Art Focus | Winter 2026

WINTER 2026

M O M EN TU M 20

03

A PUBLICATION OF THE OKLAHOMA VISUAL ARTS COALITION

ARTS DAY APRIL 30, 2026 REGISTER TODAY

OK4ARTS.ORG/ARTS-DAY

2

PREVIEW

CONTENTS // Volume 41 No. 1 // WINTER 2026 ISSN: 3069-244X

4 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR // ZOE ELROD

PREVIEW // PAUL REED: A RETROSPECTIVE 6 Exploring how the Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s exhibition situates the Washington Color School pioneer’s expansive, experimental career within the broader story of postwar American abstraction.

ERIN SCHALK

FEATURE // COPING WITH TRAUMA THROUGH 10 ART

Examining how artists Yvette Aranyani and Laura Voth use creative practice not only to process trauma but to reclaim control, foster healing, and transform personal pain into collective advocacy.

MARY NOBLE

FEATURE // MOMENTUM AT 25: A LEGACY 14 OF EMERGING ARTISTS ON THE COVER // Carrie and Tanya Felter, MOMENTUM, 2003 at Stage Center | Photo provided by OVAC Staff, page 14; MIDDLE // Laura Voth, Warrior, 2024, ink on paper, part of the I Have a Story project, page 10; BOTTOM // Installation photograph of the exhibition Paul Reed: A Retrospective at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, November 22, 2025-April 12, 2026 | art © Paul and Esther Reed Trust | photo by Missy Mayo Photography, page 6.

ANNUAL SUPPORT FROM:

Tracing MOMENTUM’s 25-year legacy as a launchpad for emerging artists, creative risk-taking, and lasting community across Oklahoma.

ZOE ELROD, LAUREN SCHLEPP, AND OVAC STAFF

OKLAHOMA VISUAL ARTS COALITION // PHONE: 405.879.2400 609 W. Sheridan Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Web // ovac-ok.org Executive Director // Rebecca Kinslow, rebecca@ovac-ok.org Editor // Zoe Elrod, zoeetravers@gmail.com Art Director // Anne Richardson, speccreative@gmail.com Art Focus 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: Growing and developing Oklahoma’s visual arts through education, promotion, connection, and funding. OVAC welcomes article submissions related to artists and art in Oklahoma. Call or email the editor for guidelines. OVAC welcomes comments. Letters addressed to Art Focus 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 won’t be published. Please include a phone number.

2024-2025 BOARD OF DIRECTORS // Douglas Sorocco, President, OKC; Jon Fisher, Vice President OKC; Matthew Anderson, Secretary, Tahlequah; Jacquelyn Knapp, Parliamentarian, Chickasha; Marjorie Atwood, Tulsa; Barbara Gabel, OKC; Farooq Karim, OKC; Kathryn Kenney, Tulsa; John Marshall, OKC; Chris Winland, OKC OVAC champions individual artists’ voices and creative expression. The views, positions, or values shared in Art Focus do not necessarily represent those of our Board, staff, donors, or funders. Member Agency of Allied Arts and member of the Americans for the Arts. © 2026, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. All rights reserved. View the online archive at Ovac-OK.org/ArtFocus.

3

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

As temperatures drop and winter settles in, the season brings a quiet focus and intention, a feeling I also associate with this publication, which does something rare in our arts scene: listen closely, carry stories forward, and keep local voices at the center. In that spirit, the Winter 2026 issue of Art Focus gathers powerful perspectives that reflect where Oklahoma art has been and where it’s headed next.

Photo by Colby Ballard

ZOE ELROD is an Oklahoma City-based writer and multimedia storyteller with bylines in KOSU, Make Oklahoma Weirder, Oklahoma Today, Oklahoma City Free Press, etc. Passionate about uncovering Oklahoma’s iconic and unexpected sides, she also serves on OVAC’s MOMENTUM committee.

Outside work, she enjoys live music, arts festivals, a trip to the movie theater, and collecting local art with her wife and their two dogs.

At its heart, this issue is about people using art to make sense of the world around them and sometimes to survive it. One story that has stayed with me comes from writer Mary Noble, a licensed therapist specializing in trauma, who approaches sensitive subject matter with notable care. Her piece centers on artists Yvette Aranyani and Laura Voth, both of whom channel their experiences of sexual assault and domestic violence into their work. Aranyani’s vivid, emotionally charged paintings use color and scale to confront difficult histories, while Voth’s project, I Have a Story, brings artists and survivors together through blind contour drawing to honor experiences of assault and domestic violence.

You’ll also find Erin Schalk’s preview of the Paul Reed retrospective at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Erin has a gift for translating visual language into something you can feel, and her conversation with guest curator David Gariff, an art historian and lecturer, opens Reed’s work with insight and warmth.

Reading it made me want to slow down, look longer, and think more carefully about color, history, and time.

And in this issue, you’ll find a massive project: the 25-year MOMENTUM spread.

4

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Telling that story felt a little like trying to bottle lightning. Working through decades of interviews and photographs full of DIY grit, experimental brilliance, punk energy, and heart, I kept running into familiar names that pulled me back to high school art rooms, early gallery visits, and artists I’ve long admired. It quickly became clear that MOMENTUM has always known exactly what it was.

It didn’t grow into its identity. It arrived with it.

This retrospective was a true labor of love, made possible by the OVAC staff, Lauren Schlepp’s research support, and the many artists, volunteers, and attendees who trusted us with their memories, a trust I do not take lightly. Plus, State Senator Julia Kirt’s reflections on helping launch the first MOMENTUM with a small, determined group of volunteers added yet another meaningful thread. Whether the stories come from early installations, unforgettable performances, or artists who participated just last year, one thing connects them all: that spark—that momentum—that stays long after the exhibition ends.

I am grateful every day to be one of the many who wandered into an Oklahoma gallery once and never quite left. My hope is that, as you read this issue, you find something that stays with you: an image, a sentence, a name, a connection waiting to be rediscovered. We’re lucky to be here, in this arts scene, together.

With gratitude, Zoe Elrod

First American Fine Art & Gifts ExhibitCGallery.com 645 First Americans Blvd.

Oklahoma City 405) 767-8900 Wednesday–Monday (closed Tuesdays) 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

PREVIEW

5

Paul Reed, Kumquad, 1964, acrylic on canvas, 90” x 70.5”, D. Wigmore Fine Art, Inc., New York, © Paul and Esther Reed Trust | photo Noel Allum

PAU L R E E D : A R E T ROS P EC T I V E //

by Erin Schalk

As 2026 begins, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art invites visitors into the vibrant world of Paul Reed, a key figure in late 20th- and early 21st-century American art. Reed was a pioneering member of the Washington Color School, a group of abstract and non-objective painters based in Washington, D.C., starting in the 1950s.

We spoke with guest curator David Gariff, an art historian and lecturer at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Gariff approaches Reed’s oeuvre both as an art historian and a friend who knew the artist for 15 years.

He notes that this comprehensive retrospective of Reed’s work—the first of its kind—comes more than a decade after the artist’s death at age 96.

“There was never really an attempt to put [Reed’s] work in the context of the entire [Washington Color School] movement. That’s what this retrospective attempts to do,” Gariff explains.

Reed and fellow Washington Color School artists were primarily based in Washington, D.C., where major museums still hold much of the group’s work. What makes the Paul Reed retrospective unique is that a substantial portion of Reed’s art is now housed in Oklahoma.

Paul Reed, Margem, 1968, acrylic on shaped canvas, 52.5” x 45”, collection of Carl & Marilynn Thoma, © Paul and Esther Reed Trust | photo Jamie Stukenberg, courtesy Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation

Gariff describes, “The people at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and the people of Oklahoma are now…the custodians of a major amount of work by Paul Reed. This is a tremendous responsibility to take care of this art. It’s also a privilege for the people of Oklahoma, because no other city [outside of D.C.] has such a collection.”

The artists advanced the practice of staining by applying thinned pigments directly onto unprimed cotton duck canvas, letting the color soak into the fibers and leaving the natural weave visible. Their approach was inspired by Helen Frankenthaler’s staining techniques, which were championed by art critic Clement Greenberg, a leading voice in defining American modernism.

He adds that having Reed’s work more centrally located in the United States offers greater opportunities to reach wider audiences.

A defining feature of Reed’s work, along with that of fellow Washington Color School artists, was innovation in both painting and process. They experimented with Magna, an acrylic-resin paint that could be diluted with water, allowing for greater fluidity and flattening of color.

As Reed advanced painting techniques and explored abstraction, including the interplay of color, space, and surface central to many Washington Color School artists, his long career allowed him to experiment across a variety of media. Exceptionally curious and well-read across numerous disciplines, he never settled on a single subject, style, or material, and continually developed multiple bodies of work.

PREVIEW

7

ABOVE // Paul Reed in his Arlington, Virginia home, August 12, 2014 | Courtesy of Stefan Immler; BELOW // Paul Reed, self-portrait, 1938, ink

For example, Reed’s acclaimed series include the circular, radiating compositions of the Mandalas and the Upstarts, which often feature semi-translucent stripes or zigzags of color. Across these series, his compositions pulse with energy and movement. Reed also moved beyond the constraints of square and rectangular formats, exploring new ways of working with spatial ideas on a flat surface and creating innovative experiences of two-dimensional space for viewers.

Gariff underscores that focusing on painting alone captures only a fraction of Reed’s extensive output: “[Paul Reed] is not just a painter. He’s a printmaker, he works in computergenerated imagery, he’s a sculptor, he’s very interested in a wide range of media and techniques.”

The retrospective and its accompanying catalog highlight Reed’s prolific output, giving visitors the chance to experience his full range of work—from paintings and drawings to sculpture and beyond. An additional gallery 8

PREVIEW

features works that illustrate the legacy of the Washington Color School and the movement’s broader impact.

Gariff outlines his curatorial approach: “This exhibition is laid out very logically, because in essence, we follow the chronology of Paul’s life. From his earliest works as a designer, we have a very early self-portrait he did in ink from 1938, and we go right up to the years of his final paintings, which were in 2014.”

Together, the exhibition and catalog not only celebrate Reed’s legacy and versatility but also invite viewers to consider how experimentation, curiosity, and risk-taking continue to drive artistic innovation today.

Gariff also highlights a central aim of the Paul Reed retrospective: making abstract and non-objective art more accessible to all visitors. Abstract art departs from direct representation, while non-objective art avoids recognizable imagery altogether—approaches that can feel unfamiliar to viewers new to modernist theory. He intends for the exhibition to offer multiple points of entry, inviting audiences of all backgrounds to engage meaningfully with Reed’s work.

“I hope that we’ve laid out—throughout the works of art and the various wall text and panels—[information] that will help people see why this was an important movement, why it was important to Washington, D.C., and why it was important to Paul Reed, certainly. And that it helps fill out the picture of modern American painting after the Second World War.” By tracing Reed’s evolution across decades of cultural and artistic change, the exhibition illuminates the history of modern American painting and the enduring impact of the Washington Color School. Whether visitors are fluent in the language of abstraction or encountering this mode of visual expression for the first time, the retrospective demonstrates how Reed’s lifelong curiosity shaped, and continues to influence, the unfolding story of American art.

OKCMOA’s Paul Reed: A Retrospective remains on view through April 12, 2026. For details or ticket purchases (for non-members), visit okcmoa.com.

In addition to Curator David Gariff, Art Focus thanks Amber Thompson, Communications Manager, and Stacie Graven, Head of Marketing and Communications, for their support with this article.

ERIN SCHALK serves as a professional writer, visual artist, voice narrator, and accessibility-centered educator. She is the recent recipient of multiple Writer’s Digest awards and the Armed Services Arts Partnership’s National Scholarship.

She has also received a Best of the Net nomination.

Schalk’s work has appeared in Wordgathering, Stirring Lit, Parentheses International Literary Journal, The Petigru Review, and numerous other publications. She also holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

ABOVE TOP // No. 18I, 1965, acrylic on canvas, 34” x 26”, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, gift of the Paul and Esther Reed Trust, 2018.022, © Paul and Esther Reed Trust | Image by Google ABOVE // No. 16J, 1963, acrylic on canvas, 31” x 31”, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, gift of the Paul and Esther Reed Trust, 2018.012, © Paul and Esther Reed Trust | Image by Google

PREVIEW

9

Yvette Aranyani, I laugh before I cry, 2024 Oil painting. 12” x 24”

10

REVIEW

COPING WITH TRAUMA THROUGH ART //

by Mary Noble

When a traumatic event occurs, the brain’s language center shuts down and survival is triggered, making word formation near impossible. Talking through trauma after the fact can lessen its power and soften feelings of isolation or shame; however, verbal processing has its limits. Recovery often requires a multifaceted, non-linear approach especially since trauma is held not only in the mind but throughout the body.

For many people, art becomes a vital pathway for working with these embodied experiences. It can restore a sense of control, be a tool for grounding, and help integrate the sensations that were once held in a fragmented or maladaptive way. Whether through painting, clay, drawing, or dance, artistic expression offers access to sensations and emotions that can’t always be reached through logic or language.

This is true for Oklahoma City-based artist, Yvette Aranyani, who uses oil painting as a medium for processing her experiences of sexual assault and domestic violence.

“Sometimes I will forget the words I want to say, but when I’m painting I can say whatever I want through the art,” Aranyani said.

Yvette started painting in 2017 and has found solace in creating a tangible interpretation of the trauma she’s endured, “If you just sit with what’s happened to you, it can swallow you whole. Without [art], I was just so sad all the time,” Aranyani said.

Yvette describes her paintings as psychedelic and evocative, with some of the imagery depicting bruised women, “It feels like you can tell a story without having to tell a story,” Aranyani said.

Aranyani speaks of her healing journey through art in reverent tones, describing her life as dim and colorless prior to discovering a creative outlet.

“I’m really glad to have found art,” she said. “Life became more vivid whenever I started painting.”

While Yvette’s healing unfolded quietly on the canvas, another Oklahoma artist had a much different experience. For Tulsa artist, educator, and activist Laura Voth, her story of sexual assault was a public one.

In June 2020, Voth came forward with her story of sexual assault after her assailant, Ricco Wright, announced his candidacy for mayor of Tulsa. Wright, a gallery owner and well-known in the art world, occupied the same creative space Voth had long been a part of.

TOP // Yvette Aranyani, I can’t hear you anymore, 2025, oil painting, 12” x 24”; ABOVE // Yvette Aranyani, Out of my mind, 2025. oil painting. 12” x 24”

F E AT U R E

11

This made her path to healing especially complex, blurring the boundary between a place of solace and a source of pain, “In my mind, I was done with the art world forever. It definitely made me feel unsafe in my community,” Voth said.

Eventually, Voth connected with a new group of artists she felt safe with and was able to return to her medium of ink and watercolors. Still, her work remained challenging, shaped by an internal struggle with control and perfectionism.

“I had this idea of what healing and survivorship looked like, and it should be through art. I thought I had to make perfect art that represented my pain and my process. What I realized quickly was that I was being incredibly controlling,” Voth said.

She found herself constrained by expectations of what her art, and therefore her healing, should look like.

“I had to be in control because I wasn’t in control of my assault, and so that translated into my art. It was incredibly frustrating and felt very hopeless. So I went back to the basics,” she said.

She returned to a technique she had learned early on in her art education called blind contouring, in which the artist draws a subject without looking at the paper and without lifting the pen. Through blind contouring, Voth discovered she was able to release control and with it, her preconceived notions of what healing was supposed to be.

“You’re learning to feel the piece that you’re looking at and to trust yourself to create something and to let go of the end product. I found that process really healing because making a blind contour, just in life after trauma you have to find a way to move forward and you’re not going to know what that looks like,” Voth said.

After going public, Voth’s inbox was flooded with stories from others who had endured similar experiences. This outpouring inspired her project called I Have a Story that incorporates the blind contouring technique into storytelling. With consent and without any identifying information, Laura gathered and shared survivors’ accounts, pairing each story with a descriptive word chosen by the individual and a blind-contour flower drawn by Laura.

“It was really comforting because it didn’t look like what I was expecting it to look like ever, but it was still beautiful,” said Voth.

Laura’s advocacy has expanded beyond her artwork to include partnerships with organizations such as the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice and the OK Survivor Justice Coalition. Through her work with the Survivor Justice Coalition, she helped support the passage of the OK Survivor’s 12

PREVIEW

Act, a 2024 law introducing trauma-informed sentencing. The legislation established a new procedure that allows judges to consider substantiated evidence of abuse during prosecution and impose a reduced sentencing range that reflects the impact of that trauma.

Additionally, Laura hosted a three-day community art show in 2024 called the Forget Me Not Gallery, dedicated to survivors of domestic violence. She invited artists from across Oklahoma and beyond to create and donate images of forget-me-not flowers, symbolic reminders that survivors will not be forgotten.

The show, held at the Carson House gallery, raised funds to support the passage of the OK Survivor’s Act as well as legal fees for survivors.

“It’s a gallery in a home because I wanted people to realize that domestic violence usually happens in a home. But also these criminalized survivors, we’re trying to bring them home,” Voth said.

If you or a loved one is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, available for 24/7 support, or contact any of the following resources.

YWCA Oklahoma City: Provides free, wraparound services, including advocacy, safety resources, and emergency support, to anyone experiencing domestic violence; call 1-800-522-7233 for help.

Emergency Residential Shelter (Thelma Gaylord Emergency Shelter): Oklahoma County’s only certified shelter for women and children; if you or someone you know is fleeing violence, call 405-917-9922.

Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS): Offers 24/7 phone support at 918-7HELP-ME (918-743-5763) or toll-free at 1-833-338-5763, and provides texting support seven nights a week from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. by texting SAFE to 207-777 or 1-833338-5763 to reach an advocate.

MARY NOBLE is a writer based in Oklahoma City whose work has appeared in Oklahoma Today, The Tulsa Voice, ASLUT, TulsaPeople, and The Oklahoma Eagle. In addition to her writing, she is a licensed clinical social worker and holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Oklahoma. She owns a private practice where she specializes in trauma recovery and sex therapy.

ABOVE // Laura Voth with her I Have A Story project, at A Body Reclaimed Gallery | Photo provided by Laura Voth; TOP LEFT // Laura Voth, Resilient, 2024, ink on paper, Part of the I Have a Story project; LEFT // Laura Voth, Determination, 2024, ink on paper, part of the I have a Story project

F E AT U R E

13

MOMENTUM AT 25: // A LEGACY OF EMERGING ARTISTS

by Zoe Elrod with collaboration from Lauren Schlepp and OVAC staff

Performance art at MOMENTUM 2025. Photo by Tiarra Harper

For 25 years, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s MOMENTUM

Guest Curator and an Emerging Curator, who receives a $750

has been where young artists take their next step and see

stipend, collaborate to select artists and lead public talks

their work embraced in a space where nothing is too strange

during the event. The exhibition also includes several cash

or too off the wall. It’s where unforgettable performances

awards: Curator’s Choice, Emerging Curator’s Choice, and a

unfold, where local bands play alongside first-time exhibitors,

Viewer’s Choice voted on by attendees.

and where guests toting wine glasses and sporting mohawks gather for one of the state’s most iconic art events, featuring mediums from body paint to gum wrappers. For a quarter century, MOMENTUM has marked an early milestone for emerging Oklahoma artists, offering discovery, connection, mentorship, and the moment many realized their voice belonged in the state’s creative landscape. And now, the 25th anniversary exhibition will be held March 27–28, 2026, at the Yale Theater.

14

Its impact stretches across decades. Look closely at Oklahoma’s creative spaces and you’ll find former MOMENTUM artists everywhere: gallery owners, educators, working artists, and those who have carried the experience with them far beyond the state. In some cases, MOMENTUM even spans generations— like 2022 artist Aztrid Moan, who followed in the footsteps of her mother, Nicole Moan, a participant in the early 2000s.

As MOMENTUM celebrates this milestone year, one theme

Each year, the program features two curated segments:

arises across conversations with artists, curators, and

Survey Artists, selected from statewide submissions, and

volunteers: it is where confidence grows and community takes

Spotlight Artists, who develop new work with three months

shape. 25 years in, the show still pulses with the same energy

of curatorial guidance and receive a $1,000 honorarium,

that launched it: a belief in emerging talent and in the future

support many describe as pivotal early in their careers. A

of art in Oklahoma.

MOMENTUM

Q&A with State Senator Julia Kirt We spoke with Julia Kirt, OVAC’s executive director from 1999 to 2014 and now a state senator representing Oklahoma’s District 30, about the exhibition’s earliest days. In this Q&A, Kirt reflects on the bold work that launched MOMENTUM in 2001. Kirt looks back fondly on the first moment she saw nearly 300 attendees lined up down the block on opening night, a reflection of the hard work of eager volunteers who hand-painted a 20’×60’ billboard and who transformed an empty loading bay into a gallery on a shoestring $1,000 budget. That moment sparked an excitement for Kirt that emerging artists had finally found a space to be seen, a

A: MOMENTUM was often an artist’s first time showing outside of school. It’s such a watershed moment—to compete and be chosen for an exhibition. I saw many people gain confidence immediately. Artists often told us it was their first validation of their vocation and vision.

When we added the Spotlight awards to provide more funding and support for ambitious projects, artists gained another level of experience. They got to interact with a curator and be the focal point of marketing too. I loved when we added that, and I know it has made a difference for many artists taking brave steps forward.

Over time, collectors, curators, and gallery owners began

belief that continues to drive MOMENTUM today.

attending to see new talent. That directly connected

Q: What gap in Oklahoma’s arts community were you hoping

and more. Even more impactful was the network created

to fill when OVAC first launched it? Is there anything else that stands out about those first meetings or the early years of MOMENTUM? A: When we started MOMENTUM, young artists were barely participating in Oklahoma’s arts community. A huge percentage either moved away, stopped making artwork, or weren’t showing locally until later in life. The board really wanted to encourage more young people and hired me in

MOMENTUM artists to opportunities like shows, commissions, among volunteers and participating artists. It became a great way for artists who wanted to get more involved to start, and for young leaders to step up. I loved watching those new leaders grow into roles in other organizations and areas (seriously, ask anyone in the visual arts who has been in Oklahoma a while—they likely have a connection).

Q: MOMENTUM has become a launchpad for many artists.

part because of that (I was 24 when I became director).

What stories or moments stand out to you that capture that

I pulled together every creative person I knew—or that

spirit of discovery and confidence?

they knew—to dream up what we wanted to start. From

A: Well, we had several years where we staged the exhibition

the beginning, performing artists and musicians were

in unusual, vacant buildings and brought those places to

part of the event because the group didn’t see the value

life temporarily. Most of those sites are now redeveloped

in separating art forms. We knew we needed to make the

into vibrant spaces and interesting areas. One of the coolest

event fun to attract new audiences to see the art. And we

was the old central post office building before Scissortail

knew young artists needed a place to be recognized (plus

Park was built. It had been vacated by USPS and was slated

we wanted them to have prize money as a boost too!).

for demolition. It was enormous—maybe 500,000 square

One of the coolest things was that we had volunteer

feet—in a very neglected part of town. We FILLED it with

committee members from multiple walks of life—restaurant

site-specific installations, performances, and more. I’ll

workers, hair stylists, and other creatives—who added so

never forget seeing 19-year-old punks skateboarding on

much to the conversation and future engagement of the

indoor ramps next to two-story-high sculptures while the

event. Volunteers really took ownership of creating the

OKC Planning Director and Assistant City Manager watched.

ambiance and promoting it. That became one of the most

It felt like young creatives were making the city their own—

important aspects of the event—it was created by young

and city leaders were starting to notice.

adults for young artists. We even had an entire group meeting just to decide on the event’s name—so pleased that it stuck!

Q: As MOMENTUM turns 25, what do you think has allowed it to remain relevant to new generations of artists, and how do you see its role in shaping Oklahoma’s creative identity

Q: Over your 15 years as Executive Director, how did you see

today?

MOMENTUM evolve—both in terms of the kinds of artists who

A: We really agonized over whether to set an age limit.

participated and the way the event connected them to broader

It was controversial at first, but we felt it was necessary

opportunities?

to clarify who the event was for and to ensure emerging MOMENTUM

15

artists weren’t competing with veterans. That has kept the show fresh—there’s always a limit on how many years someone can participate. College professors recognized the value and encouraged their students to apply, and young people moving to the state discover the show, keeping new talent involved. It also encouraged artists to step forward earlier in their careers.

Origins of Opportunity: MOMENTUM’s Early Days For artist and arts advocate Sheila Guffey, MOMENTUM has shaped her creative life in lasting ways. When she first attended in the early 2000s, she was captivated by the bold, experimental energy of the show, from milk-bath performances to a three-foot steel ball shattering ceramics to artists in spandex doing live figure drawing, all within a

Q: With your perspective now as a state leader, what lessons from MOMENTUM’s success still guide your thinking about arts advocacy in Oklahoma?

A: I learned so much about building real community

community that felt like it was forming in real time.

“In 2001 and 2002, I remember going and feeling so inspired,” she said. “I just loved it. It was such a scene.”

momentum through the show. From the start, we

By 2003 she had joined the planning committee, scouting

involved the voices and buy-in of the people the

spaces like OKC’s Stage Center and the Farmers Market,

program was meant to serve. We all dreamed about what

where MOMENTUM spent its first couple of years, and helping

would be exciting and energizing. We built trust across

organize each year’s show. She later became a Spotlight

generations around community needs, and those roots

Artist in 2004 and 2005, deepening the relationships that

made all the difference in creating something successful.

shaped her career.

We made sure it was fun, knowing joy and energy were important. We also discovered there was a market for young artists’ work and new creative events. It showed

“I found so much inspiration through the people I met at OVAC and MOMENTUM,” she said.

me that being intentional matters—in who you serve

Even after moving away, those connections endured

and how. Hopefully, we helped more artists see their

and supported her first solo show in San Francisco. After

community as their own! That’s something I still try to do

returning to Oklahoma nearly 20 years later, she rejoined

today in the legislature—help people see that this state

the committee and will serve again for the 25th anniversary

is theirs and that their voices and vision matter.

exhibition in 2026.

Artist Kory Twaddle at MOMENTUM 2002.

Stage Center | All photos provided by OVAC Staff unless otherwise noted

Models wearing artwork by Nicole Moan, MOMENTUM 2004 at Matthews Warehouse

Chris Wollard. Loki Ball, MOMENTUM 2002 kinetic sculpture, steel and mixed media, 3' diameter, at Stage Center TOP // Julia Kirt at MOMENTUM 2002 at Stage Center; ABOVE // MOMENTUM 2002 at Stage Center

16

MOMENTUM 2004 Tulsa Ticket

Artist & Committee Member Molly O'Connor and her brother Danny O'Connor at MOMENTUM 2003 at Stage Center

Oklahoma artist Steven Schmidt, making signage before MOMENTUM 2005

“MOMENTUM has always stayed true to supporting younger

rare space for young creators to take risks, be seen, and find

and emerging artists,” she said. “It gives them the confidence

community at a time when opportunities were scarce.

to branch out and believe in themselves.”

“When you’re young and you’re starting out, there just

Meanwhile, for Tulsa-based artist, printer, designer and

aren’t as many opportunities, and you’re still trying to find

muralist May Yang, MOMENTUM 2004 was a breakthrough,

your voice,” Bayer said. “This type of show was basically

the first art show she participated in outside of school.

tailor-made for that.”

“I had just graduated high school and was so excited that I

Slack echoed similar sentiments.

got into a show,” Yang recalled.

“Any opportunity to show was exciting,” he said. “There

That first exhibition sparked a lasting relationship with

really wasn’t a lot for up-and-coming young artists, so to

MOMENTUM. She returned year after year in both Tulsa

have an event every year was pretty cool.”

and Oklahoma City, drawn by the energy of the community, the strong, varied artwork, and the sense of belonging.

Over time, she became part of the show’s visual identity, designing and screen-printing the MOMENTUM Tulsa posters in 2008 and contributing to the 2010 Tulsa poster.

Both artists credited MOMENTUM with helping build a stronger arts community in Oklahoma City. Bayer remembered seeing Slack’s work for the first time there and realizing he wasn’t “on an island.” Slack described the mix of support and friendly competition that pushed everyone

In 2010 she earned a milestone when she was chosen as

forward, saying it felt like the group was all “wanting to rise

a MOMENTUM Spotlight Artist, her first experience working

together.”

with a guest curator.

That early exposure shaped their futures. Slack said that

“Participating in all of these MOMENTUM events really

without MOMENTUM and similar opportunities, he might

helped me develop as an artist,” she said.

have left Oklahoma “swallowed up and disillusioned.”

Yang wasn’t alone. For Oklahoma artists Joe Slack and Nick Bayer, the MOMENTUM shows from 2003 to 2009 offered a

Instead, he stayed, growing alongside his peers.

Today their work stands side by side in downtown Oklahoma

MOMENTUM 2007 Swings at MOMENTUM OKC 2007 at Downtown Airpark

MOMENTUM 2008 MOMENTUM 2008 MOMENTUM 2008

MOMENTUM OKC 2008 poster designed and screen printed by May Yang

MOMENTUM Tulsa 2010 poster designed by May Yang

MOMENTUM

17

City. Slack’s steel sculpture Together, Together and Bayer’s

drawings to large-scale installations,” a body of work that

mural Howdy now greet visitors at the Oklahoma City

helped her gain acceptance into Florida State University’s

Convention Center, a testament to careers that once began

graduate program, where she evolved from draftsperson to

in a shared early-career exhibition.

installation artist and kinetic sculptor.

For these artists, especially in MOMENTUM’s early days, the

After traveling the world for her work, Vinyard returned to

exhibition was more than a show—it sparked a community, launched careers, and forged lasting bonds among Oklahoma’s young artists.

Oklahoma to create the same opportunities she had received.

She founded Chickasha’s Art Wrecker Studios and Gallery, a space whose name she said mirrors some of those early “greenlight” sensibilities she felt at MOMENTUM. The same mentality

The “Punk” Days of MOMENTUM Chickasha artist Jordan Vinyard remembers the MOMENTUM years of 2007 through 2009 as nothing short of “punk.” She recalls attending one event with a former professor and

University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, where she fosters courage and experimentation in students, several of whom are current MOMENTUM participants.

suddenly finding herself “hurled through the art gallery riding

“It was the match that lit an entire career,” Vinyard said about

a giant polycarbonate swing created by sculptor Russ Bellamy,”

MOMENTUM, saying that the exhibition broke “the conceptions

with then-director and now-Senator Julia Kirt beside her.

of what art can be.”

“The vibrancy of that space was infectious,” Vinyard said. “You

Similarly, artist Michelle Himes-McCrory recalls the 2007–

could feel that Oklahoma was doing something important for young artists, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

2009 MOMENTUM era as particularly formative for both the show and the artists. According to a 2008 edition of Art Focus,

That excitement quickly turned into opportunity. When OVAC

that year’s exhibition saw a 400 percent increase in art sales

launched the first-ever Spotlight Artists, Vinyard said she was

and drew over 2,300 visitors, while Himes-McCrory sold three

“astounded to be selected.” The experience gave “a kid from

pieces at the MOMENTUM Market, gaining her first exper-

small-town Oklahoma the chance to migrate from humble

ience with branding and merchandising.

Award Winners at MOMENTUM Tulsa 2014

Installation by Spotlight Artist Amber Farnell, MOMENTUM 2010 at Goodwill Industries Warehouse

MOMENTUM 2012 event promotion in Urban Tulsa Weekly, October 11, 2012 May Yang in front of MOMENTUM Tulsa Spotlight project in 2010 at Living Arts

MOMENTUM Spotlight Artist with Curator John Seward, MOMENTUM 2010 at Goodwill Industries Warehouse

18

now guides her work as Dean of Arts and Humanities at the

MOMENTUM OKC 2009 DVD

Handout for MOMENTUM Tulsa 2011

MOMENTUM 2013 news article in the Oklahoma Gazette, Feb.ruary 27, 2013

“Participating in these exhibitions taught me invaluable

Over the decade, MOMENTUM adapted to changing times and

lessons about assembling a small, cohesive body of work,”

expanded its reach. Curators like Clint Stone led 2011 shows

Himes-McCrory said. “Above all, my favorite part was sharing

that embraced new media, technology, and bold conceptual

it with friends and fellow artists. MOMENTUM provides an

work, while the 2018 exhibition at Oklahoma City’s iconic

opportunity to foster future artistic collaborations and to

Gold Dome featured performance art and a diverse slate

make meaningful relationships with other upcoming artists that will last a lifetime. ”

of 90 works—including installation, sculpture, video, and mixed media—drawn from nearly 600 submissions. This era continued to open possibilities for emerging creators,

Like so many others, even after aging out of the show, she

including Oklahoma-born artist Carrie Kouts, for whom a

continues to follow it.

career in fine arts once seemed impossible.

“The only thing that made me sad about turning 30 was that

“As a young artist growing up in Oklahoma, it was often hard

I couldn’t enter again. Every year since, I am in awe of all the

to see how a career in Fine Arts could ever be possible,”

amazing artists and love seeing their creativity and passion,”

Kouts said. “During childhood, it seemed like only museums

she said.

and yearly festivals showcased successful artists, most of whom worked in very traditional art forms like landscape oil painting or figurative sculpture.”

Finding Form and Breaking Boundaries

Even then, she remained captivated by the idea of

Enthusiasm for MOMENTUM remained strong throughout the

becoming an artist. When she began focusing on sculpture

2010s, with artists describing the show as a “vital organ” in Oklahoma’s arts scene that revealed what was possible for young or underrepresented creators. The exhibition earned a reputation as a serious and influential event, evolving from a

in college, she often heard discouraging comments from friends and family, and pursuing her work beyond a hobby seemed unrealistic. That changed when she heard about MOMENTUM.

young-artist exhibition into a proving ground where ambition

“Classmates and professors would regale our classes with

met opportunity.

stories about the annual exhibition and proudly state

MOMENTUM OKC 2014 Artist Tiffany McKnight MOMENTUM OKC 2015 Award Winners

MOMENTUM 2017, Installation

by Spotlight Artist Krystle Kaye, Modern Family, ceramic installation and audio recording

MOMENTUM 2019 at The Womb (now known as Factory Obscura) MOMENTUM 2018 at the Gold Dome Building

MOMENTUM OKC 2016 Ticket Poster for MOMENTUM Tulsa 2013

Direct mail piece for MOMENTUM OKC 2018

19

that all the artwork was made by artists our age,” Kouts

unprecedented ways, with the 2020 show going fully remote

remembered.

and the 2021 exhibition taking a new format: selected

When her sculpture was accepted into the 2017 show, it felt like confirmation. Seeing her work alongside other young Oklahoma artists helped her realize she wasn’t alone in her ambitions. Later, for the 2022 MOMENTUM, she applied to be a Spotlight Artist and was thrilled to receive

works were displayed at MAINSITE Gallery in Norman before traveling to Living Arts of Tulsa for month-long exhibitions instead of the usual weekend event. That year, Oklahoma artist Cable Jacobsen created his print Incandescent for the show, navigating the unusual circumstances alongside his peers.

the callback. The new body of work she created became

As a recent graduate navigating a global crisis, Jacobsen saw

one of her proudest achievements, strengthening her MFA

MOMENTUM as a guiding light.

portfolio and symbolizing community and perseverance.

At first, the imposter syndrome was intense and he wondered

“It was like a voice spoke to my little artist’s heart, saying,

if he belonged at all, but, as the night went on, and as he

‘See! It is possible! You can be an artist,’” she said.

received compliments and connected with fellow artists, his

Now living and working in Rhode Island with an MFA in

confidence grew.

Sculpture, Kouts remains deeply grateful to MOMENTUM for

Speaking to artists who might be considering applying,

its role in her journey. Looking back, she says her community

Jacobsen offered some words of advice.

supported and challenged her to make her goals a reality.

“Let me give you some form of reassurance,” he said. “These people are the nicest you will ever meet, and the feeling of

A New Era for MOMENTUM MOMENTUM has evolved over its 25-year history, but its commitment to emerging artists, community, and creativity remains as strong as ever.

having your work in a frame next to lifelong peers is one you will not forget.”

Artist Nina Nguyen has been involved with MOMENTUM from 2019 to 2025, including being named a Spotlight Artist in 2023. She said the exhibition has consistently

During the COVID-19 pandemic, MOMENTUM adapted in

offered meaningful opportunities, helped her build lasting

Photograph and Artist Christian Dixon viewing Carrie Kouts' work, MOMENTUM 2022 at TAP Architecture

Emma Difani's installation at MOMENTUM 2020 at Dead People's Stuff MOMENTUM Committee in 2020

MOMENTUM 2021 Curators and Spotlight Artists at MAINSITE Contemporary Art Installation by Spotlight Artist Marium Rana, MOMENTUM 2021 at MAINSITE Contemporary Art

20

MOMENTUM

Spotlight Artist Shyanne Dickey with Mayor David Holt at MOMENTUM 2022 at TAP Architecture

connections, and led to commissions that allowed her to

about her experience, which left her inspired and proud

expand her creative practice.

to contribute to Oklahoma’s creative community.

“Beyond the professional benefits, MOMENTUM has been

Anley will be one of three Spotlight Artists for the 2026

a community that motivates me to keep evolving and

exhibition.

pushing my boundaries,” Nguyen said. “I’m truly grateful for how much it’s helped shape my journey. The experiences shared within this community have continually reminded me that progress isn’t always linear, but with the right drive and purpose, we always find our way upward.

After the pandemic, MOMENTUM entered a new phase as it found stability at Capitol Hill’s Yale Theater for several consecutive years. The energy of emerging artists remained, but the exhibition gained the maturity and consistency that come with decades of history.

For emerging artists like Kayla Anley, MOMENTUM continues to open doors. Her charcoal drawing As They Should Be appeared in the 2024 exhibition, fulfilling

MOMENTUM has also become an important venue for artists exploring a wide range of media. L.W. Douglas, an artist, animator and illustrator from Chelsea, Oklahoma, showed his first two animated short films in the 2024 and 2025 exhibitions.

“MOMENTUM is a celebration of both artistic community and diversity, as much as it is a fantastic display of Oklahoma’s young talent,” he said.

His capstone film Nightlife screened in 2024 alongside art by one of his former college classmates, Spotlight Artist Bayleigh Fields. Both Nightlife and his 2025 film TIMID have since screened nationally, earning several awards.

a long-held goal. At the event, she was struck by the

Each year, MOMENTUM brings unique work from painting

attention to detail, from the artwork itself to community

to basket weaving, knitted pieces, needlework, woodblock

activities like the button-making station that she and

prints, sculpture, and kinetic machines.

her wife enjoyed.

“No matter the medium, you can see the time, patience,

“It’s put together with care and offers new opportunities

skill, and effort each and every artist put into their one-of-

to meet fellow artists, curators and collectors,” she said

a-kind creations,” he said.

MOMENTUM Emerging Curator Cara Alizadeh-Fard (second from right) at MOMENTUM 2022 at TAP Architecture

Artist Christian Dixon at MOMENTUM 2023 at Sailor & the Dock Artist Jordan Tacker at MOMENTUM 2022, TAP Architecture

Art by Marissa Childers at MOMENTUM 2023 at Sailor and the Dock | Photo

by Zoe Elrod

Interactive art at MOMENTUM 2023 at Sailor & the Dock | Photo

by Zoe Elrod

Volunteers and staff at MOMENTUM 2023 at Sailor & the Dock

MOMENTUM

21

Artist Maywadee Viriyapah also exhibited work for the

she said. “Their mentorship helped me refine my concepts

first time in 2025, using materials like dryer lint and

and push the boundaries of my work, encouraging me to

t-shirts for her work, and said the experience was pivotal

take risks.”

for her career.

Through MOMENTUM, she gained confidence in developing

“The community is so welcoming, and I am constantly

a narrative that is both personal and universal.

learning from the artists they platform,” she said. “I met so many artists with dynamic and evolving practices, and it was amazing to share this community with all my loved ones.”

Looking Forward – MOMENTUM 2026 The 25th Annual MOMENTUM exhibition will take place March

Artist Krystal Solis was selected as one of three Spotlight

27–28, 2026, at the Yale Theater in Capitol Hill, marking the

Artists for the 2025 exhibition, describing the experience

program’s third year at the venue. The event continues its

as “transformative.” Her featured series, Life’s a Fairytale: An

mission to highlight emerging Oklahoma artists ages 30 and

Introspection, Descending into Our Human Desires, spanned

under, giving audiences a clear view of the range of visual

everything from oil on canvas to an interactive table for playing lotería, examining the complexity of emotion and the tension between fantasy and reality.

“As a Mexican American figurative contemporary artist, this opportunity was invaluable in expanding both my creative voice and my connection to a broader audience,” she said.

Solis said MOMENTUM offered more than a platform. It created space to explore identity, culture and community while growing through mentorship.

mentorship and skill-building opportunities.

2S Choctaw artist, curator, and writer Kristin Gentry, who first participated as a Survey Artist from 2008 to 2010 and returned as Emerging Curator for the virtual exhibition in 2021, will serve as Guest Curator for the 2026 show.

“MOMENTUM created space for my voice as an Indigenous artist to be seen, heard, and valued, and it has been a foundational part of my journey from the very beginning,”

“The OVAC team offered incredible guidance and support,”

Artwork by Nina Nguyen at MOMENTUM 2023

art being created across the state while offering participants

MOMENTUM 2023 at Sailor & the Dock

Gentry said.

Attendee Israel Pinero at the silent auction, MOMENTUM 2025 at Yale Theater | Photo by Colby Ballard

MOMENTUM 2023 at Sailor & the Dock | Photo by Zoe Elrod

Artist Anna Beth Ferguson at MOMENTUM 2023 at Sailor & the Dock

22

MOMENTUM

Maywadee Viriyapah, Revenge of Norasing, dryer lint, felt, bamboo steamer, styrofoam, and belts, MOMENTUM 2025

Lincka performs at MOMENTUM 2025.

Photo by Lauren Schlepp

She said that her experience gave her opportunities that

“The Price of Innocence” reflects on the persistent sense

shaped her practice, expanded her community, and gave

of dread and the threat of violence that often shadows

her the confidence to pursue larger creative goals, calling

womanhood.

it a “catalyst” for her work.

The third Spotlight Artist, Nayelly Morales Rojo, is a

“As MOMENTUM celebrates 25 years, I’m especially excited

Mexican American visual artist whose paintings explore

to come full circle and serve as this year’s curator,” Gentry

female embodiment, cultural memory, and identity. Her

said. “I’m grateful to reflect on how this program helped

series “Mujeres Divinas” features oil and mixed media

launch my career and continues to uplift new generations

works with symbolic forms, warm underpaintings, Mexican

of artists.”

botanicals, and Latin American elements that honor the

Drawing on her experience with the program and her

resilience of womanhood.

curatorial background, she is reviewing submissions

The 2026 show brings together artists from across

from young artists statewide alongside Emerging Curator

Oklahoma for a one-of-a-kind exhibition that offers a

MaryAnn Guoladdle Parker.

fresh look at emerging talent and celebrates 25 years of a

This year’s Spotlight Artists include Kayla Anley, whose

program that has shaped the state’s arts scene.

work explores cycles of life, death, and ecological memory.

From its early years in unconventional spaces to its

Her project “Reliquary” is a multidisciplinary examination

current home at the Yale Theater, MOMENTUM remains a

of the prairie as both sacred and endangered, featuring

vibrant space where artists take risks, explore identity, and

drawings and paintings of native species such as fawns,

connect with audiences and peers. For visitors, it offers a

birds, insects, and wildflowers.

glimpse of Oklahoma’s next artistic voices, and for artists,

Spotlight Artist Mack Brim, a figurative painter and

it marks a milestone where vision becomes possibility.

muralist, presents work that investigates the modern

Support from sponsors makes the exhibition possible,

feminine experience through soft, layered oil techniques

and individuals can learn more or contribute at

that create an intimate emotional resonance. Her project

ovac-ok.org/MOMENTUM.

MOMENTUM 2023 at Sailor & the Dock | Photo by Zoe Elrod

L.W. Douglas, Nightlife, MOMENTUM 2024 at Yale Theater

Committee members, artists, and curators at work during installation of MOMENTUM 2025 | Photo by Tiarra Harper

Guest Curator Narciso Argüelles with Paul Acevedo Gomez at MOMENTUM 2025

Interactive art activity, zine-making at MOMENTUM 2025 Spotlight artists Krystal Solis and Michele Pierce at MOMENTUM 2025 | Photo provided by Krystal Solis

MOMENTUM 2024 at the Yale Theater in historic Capitol Hill | Photo (right) provided by Kayla Anley

MOMENTUM

23

(continued from page 23)

MOMENTUM 2026, Kristin Gentry | Photo by Destiny Green

MOMENTUM 2026, MaryAnn Guoladdle Parker MOMENTUM 2026, Nayelly Morales Rojo

MOMENTUM 2026, Mack Brim

MOMENTUM 2026, Kayla Anley

Mark your calendars for the 25th Annual MOMENTUM exhibition on March 27–28, 2026.

Learn more at Ovac-Ok.Org/Momentum

PASEO ARTS ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL JURIED EXHIBITS Providing artists opportunities to connect with the community

PASEO ARTS & CREATIVITY CENTER

EV 3 24 0 2 4 P PR A S IEEOW - T H E P A A O K . O R G - @ P A S E O A R T S C E N T E R

PAA MEMBERS’ SHOW Apply November - January | Exhibit in February THE MARCH SHOW Apply January - February | Exhibit in March PRINT ON PASEO Apply May - June | Exhibit in July PASEO PHOTOFEST Apply July - August | Exhibit in September SMALL ART SHOW Apply August - October | Exhibit in November

OKLAHOMA, CURATED.

Oklahoma Today is the official magazine of our state—where stories are told with soul, artistry, and a deep sense of place. Each issue is a tribute to the bold creators, quiet wonders, and hidden corners that make Oklahoma unforgettable.

Sign up for our free newsletter and let handpicked events, secret spots, and behind-the-scenes stories find their way to your inbox. Experience a curated journey through the heart of Oklahoma.

Subscribe. Collect. Discover.

Newsletter.OklahomaToday.com.

25

Casady Square 9221 N. Pennsylvania Place 405-842-2444 www.newleafflorist.net

Framing the Frontier Contemporary Artists of the American West

Opening Reception February 12 | 5:30-7:30 p.m.

On Display February 10 - April 25

1400 Classen Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73106 26

F E AT U R E

IN THE STUDIO

26

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

609 W. Sheridan Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Visit ovac-ok.org to learn more.

A Program of the O k l a ho m a V i su a l A r t s C o a l i ti o n

Save t he Dat e

March 27–28 The Yale Theater 227 Southwest 25th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73109

L e arn more at O va c - O k .O rg / M o m e n tu m