclaimed timber from the Mayflower.

Another day of the week.

The paycheck was delayed due to a miscalculation or an accounting error so I had to make due with two packs of ramen, a cup and a half of instant mashed potatoes, four slices of white bread, a box of stuffing, a quart of bourbon and seven buttons of Lophophora williamsii.

After all the other stuff was gone the buttons were made into a tea so that maybe I could unlock a window and see the face of God. Maybe have the chance to ask him what that book is really about.

Ask him if all men are created equal and if we stay that way after we’re done here.

I thought maybe I could look into God’s eyes and see if he was lying.

Ask him why all of this seems so hard sometimes and why some people never hit that point where they reconcile their acceptance of life’s shitty ways with the death of their expectations.

I drank that peyote tea hoping to see God. All I saw was the Godfather Trilogy on AMC and the moon shining down on answers yet to be found.

Hannah Phillips, Pig Feet/Sheep Brain, 2018, acrylic and charcoal on wood, 24” x 48”

24

ekphrasis

Rez Dog Meets the One-eyed Ford He’d tumbled on the winds from the casino parking lot at Rocky Boy to that grain elevator at Fort Hall.

He’d left his mark on car tires in Plummer, Idaho and slept in the shade of the gas station in Kayenta, Arizona.

He’d wintered in Taos and found a taste for wild rice and venison like the Seneca make in New York.

He’d watched the reflection of the sunset on that building in Uncasville.

He’d scrounged food from a dumpster in Pawhuska.

All while trying to outrun that One-Eyed Ford that finds us all.

Hannah Phillips, Untitled III, 2010, acrylic, charcoal, pastel, and oil on sheetrock, 48” x 48”

Those old Rez Dogs were tumbled on the winds.

They lived hard with the hope that we wouldn’t have to.

(continued to page 26)

e k p h r a s i s 25

(continued from page 25) Patrick Earl Hammie

Le’Andra LeSeur

Reshaping Conventions: Hannah Phillips,Tranquil, 2018, acrylic and charcoal on wood, 58” x 58”

I’m Only Here to Study You (With Fingers Crossed) For Jacques Cartier or Jacques Marquette or the Corps of Discovery or whoever…

They say animals are great judges of character.

It was the look in the eye of the birds that should have been the first sign.

SLY ALLEY is a writer of poetry. His first collection, “Strong Medicine,” won the Oklahoma Book Award for Poetry in 2017.

Tulsa-based artist HANNAH PHILLIPS is informed by diverse influences, including archaeology and taxidermy, and inspired by a corpus of bones, bodies, and artifacts. Her work explores themes of solitude, impermanence, and wonder. She is the lead artist at Tulsa’s Gathering Place and a member of The Urban Art Lab collective.

26 e k p h r a s i s

Race, Gender and Identity Explored through Black Representation Exhibitions: Imperfect Exchange

by Patrick Earl Hammie Sept. 9 – Oct.10

brown, carmine, & blue

by Le’Andra LeSeur Oct. 24 – Nov. 21

Calendar of Events: Sept. 9

Student Response Competition begins and soft opening of Imperfect Exchange by Patrick Earl Hammie

Sept. 11

Panel Discussion: African-American Mobility in Higher Education

Sept. 12

Opening Reception/Artist Talk for Imperfect Exchange by Patrick Earl Hammie

Sept. 24 – Oct. 22, Tuesdays from 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

Book Discussion on Ain’t I A Woman by bell hooks led by Dr. Sandra Thompson Oct. 24

Artist Talk and Workshop: Movement as Resistance by Le’Andra LeSeur

Nov. 11

Deadline for submissions for Student Response Competition

Nov. 21

Closing reception for brown, carmine, & blue by Le’Andra LeSeur and ceremony for Student Response Competitions

For more info: melton.uco.edu

Melton Gallery University of Central Oklahoma

100. N. University Dr. | Edmond, OK | (405) 974-3772

OVAC NEWS

FALL 2019

This August, the OVAC Board of Directors met in Tahlequah to learn about the community, see 24 Works on Paper at the Spider Gallery, and to work on OVAC’s next strategic plan. Over the next few months, we will finalize the plan and share it with you and on our website. To put it briefly, our three-year vision includes more resources and representation for our rural communities, heightened community awareness of our mission, evaluating our programs and monitoring their impact, and increasing our artist education and development.

Later this month we will be launching a new website. A few new and/or different things you will notice: the design is simplified and cleaner, Artist Opportunities is separate from the Calendar, and the format of the Virtual Gallery has changed. We hope this design is easier to navigate, opportunities are quicker to find, and the Virtual Gallery is simpler to use.

Check it out at ovac-ok.org.

Join me in congratulating our Concept Focus artists, selected by guest curator Heather Pesanti of The Contemporary Austin! The Oklahoma artists are Sarah Ahmad, Geoffrey Hicks, Naima Lowe, and Andy Mattern. The artists from our partner city, Wichita, KS are Rachel Foster, Micala Gingrich-Gaylord, Kevin Kelly, and Amanda Dickinson Pfister. The call for Survey is now open and closes on November 15th! Submissions are free for OVAC members and $20 for non-members. You can find more information at concept-ok.org.

For our most up-to-date news, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Sincerely,

Krystle Brewer Executive Director

Krystle Brewer, Executive Director

Thank you to our new and renewing members from May through July 2019 Virginia Dowling Cheryl Smith Mary Ketch The O. Gail Poole Collection Stacy Pierce Amanda Cole Krystle Brewer Jim Terrell William Hawk Diana J. Smith Michelle (Mikie) Metcalfe Meredith Tatum Julia DuBreuil Amy Duffy Oklahoma Judicial Center George Oswalt

Manjula Ramineedi Walt & Jean Hendrickson Diamond Walker Jan Holzbauer Karen Paul Lawrence Naff Bryan Dahlvang Brandon Mitts Alan Atkinson Dian Paramita Chris Brizzard Mark Maxted David Holland May Yang Kathleen Pendley Geoffrey Hicks Jamie Pemberton

Carol Beesley Ryan Addis Briana Harris Dawn Williams John Wolfe Candace Coker Austin Sanders Keith Wolfe Jordan Vinyard David Connolly Chad Mount Richard Piper David Webber Cherri Ledbetter Madeline Dillner Indu Singh Sharon Allred

Sarah Iselin Kathy Buttry Mary Nickell Travis Hummingbird Rebecca Lucht Karen Corbin Gray Robbie Kienzle Izzy Kienzle Farooq Karim Jim Weaver Shelly Henry Tracey Brauer Andrea Gardner Helen Howerton Completely Collaged Nancy Peterson Rebekah Corah

Craig Alleman James S Shelley Craig Alleman Cecelia Hussein Patty S. Porter America Meredith Sallie Godwin Fran Barton Stephanie Grubbs Patric Shurden Trace Logan Elizabeth Richards Marcus Leonard Todd Horner Heather Clark Hilliard

o v a c n e w s 27 27

Gallery Listings & Exhibition Schedule Ada

Claremore

The Pogue Gallery East Central University 900 Centennial Plaza (580) 559-5353 ecok.edu

Foundations Gallery Rogers State University 1701 W Will Rogers Blvd (918) 343-7740 rsu.edu

Altus

Davis

Wigwam Gallery 117 W Commerce St (580) 481-3150

Chickasaw Nation Welcome Center 35 N Colbert Rd (580) 369-4222 chickasawcountry.com

Alva October Jena Kodesh & Cheryl Swanson November Gateways December Christmas Show and Sale Graceful Art Center 523 Barnes St (580) 327-ARTS (2787) gracefulartscenter.org

Duncan October 1, 2019 – January 6, 2020 Designed by Nature: Sarah Rodefeld Chisholm Trail Heritage Center 1000 Chisholm Trail Pkwy (580) 252-6692 onthechisholmtrail.com

Ardmore

Durant

Sep 10 – November 1, 2019 Hue November 6 – December 27, 2019 Creating the Hero The Goddard Center 401 First Avenue SW (580) 226-0909 goddardcenter.org

Centre Gallery Southeastern OK State University 1405 N 4th PMB 4231 (580) 745-2000 se.edu

Bartlesville Price Tower Arts Center 510 Dewey Ave (918) 336-4949 pricetower.org

Chickasha Nesbitt Gallery University of Science and Arts Oklahoma 1806 17th St (405) 574-1344 usao.edu/gallery/schedule

28 g a l l e r y g u i d e

Durham Metcalfe Museum 8647 N 1745 Rd (580) 655-4467 metcalfemuseum.org

Edmond Donna Nigh Gallery University of Central Oklahoma 100 University Dr (405) 974-2432 uco.edu/cfad June 11, 2019 – March 10, 2020 Snapshots in Time February 2019 – January 2020 1920s Edmond: Ain’t We Got Fun? Edmond Historical Society & Museum 431 S Boulevard (405) 340-0078 edmondhistory.org

October 2019 Sandy Springer November 2019 Behnaz Sohrabian December 2019 Art in Schools Fine Arts Institute of Edmond 27 E Edwards St (405) 340-4481 edmondfinearts.com September 9 – October 10, 2019 Imperfect Exchange: Patrick Earl Hammie September 9 – November 21, 2019 Reshaping Conventions: Race, Gender and Identity Explored through Black Representation October 24 – November 21, 2019 Brown, carmine, & blue: Le’Andra LeSeur Melton Gallery University of Central Oklahoma 100 University Dr (405) 974-2432 uco.edu/cfad University Gallery Oklahoma Christian University 2501 E Memorial Rd (800) 877-5010 oc.edu

El Reno Redlands Community College 1300 S Country Club Rd (405) 262-2552 redlandscc.edu

Guthrie Owens Arts Place Museum 1202 E Harrison Ave (405) 260-0204 owensmuseum.com

Guymon All Fired Up Art Gallery 421 N Main (580) 338-4278 allfiredupok.com

Idabel Museum of the Red River 812 E Lincoln Rd (580) 286-3616 museumoftheredriver.org

Lawton The Leslie Powell Foundation and Gallery 620 D Avenue (580) 357-9526 lpgallery.org October 2019 Lawton-Fort Sill on Parade Museum of the Great Plains 601 NW Ferris Ave (580) 581-3460 discovermgp.org

Norman Downtown Art and Frame 115 S Santa Fe (405) 329-0309 Firehouse Art Center 444 S Flood (405) 329-4523 normanfirehouse.com Jacobson House 609 Chautauqua (405) 366-1667 jacobsonhouse.org October 4 – December 29, 2019 Harold Stevenson’s The Great Society October 4 – December 29, 2019 Misunderstood!

Fred Jones Jr Museum of Art University of Oklahoma 555 Elm Ave (405) 325-4938 ou.edu/fjjma Lightwell Gallery University of Oklahoma 520 Parrington Oval (405) 325-2691 art.ou.edu

October 11 0 November 2019 Between Pastures and Skies: Irmgard Geul & Skip Hill MAINSITE Contemporary Art Gallery 122 E Main (405) 360-1162 mainsite-art.com September 9, 2019 – November 2, 2019 Quilt and Handicrafts Show Moore-Lindsey House Historical Museum 508 N Peters (405) 321-0156 normanmuseum.org The Depot Gallery 200 S Jones (405) 307-9320 pasnorman.org

Oklahoma City September 12 – October 31, 2019 Forms for Language September 12 – October 31, 2019 Letters in Landscapes November 14 – December 28, 2019 Postcard Perspectives ArtSpace at Untitled 1 NE 3rd St (405) 815-9995 1ne3.org Contemporary Art Gallery 2928 Paseo (405) 601-7474 contemporaryartgalleryokc.com September 12, 2019 – October 6, 2019 Tony Thunder October 10 – November 3, 2019 Sarah Elizabeth Cody, Sam Smith, Ofelia Ochoa, & Paige Busick November 7 – December 8, 2019 Jason Pawley DNA Galleries 1705 B NW 16th St (405) 371-2460 dnagalleries.com

October 2019 Standing Their Ground Exhibit C 1 E Sheridan Ave Ste 100 (405) 767-8900 exhibitcgallery.com September 12 – November 21, 2019 The Art of the Portrait: A TriState Exhibition Gaylord-Pickens Museum, home of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame 1400 Classen Dr (405) 235-4458 oklahomahof.com Grapevine Gallery 1933 NW 39 (405) 528-3739 grapevinegalleryokc.com Howell Gallery 6432 N Western Ave (405) 840-4437 howellgallery.com In Your Eye Studio and Gallery 3005A Paseo (405) 525-2161 inyoureyegallery.com Individual Artists of Oklahoma 706 W Sheridan Ave (405) 232-6060 individualartists.org JRB Art at The Elms 2810 N Walker Ave (405) 528-6336 jrbartgallery.com June 15– October 20, 2019 Layered Stories: America’s Canyonlands July 19, 2019 – March 2020 Passport August 30, 2019 – May 10, 2020 Colors of Clay September 14, 2019 – January 5, 2020 Caballeros y Vaqueros National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 1700 NE 63rd (405) 478-2250 nationalcowboymuseum.org

Nault Gallery 816 N Walker Ave (405) 642-4414 naultfineart.com Nona Hulsey Gallery, Norick Art Center Oklahoma City University 1600 NW 26th (405) 208-5226 okcu.edu Inasmuch Foundation Gallery Oklahoma City Community College Gallery 7777 S May Ave (405) 682-7576 occc.edu April 19, 2019 – December 31, 2019 Postwar Abstractions: Variations March 1, 2019 – December 31, 2020 From the Golden Age to The Moving Image: The Changing Face of the Permanent Collection June 22, 2019 – December 1, 2019 Photographing the Street June 22, 2019 – December31, 2019 Apichatpong Weerasethakul: Fireworks (Archives) Oklahoma City Museum of Art 415 Couch Dr (405) 236-3100 okcmoa.com September 5 – October 31, 2019 Making Space: Summer Mural Series, Part 2 Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center 3000 General Pershing Blvd (405) 951-0000 oklahomacontemporary.org Oklahoma State Capitol Galleries 2300 N Lincoln Blvd (405) 521-2931 arts.ok.gov Paseo Art Space 3022 Paseo (405) 525-2688 thepaseo.org Red Earth 6 Santa Fe Plaza (405) 427-5228 redearth.org

Science Museum Oklahoma 2100 NE 52nd St (405) 602-6664 sciencemuseumok.org

Park Hill Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc. 21192 S Keeler Dr (918) 456-6007 cherokeeheritage.org

Pauls Valley October 10 – October 31, 2019 Our Tribe: Dustin Mater, Behnaz Sohrabian, Jaiye Farrell & Farooq Karim November 15—December 31, 2019 Long Way Home: Lauren Florence & Heather Henson November 29 – December 1 and December 6—8, 2019 Treasures from The Vault: Art Market Days The Vault Art Space and Gathering Place 111 East Paul Avenue, Suite 2 (405) 343-6610

Ponca City

August 6– December 14, 2019 Little Nemo’s Progress September 24, 2019 – January 25, 2020 Invited Oklahoma State University Museum of Art – 720 S Husband St (405) 744-2780 museum.okstate.edu October 3 – 26 OSU Faculty Exhibition Modella Art Gallery 721 S Main Modellaartgallery.org

Sulphur Chickasaw Visitor Center 901 W 1st St (580) 622-8050 chickasawcountry.com/explore/ view/Chickasaw-visitor-center

Tahlequah Cherokee Arts Center 212 S Water Ave (918) 453-5728 cherokeenationart.com

Tonkawa

Ponca City Art Center 819 E Central (580) 765-9746 poncacityartcenter.com

Eleanor Hays Gallery Northern Oklahoma College 1220 E Grand (580) 628-6670 noc.edu

Shawnee

Tulsa

Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art 1900 W Macarthur (405) 878-5300 mgmoa.org

Stillwater Sept. 9 – Oct. 10, 2019 Cimarron National Works on Paper Oct. 23 – Nov. 14, 2019 From Alaska to Nebraska: Visions of the American West November 18 – December 5, 2019 PFA Studio Capstone Exhibition Gardiner Gallery of Art Oklahoma State University 108 Bartlett Center for the Visual Arts (405) 744-4143 art.okstate.edu

October 4 – November 24, 2019 Liz Whitney Quisgard: Kinetic World December 6, 2019 – January 26, 2020 Members Showcase 108|Contemporary 108 E Reconciliation Way (918) 895-6302 108contemporary.org Aberson’s Exhibits 3624 S Peoria (918) 740-1054 abersonexhibits.com August 2 – October 20, 2019 Art for Healing: Work by Tulsaarea Veterans ahha Tulsa 101 E Archer St www.ahhatulsa.org

June 21, 2019 – Oct. 13, 2019 Recall/Respond: Tulsa Artist Fellowship and Gilcrease Museum Collaboration September 13, 2019 – January 5, 2020 Dorothea Lange’s America Gilcrease Museum 1400 Gilcrease Road (918) 596-2700 gilcrease.utulsa.edu Henry Zarrow Center for Art and Education 124 E MB Brady St (918) 631-4400 gilcrease.utulsa.edu/Explore/ Zarrow Alexandre Hogue Gallery University of Tulsa 2930 E 5th St. (918) 631-2739 utulsa.edu/art Holliman Gallery Holland Hall 5666 E 81st Street (918) 481-1111 hollandhall.org Joseph Gierek Fine Art 1342 E 11th St (918) 592-5432 gierek.com Sept. 6 – Oct. 18, 2019 Jave Yoshimoto: Intractable Living Arts 307 E MB Brady St (918) 585-1234 livingarts.org Mainline 111 N Main Ste C (918) 629-0342 Mainlineartok.com M.A. Doran Gallery 3509 S Peoria (918) 748-8700 madorangallery.com Lovetts Gallery 6528 E 51st St (918) 664-4732 lovettsgallery.com June 1,– Nov. 10, 2019 Larry Clark: Tulsa June 1, 2019 – Nov. 10, 2019 OK: Jason Lee Photographs (continued to page 30)

g a l l e r y g u i d e 29

(continued from page 29)

Philbrook Downtown 116 E MB Brady St (918) 749-7941 philbrook.org

Pierson Gallery 1307-1311 E 15th St (918) 584-2440 piersongallery.com

March 1– January 5, 2019 Sharon Louden June 23, 2019 – October 6, 2019 Wondrous Worlds: Art and Islam through Time & Place November 10 – February 16, 2020 Shadow of Time: Anila Quayyum Agha Philbrook Museum of Art 2727 S Rockford Rd (918) 749-7941 philbrook.org

Urban Art Lab Studios 2312 E Admiral Blvd (918) 747-0510 urbanartlabstudios.com

Tulsa Performing Arts Center Gallery 110 E 2nd St (918) 596-2368 tulsapac.com WaterWorks Art Center 1710 Charles Page Blvd (918) 596-2440 waterworksartcenter.com

Tulsa Artists’ Coalition 9 E MB Brady St (918) 592-0041 tacgallery.org

Become a member of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition.

Join today to begin enjoying the benefits of membership, including a subscription to Art Focus Oklahoma.

Collector Level + Community Supported Art (CSA) Program $1,000 ($85 a month option) · · · · ·

2 original and quality pieces of art by Oklahoma artists 2 tickets to CSA Launch Events twice a year 2 tickets to 12x12 Art Fundraiser $400 of this membership is tax deductible All of below

PATRON $250 · · · · ·

Listing of self or business on signage at events Invitation for 2 people to private reception with visiting curator 2 tickets each to Momentum OKC & Momentum Tulsa $200 of this membership is tax deductible.

All of below

FELLOW $150 · · · · ·

Acknowledgement in Resource Guide and Art Focus Oklahoma Copy of each OVAC exhibition catalog 2 tickets to Tulsa Art Studio Tour $100 of this membership is tax deductible.

All of below

FAMILY $75

· Same benefits as Individual, for 2 people in household

INDIVIDUAL $45 · · · · ·

Subscription to Art Focus Oklahoma magazine Monthly e-newsletter of Oklahoma art events & artist opportunities Receive all OVAC mailings Listing in and copy of annual Resource Guide & Member Directory Invitation to Annual Members’ Meeting

Plus, artists receive: · Inclusion in online Artist Gallery, ovacgallery.com · Artist entry fees waived for OVAC exhibitions · Up to 50% discount on Artist Survival Kit workshops · Affiliate benefits with Fractured Atlas, Artist INC Online, Artwork Archive, and the National Alliance for Media Arts & Culture.

STUDENT $25

· Same benefits as Individual level. All Student members are automatically enrolled in Green Membership program (receive all benefits digitally).

30

Weatherford

Woodward

SWOSU Art Gallery 100 Campus Drive (580) 774-3756 swosu.edu

Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum 2009 Williams Ave (580) 256-6136 nwok-pipm.org

Wilburton The Gallery at Wilburton 108 W Main St (918) 465-9669

MEMBER FORM ¨ Collector Level + Community Supported Art Program ¨ Patron ¨ Fellow ¨ Family ¨ Individual ¨ Student ¨ Optional: Make my membership green! Email only. No printed materials will be mailed.

Name Street Address City, State, Zip Email Website

Phone

Credit card #

Exp. Date

Are you an artist? Y N Medium?________________________ Would you like to be included in the Membership Directory? Y N

Would you like us to share your information for other arts-related events?

Y

N

Detach and mail form along with payment to: OVAC 1720 N Shartel Ave, Ste B, Oklahoma City, OK 73103 Or join online at ovac-ok.org

Kehinde Wiley (American, b. 1977). Jacob de Graeff, (detail) 2018. Oil on linen. Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Museum purchase with funds from the Carolyn A. Hill Collections Endowment and the Pauline Morrison Ledbetter Collections Endowment, 2018.103. Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles California. Photo: Jean-Paul Torno, courtesy of Saint Louis Art Museum Š Kehinde Wiley.

See it today!

Art Focus

Ok l a h o m a

UPCOMING EVENTS Sep 30- Nov 15

24 Works on Paper, Eleanor Hays Art Gallery, Tonkawa

Oct 15

Grants for Artists Deadline

Oct 24

OVAC Photo Studio Hours

Nov 15

Deadline for Concept Survey

Nov 21

OVAC Photo Studio Hours

Dec 5- Jan 18

24 Works on Paper, OK Hall of Fame, OKC

Dec 19

OVAC Photo Studio Hours

1720 N Shartel Ave, Suite B Oklahoma City, OK 73103

Non Profit Org. US POSTAGE PAID Oklahoma City, OK Permit No. 113

Visit ovac-ok.org to learn more.

The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition supports Oklahoma’s visual arts and artists and their power to enrich communities.

!

W NE

• B IG BO B 'S AUTO MOTIV E •

Organizational Memberships for arts nonprofits, art galleries, university art departments, or other arts groups The Vault Art Space and Gathering Place, Pauls Valley

GET A F RE E CAR CHECK- UP Membership starts at $125 and benefits include: promotion on the OVAC website, newsletter, and social media listing in Art Focus Oklahoma and the annual Resource Guide as well as discounts on ads free passes to Momentum, 12x12 Art Fundraiser, and preview events bundled discounted individual memberships and more!

Modella Gallery, Stillwater

Visit www.ovac-ok.org for more info!