Art Focus Oklahoma, January/February 2006

ArtOFocus kl a h o m a Oklahoma V i s u a l A r ts C o a l i t i on

Vo l u m e 2 1 N o . 1 J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 6

Vessels given a voice Tulsa ceramicist Laurie Spencer creates whistles inspired by pre-Columbian art

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contents

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profiles 3 interview with ed ruscha 5 brooks tower

reviews/previews 8 deus ex machina 9 women who eat leaves 10 marfa, texas 12 kim beck exhibit 13 cut: film as found object

features 14 outrageous art empire 16 on the map 17 On the Cover: Laurie Spencer Tulsa Morning Song Ceramic Whistle

business of art OVAC news

20 at a glance / round up 20 renewing members 21

gallery guide

ArtOFocus kl a h o m a Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition P.O. Box 1946 • Oklahoma City, OK 73101 ph: 405.232.6991 • e: director@ovac-ok.org visit our website at: www.ovac-ok.org Executive Director: Julia Kirt director@ovac-ok.org Editor: Lori Oden publications@ovac-ok.org Art Director: Anne Richardson anne@speccreative.net Art Focus Oklahoma is a bimonthly publication of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition dedicated to stimulating insight into and providing current information about the visual arts in Oklahoma.

Mission: The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition supports visual artists living and working in Oklahoma and promotes public interest and understanding of the arts.

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 Anonymous letters will not be published.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.

Art Focus Committee: Janice McCormick, Bixby; Sue Clancy, Norman; Janice Mathews-Gordon, Michael Hoffner, Stephen Kovash, Debbie Nauser and Sue Moss Sullivan, Oklahoma City.

OVAC Board of Directors 2005-2006: Kathleen Rivers, Ada; Elliott Schwartz, Rick Vermillion (Treasurer), Edmond; Diana Brown, Fort Sill; Suzanne Thomas, Nicoma Park; Thomas Batista, Skip Hill, J.D. Merryweather, Dwayne Morris, John Seward (Vice President), Carl Shortt (President), Lila Todd (Secretary), Oklahoma City; Pam Hodges, PhD (Vice President), Sand Springs; Chris Ramsay, Stillwater; Claudia Doyle, Jean Ann Fausser, Michaela Merryday, Teresa Valero, 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 National Association of Artists’ Organization.

member agency

This program is supported in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council

© 2006, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. All rights reserved.

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Danna Ruscha Portrait of Ed Ruscha

Painting from Left to Right:

A Short Interview with Ed Ruscha

by Tara C. Aveilhé

In October of last year, while answering email correspondences and sifting through bulk messages, I ran across a press release that surprised me. It was an announcement for the upcoming Oklahoma Hall of Fame ceremony in Oklahoma City, and among the vaguely familiar names of politicians and sports figures, was the name of pop art icon Ed Ruscha – an artist I have long admired. I immediately realized that my former “Popular Culture: Popular Art” professor, a Texas-native, had apparently decided it wasn’t important to mention the fact that Mr. Ruscha grew up in Oklahoma before moving, in 1956, to the glossier, more glamorous world of L.A. Assuming that I couldn’t have been the only art enthusiast that missed this seemingly integral piece of information (and with full awareness that it might have seemed integral only because I’m an Oklahoman), I proposed the idea for an interview with Ed Ruscha to Lori Oden at the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. I will admit the intentions were mostly selfish. Sure, I wanted the chance to say “Hey, one of the most important American artists of our time grew up in the Sooner state,” but, I also wanted an excuse – a well-timed excuse – to have a chat with the man of few, but potent words.

The first time I saw Ed Ruscha’s work in person was in 2001 at the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art’s retrospective. As

a graduate student torn between becoming a writer or a talentless artist, I decided to become an art-writer as it might be the most lucrative and sensible choice.

Familiar with the so-called competition between the verbal and the visual, I felt an attraction to Ruscha’s use of text as subject matter. At the retrospective, I was struck by the idea that Ed Ruscha loved words as much as he loved paint. It might seem odd that a painter, with all the capabilities of an expert draftsman and a knack for painting photorealistic detail, might choose to apply those talents to painting words. Ruscha doesn’t simply paint words – he turns them into objects as tangible and concrete as a sublime landscape or a lovingly rendered portrait.

When Ruscha left Oklahoma in ’56, he went to Chouinard Art Institute (now Cal Arts), a former farm-school for Disney animators and illustrators. Attracted to the bright, boisterous field of mass media art, and unmotivated by the doctrines of Abstract Expressionism, Ruscha synthesized his talent for commercial art with the romantic ideals of fine art. Because of his use of familiar, pre-conceived images, he is often grouped with artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. But, unlike other pop artists, Ruscha maintained a consistent interest in text as art object. His earlier works depicted words such as, “Lisp” and “Rancho” as viscous, three-dimensional

images, at once repulsive in their wet, sticky realism but alluring in their trompe l’eoil detail. Ruscha also garnered early attention for his “California-style” depictions of roadside signs and colorful renderings of American commercial landscapes. Later, the words themselves took center stage – turning from oil to acrylic, his ability to use paint realistically became less important, and the words began to take on the same horizontal perspective as his paintings of signs, creating a kind of textual panorama. In the 90s, Ruscha began to actually combine text with landscape. Bold phrases are superimposed over a painted mountaintop or floating in a star-filled sky.

Ruscha’s large-scale maps of the streets of L.A. speak to his affinity for the city he now calls home, and presents an opportunity to again combine landscape with text (the names of the streets) – demonstrating again that it is not the thing itself that is of importance to Ruscha, but the word for the thing that matters most.

Shortly before his November induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and in the wake of representing the U.S. at the Venice Biennale, Ed Ruscha took some time to talk about his memories of Oklahoma, his all-time favorite word and his love of dirt roads.

Art Focus: First, in what part of Oklahoma did you grow up? continued page 4

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Ed Ruscha Untitled (many Signs) Acrylic on canvas

continued from page 3 Ed Ruscha: The biggest city… I forgot its name (just kidding).

AF: What, if anything, about growing up here affected your interest in art-making?

Were you encouraged by someone (family, teacher) to attend art school?

ER: Mrs. Laird (Hawthorne Grade School) pushed me along. Robert Curry, my art teacher at Classen High School was somewhat of a rebel and encouraged us to push beyond.

AF: How was the experience of moving from OK to L.A. for you?

ER: It was like going from Flatland Western Heritage to an exotic desert in one big horizontal sweep.

AF: L.A. obviously played/plays a big part as an influence in your work -- did OK also play a role in your choices or the context for your work?

ER: I feel like anything I do in my art springs from attitudes I had when I was 16 years old living in the Sooner State.

AF: What drove you to the decision to focus on fine art versus commercial art (though your work is a synthesis of both)?

ER: For some unknown reason, the images coming from commercial art influenced my painting, but fine art had a far greater romantic appeal. I couldn’t resist it.

AF: How did text come to be of such an interest for you? Were you particularly interested in words, literature, etc. prior to attending Chouinard?

ER: I studied printing and setting type.

Poets like Gertrude Stein shook me up.

Also, the visual noise of words crammed into commercial magazines and newspapers cried out to have art made of it. I just obliged.

AF: What about words as objects continues to be of interest for you?

ER: The fact that they are almost always horizontal and read from left to right.

AF: Do you consider your work to be pop art? Why or why not?

ER: My work is pop art only if you agree that “pop” comes from the word popular, as in popular culture.

AF: As a writer and writing teacher, I have to ask, what is your favorite word? (mine is plethora) ER: Without a doubt it’s the word “THE.”

AF: What about Abstract Expressionism?

Why did you decide to take a different route, so to speak?

ER: Abstract Expressionism is one of the most profound and important art movements of the 20th Century, but it had completed its’ course and said its thing. I had to reverse my thinking to keep my sanity.

AF: Do you ever feel confined by your use of “preconceived images?”

ER: I always worry about the possibility of feeling confined by anything, but so far I’m free of it. I always pre-think my work.

AF: How do you choose which words to use in your paintings -- is it linguistic or is it the visual appearance of the word?

ER: Sometimes they come out of the radio - sometimes they are from deep dreams.

AF: What direction would you say your work is currently taking? Could you tell me a bit about what you are working on -- either idea-wise or media-wise?

ER: I am currently at work on a very long (34 feet) very narrow (26 inches) painting of the word “SIN” which also means “without” in Spanish.

AF: Anything else you would like to add?

ER: When I get to Oklahoma City I want to jump in a car and see if I can find a dirt road anywhere in the state. I love dirt roads.

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Brooks Tower, OKC Nothing You Say Ceramic tile, marble, slate, glass

A MOSAIC LIFE:

BROOKS TOWER

by Lori Oden

“It will be the multi-colored house on the north side of the street and the front yard is a garden,” Brooks Tower wrote in his email to me. As I pulled up, the vibrant house, beautiful garden, large picture windows, big porch and the little wooden fish that was placed over the door bell really drew me in.

Brooks Tower has been in Oklahoma City since 1978 and in his current house since 1986. He was born in the east, but with a father in the Air Force, the family moved quite often. Brooks spent over 10 years in Lubbock, Texas and then moved to Oklahoma City during his high school years. He was a valedictorian at Putnam City Central, then after one year of college, Tower decided to hitchhike and explore the American landscape and life in other major cities to satisfy his restlessness and curiosity.

He made his way from California to Florida and then back to Oklahoma and according to Tower, it was a pieced-together, colorful trip (much like a mosaic). In the late 1970s when he was “slinging bags of dog food at

Purina,” he decided “this was not how I wanted to spend the rest of my life.” He finished six months at technical school in computer programming and was employed immediately; Tower worked in the computer field for 20 years, but he was miserable. “I kept going to a job I hated and then when I turned forty (and for the next five years) I had a series of major emotional impacts on my life. I would wake up every morning and think ‘there can’t possibly be anything else that could happen’ and it would. My job wasn’t helping. I didn’t have any children; I was healthy and had few responsibilities. So, I quit my job and started working seriously on my mosaic work.”

with walnut wood strips and glass bricks.

The tile on the floor takes the shape of a bear and the shower walls have a spider-like starfish with wavy tentacles from one end to the other and from top to bottom. The main feature of the bathroom is a giant figure that has a rock-shaped face, a large chest (Tower used an ice chest lid to show the bulge and covered it with the stucco) and a wooden arm that holds a towel. The result of the bathroom was so inspiring that Tower did his second bathroom. It features a large slate snake that slithers from the east wall to the center of the room and greets all who enter.

That bathroom is also dotted with wood, stone as well as abstract figures and faces.

Tower is a self-taught mosaic artist who has worked in this medium for more than six years. Tower’s first experience with tile was fulfilling a bet with a friend to do something creative in their bathrooms. Up for the challenge, an inexperienced Tower let spontaneity lead his hands. In the first bathroom, adobe textured walls are accented

In addition to his mosaic work that is placed throughout the house, Tower has collections and a menagerie. He has an assortment of found notes (pinned to the wall in his hallway) that includes love letters, death threats, hand-drawn maps, kids’ drawings and more. I met his 20 year-old African Grey, his two dogs, four Araucana chickens continued page 6

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continued from page 5 (they lay pastel green and blue eggs) and one of his three cats. Then we made our way to the studio.

Tower’s studio is simple, but he does not need much: a contractor’s wet saw, a table for working and shelves for the tile. He is happy. Tower pioneered the use of the wet saw in mosaic work; traditional mosaic artists work with nippers, hammer and a hardy. He uses the wet saw because it gives him the ability to make more precise pieces for his work than traditional mosaic artists.

“The real difference between my work and most other mosaicists (apart from subject matter) is the meaningfulness of the grout lines. In most mosaics, say if you’re building a face, you create and shade using dozens or hundreds of little pieces, and therefore a face will have a lot of lines in it that are not really meant to be noticed. Virtually all of my grout lines are lines that I meant to be there - lines that I have drawn with the saw.

The lines become as meaningful as the pieces themselves. The saw is in effect my pencil,” said Tower. Another distinctive aspect of his work is his incorporation of stone, glass, marble and other material into his mosaics; one of his new works has a shiny gold face from old porcelain plate he found at an antique shop. Tower’s work is extremely intricate and interesting and among the most beautiful mosaics I have ever seen.

The content of his mosaics are inspired by photographs and personal experiences.

Figures are very important and frequently present in his work. Studying the mosaics, I found my eyes playing tricks on me.

Sometimes the mosaics were very flat and

Clockwise from Top Right: Brooks Tower, OKC Faithless in Sallisaw Ceramic tile, brick, travertine, stone Brooks Towers’ bathroom with snake

Brooks Tower working in his studio

other times, the scene was very much alive and reaching out to me. The average time he spends on one mosaic can vary from five days to three months and he only works on one mosaic at a time.

Tower has networked with mosaic artists from around the world and is selling internationally, including Australia and London. He mainly enters competitions and juried shows, but has had several oneman shows locally. Tower’s next solo show is scheduled with the JRB Art at the Elms gallery next summer. Last November Tower was honored with the cover of Blood and Thunder: Musings on the Art of Medicine, which is a publication by the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine that features writers and artists whose art deals with some aspect of medicine. The cover was Tower’s mosaic table of his sister in the hospital; it consists of a bare room with family gathered around her hospital bed. The prominent feature of the mosaic is an abstract swirl that “represents all the bits and pieces of her life leaving her.” A brief silence followed his explanation… then Brooks said, “It isn’t a happy piece, but it really helped me.”

I think we could have talked all day, but deadlines were calling me back to the office.

If you have not had a chance to see Brooks Tower’s mosaics, you should make it to his next show at the LIT bar and gallery in Bricktown, opening in January or visit his website www.brooks-tower.com to see the colorful hanging mosaics, doors, tables and more that make up his work.

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Deus ex Machina

By Janice McCormick Michael McRuiz’s exhibit Deus ex Machina at Tulsa Community College’s Metro campus gallery in October 2005 transforms the traditional genre of portraiture and the traditional theme of life’s transitoriness by seamlessly fusing black and white photographs through the use of up-to-date computer technology and software.

The Canadian is a black and white photograph manipulated on a computer in order to add machinery parts to the close-up of an older man’s face. The judicious choice of the various metal parts in relation to the face and their placement create a compelling image. Some parts meld into the surface of the skin, for example, the head of a nail becomes a mole. Other parts appear beneath the surface like a cutaway revealing an internal mechanism. The springs and wheels on the left side of his forehead suggest the workings of his mind/brain. But, most of the cogs, wheels, spindles and gears cover the skin forming a partial mask that paradoxically discloses rather than hides. By carefully choosing metal shapes that are similar to facial features, McRuiz heightens the man’s expression. Especially telling is an obliquely placed “L” shaped machinery fragment that reads as a raised eyebrow. This quizzical eyebrow coupled with his parted lips and sidelong glance all combine to express an apprehensive wariness. Overall, the tension between the soft-focused, natural shapes of the flesh and the hard-edged, manmade machine parts creates a profound sense of unease.

Milagros (Spanish for miracles) takes its name from small votive offerings used to seek the intercession of saints for protection or healing. The initial image is a found photograph that McRuiz has appropriated, an antique studio portrait of two beautiful young girls dressed in white frocks, dark tights and black shoes.

Their hair is done up in curls and bows. The slightly older girl sits on an ice cream parlor chair, her right arm causally rests on the chair-arm and her left leg crosses over her right leg. The younger girl stands erect with her left hand firmly planted on her hip. McRuiz transforms this image of self-assured youth and beauty into a memento mori (a reminder of the transitoriness of life) by adding the startlingly dark image of a crow caught in mid-flight. Its stark blackness against the whiteness of their dresses and its vertical wingspan separate the girls (from each other and from the viewer) to symbolize death. Three background elements serve as variations on the theme of transitoriness. The image of the Buddha over the shoulder of the older girl symbolizes the inevitability of change; the milagros (in the shape of arms set between the heads of the two girls) recalls Mexican Day of the Dead displays; and, the internal cogs, levers and springs of a clock-like mechanism suggest the passing of time. Given the plethora of symbols of transience, the Buddha image struck me as somewhat unnecessary, rather incongruous and, besides, threw the composition slightly off-balance. Aside from that minor flaw, the image as a whole is a haunting one.

As these two works indicate, Michael McRuiz’s masterful foray into computer manipulation of photographs results in powerful, expressive works of art.

Michael McRuiz, Tulsa Milagros, Photograph

Michael McRuiz, Tulsa Tracy, Photograph

WOMEN WHO EAT LEAVES

The clever title of the exhibit by four artists, Women Who Eat Leaves, suggests many things, but it is simply that all the women are vegetarians. The show is not, however, loud propaganda about not eating animals, although there are a few quiet references to that issue, it is more than that.

Abi Chodosh’s long silk panels seem simple: the surfaces swirl deep, warm colors accented with lighter shades of design and they flow beautifully in the space. Her manipulation of natural dyes is expert and recalls some works of abstract expressionists Mark Rothko, Clifford Styll and Barnett Newman. Abi’s designs come from “patterns based on meandering paths of rivers or the organic growth patterns of tree limbs” and reflect her personal concept of flow and fragility. Her most effective pieces are the long narrow silks, such as Delicate Balance and Acceptance that have a more definite design and focal point. They are as simply expressive and as intriguing as Japanese woodcuts or watercolors, appropriately done on silk. Three pieces— Floating Discs, Encapsulation, and Opening—have a splash of color centered as a design and they work very well.

Connie Seabourn works in several mediums and chose to exhibit watercolors, acrylics, and mixed media. The works are very diverse, but certainly show her skills and a reflection of where she is “in time and space.” Her watercolors We Will Fly Away and Journey to See the Faces of My Children are more traditional, spiritual and soulful Native American images, while her large mixed media piece Our Lady is an ominous, bold, look at an icon. Vague images floating on the surface slowly become obvious and reveal contemporary images that contrast strongly with the traditional Mary. Seabourn’s acrylics and mixed media works put many Native American myths and traditions in a different light and would be a very strong solo exhibit.

Asia’s biography reads that she began her career as a self-taught wildlife illustrator, but in l993 she became intrigued with the idea of creating more abstract and expressionistic animal forms in wire. She succeeds with this inventive form, which she executes both in 2 and 3-dimensional forms. They are simple, yet strong, line drawings executed with wire.

“Bison” is a common image in Oklahoma, but this one is painted wire and really works. Cow

with Sunset made me laugh out loud. Her other pieces such as Family and Doves Carrying Peace reflect the idea of community, family and the politics of life.

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by Sue Moss Sullivan

Spend time with Elia Wood’s highly personal photo transfers on silk and quilts and you will begin to have some insight into her life: her beautiful gardens, her concern with social injustices, her championing of the fiber arts.

In someone else’s hands, these images might be ordinary, banal, but not these. The image of slices of okra floating on hand-dyed cotton the color of Oklahoma red dirt in Ode to Okra #3 is realistic and surreal at the same time. It is what a dream of a beautiful garden would be. Holding Infinity is a sepia photo of hands holding green beans, transferred to two layers of silk, the full image floating in front of the detail. The viewer “sees through the silk” and suddenly, it is an offering, a gift, one we are fortunate to receive.

This exhibit displayed innovative work, often employing seldom-used techniques to convey contemporary messages. Remember these artists’ names and search for their work in future shows.

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Unforgettable Adventure to Marfa, Texas Two Oklahomans Traveled South for Chinati Foundation Open House

by Sarah Williams On October 6, 2005 Laura Warriner, Executive Director of Untitled [ArtSpace], and I embarked on an adventure we would not forget. We loaded everything into her car and headed off to Marfa, Texas for the Annual Chinati Foundation Open House.

Although she was a seasoned veteran of Marfa, I was a virgin visitor, but neither one of us had ever attended the Open House.

We were in for quite a trip.

Like many former art students, I had dreamed of going on a pilgrimage to Marfa since my college days. Not only is it the home of the mysterious Marfa Lights, but it is also the place minimalist Donald Judd called home and built his largest body of work. With a population of 2,121 it is a strange little town rich in cultural history, savvy in artistic excellence and sophisticated in the art of luring outsiders. In fact, this year an estimated 2,000 people from all over the world came for the Chinati Open House doubling the town’s size for three days out of the year. Although Marfa has a stark and abrasive appearance, it is also beautifully rugged and reminiscent of the old west.

As we headed south on 1-35 with maps in hand, I couldn’t help but wonder how our adventure would unfold. I glanced at the map to see how far we had to travel and contemplated what the Marfa Lights might really be. Surely there is a scientific explanation for such a thing, but I had plenty of time to mull that over in my head13 hours to be exact.

As we neared our west Texas destination, the topography drastically changed. Century plants and shrubby mesquite trees replaced the silhouettes of oil derricks and empty grain silos we had passed miles before.

The landscape, resembling that of the moon, consisted of large boulder-like rocks haphazardly strewn about the expanses of graduated hills. We passed lonely little mountains appearing to be out of place among their surroundings, each containing archives of geological history.

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After sundown, we made it to the town of Alpine, Texas where we were staying for the weekend. I hear Sandy Wood’s radio voice from StarDate fill the car. She described Zodiacal light as tiny dust grains that swarm through the solar system forming a cloud that’s on display in the pre-dawn sky at this time of year. Her broadcast was from the Macdonald Observatory, only 36 miles away. I wondered why the observatory was out here. Was it because of the desolate nature of the area and the ability to clearly see the night sky? Did it have anything to do with the Marfa Lights? Out of all the desolate places in the America why did Donald Judd pick Marfa as his home? Will it really become the “next Santa Fe-like community” that many art periodicals have claimed?

My guess is no. It won’t be “the next Santa Fe,” because Marfa has its own charm. It exemplifies the saying “If you build it they will come.” We encountered art tourists from as far as Germany and Japan, and as close as Austin and Houston.

If you are unfamiliar with Marfa or the importance of the Chinati, let me give you a little background. The Chinati Foundation is a contemporary art museum that was founded by Donald Judd in 1987. It was created as an alternative to the traditional, anthology-style contemporary art museum.

Here, Donald Judd created large-scale sitespecific installations that blend into the landscape and compliment the existing architecture of old army barracks. The 340-acre former military base is also home to six Dan Flavin installations, twodozen sculptures by John Chamberlain, installations by Roni Horn and Ilya Kabakov, poems by Carl Andre, paintings

by John Wesley, and outdoor sculptures created by Claus Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Because of Donald Judd, Marfa has become an art destination chock full of beautiful art, contemporary galleries and creative people, although, Donald Judd might turn in his grave to know what has become of his creation.

Upon arriving at the Chinati Foundation, Laura and I made our way to the arena for the annual members’ dinner. As we entered the large space lined with vertical rows of tables, my attention was drawn upward to the plastic pop bottles filled with bright orange liquid suspended from the rafters above. Each bottle noosed with white string, hung slightly askew. They appeared animated in the vaulted space of the arena as they dangled and moved overhead. We were early. Still marveling at Tony Feher’s sculptural mobile-like additions, I felt awkwardness among the few guests as we all tried to decide where to sit. There were twenty tables and only a few occupied.

Laura and I decided to sit somewhere in the middle at an empty table with no other guests. Shortly after being seated, we were joined by a loud man whose name I can’t remember, a middle-aged gay couple from Manhattan and a cantankerous older man wearing a fedora, leaning on a cane with an entourage of women apathetically at his side. I couldn’t help but notice that his socks did not match. He sat directly across from me and tipped his hat as he sat down. This could be interesting I thought to myself. As the people meandered in, the tables quickly filled. The executive director of the Chinati Foundation sat across the table from Laura and next to the old guy who appeared less than thrilled to be there.

Then it hit me, the cranky guy in the mismatched socks was John Chamberlain.

At that moment, I had so many things I wanted to say to him. I had spent 4 years in school devouring art history books that touted his greatness and memorized slides of the sculpture Deloris James for tests and essays. He had always exemplified such a direct way of creating his work and speaking about it, not assigning mystery where there was none or creating an impression of an aloof artist too deep to be understood.

Only hours before, I saw his exhibit of delicate foam sculptures from the 1960s and 70s in contrast to the large-scale smashed car sculptures in the gymnasium across town. John Chamberlain, a part of living

rev iew history sat across the table from me at this dinner, and all I could say was “hello Mr. Chamberlain.”

As dinner progressed, Mr. Chamberlain was continuously bombarded by people expressing their gratitude and appreciation for his artistic career. Near the end of dinner, the executive director stood up to acknowledge the donors and thank the artists. Mr. Chamberlain grabbed her arm, looked her in the eyes and said, “Make it short Marianne, I mean it.” As she said her thanks and paid her respects, I folded a small origami box out of my vellum menu. If I couldn’t speak to Mr. Chamberlain, I would at least give him something. When dinner was over I approached Mr. Chamberlain, shook his hand and commended the work he had done to change art history. Then I offered him my gift, a small token of my appreciation. He thanked me and gently tucked it away in his coat pocket. We then made our exit and headed back to Alpine for the night.

The following day, we toured the remaining 340-acres of The Chinati Foundation. I was finally able to see the Judd sculptures that I had read so much about. I will admit, that photographs and words do not adequately convey the overwhelming experience of such an installation but never the less; here is my attempt to do so.

Inside two brick buildings that were former army barracks, Judd installed 100 aluminum boxes over the course of a four-year time period. He deliberately positioned each box in a manner that maximized the reflection and absorption of light within the space. The uniformity and repetition of the installation is echoed in the divided squares that make up the concrete floors, the windowpanes and the ceiling joists. 100 aluminum boxes spoke more to me than a 100,000 words. I truly felt love for them. They are such beautiful massive forms, simple in design. They appear permanent in their space yet susceptible to the most subtle changes in light and color. They are chameleon in appearance. At times they are translucent and reflective in the sunlight, yet heavy and dark with infinite blackness rich from inside. I had a hard time processing the concept that something so simple and beautiful could possess such complex intricacy.

Several hours later, Laura and I loaded back in the car and headed back to Alpine for our last night. It was dusk.

We sat in silence. Not the uncomfortable kind, but the kind you experience with someone when you are close. It was as if we both had a new understanding for a visual language that couldn’t be communicated verbally. Marfa disappeared into the distance, but my feelings about the experience were just beginning to unfold.

(top) Donald Judd 100 Untitled Works Mill Aluminum, 1982-1986. Part of the permanent collection at the Chinati Foundation, Marfa, Texas. (bottom) Dan Flavin Untitled, 1996.

Part of the permanent collection at the Chinati Foundation, Marfa, Texas.

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Plot Yourself in Stillwater this February for a Unique Exhibit

by Sheri Ishmael-Waldrop Gardiner Art Gallery in Stillwater will host contemporary visual artist Kim Beck in February 2006. Beck’s unique use of artistic creativity will provide viewers with a new perspective of the urban world and its evolving landscape.

Beck is an assistant art professor at Carnegie Mellon University and has been named Pittsburgh’s 2006 Emerging Artist of the Year. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and her Masters of Fine Arts degree from Rhode Island School of Design in 1999.

Drawing on images of architecture and landscape, Beck said, she makes installations that survey peripheral and suburban spaces. Working with a range of materials, she develops work that is commonly overlooked or edited out of our field of vision, bringing the banal and everyday into focus. “The Plot exhibition at Oklahoma State University will include recent oil paintings and drawings on these themes,” she said.

Beck said she enjoys working with a variety of materials and producing a range of exhibition sizes, including installations. She recognizes the value of both large and small galleries who allow her the opportunity to be creative and supports the artist in trying something new.

Dr. Mark White, OSU Assistant Professor, said Beck’s work is of interest to the gallery because she deals with the built environment and especially the application of industrial processes to architecture and advertising. “Given the influence manufactured, standardized architecture has had on Western towns such as Stillwater (just think about strip malls and ranch houses) Beck was an interesting choice for us,” he said. “Kim examines the ways in which mechanization has changed our daily lives and our environment; while most Americans assume this has resulted only in benefits, there have been drawbacks,” he said. “Standardized architecture, for instance, often produces ambivalence in

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local populations. It’s hard to get excited about a strip mall, and so we tend to detach ourselves mentally from our surroundings.”

Her thought provoking exhibitions and installations have been featured in galleries and museums within the United States and abroad.

Beck has held residencies at the Sidney College of Fine Arts and the Northern Territory Museum of Darwin in Australia; the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France; and New York’s International Studio and Curatorial Program.

The Lot opened in August of 2005 at the Art Gallery of Durand Art Institute in Lake Forest, Ill. It was a room sized installation created to emulate an urban lot utilizing wall drawings

by Beck, combined with brightly colored vinyl signs she designed and commissioned from a commercial sign maker.

In September, Beck participated in Skyline, a group exhibit at the Sherman Gallery of Boston University. The exhibit explored the vulnerability and fluctuation of urban areas. Beck chose to explore the American city through drawings, sculpture and video.

The Gardiner Art Gallery is located on the lower level the Bartlett Center on the campus Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Plot will open February 1, with a reception and artist lecture on February 12, from 2 to 4 pm.

The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm and Sunday from 1 to 5 pm.

Kim Beck, Cut Storage Drawing on paper (detail)

Momentum Oklahoma City

A Cold January Night Won’t Stop this Momentum Exhibition

by Lori Oden

With fire eaters, an interactive art room, the sounds of local bands, and experimental art by young artists, Momentum: Art Doesn’t Stand Still 2006 will be the buzz this January.

Momentum is scheduled to open 8pm on Saturday, January 14, 2006 at 111 North Harrison in the Triangle District, Downtown Oklahoma City.

With music by The Hex, Ghosts of Monkhood, The Invisible Snakes and Basement Dynasty, short films, performance, traditional and notso-traditional 2-D and 3-D art, the scene will undoubtedly be filled with energy. A Momentum sticker will be part of the crowd roar.

Curated by Steve Liggett, Artistic Director for Living Arts in Tulsa and Dr. Susan Caldwell, University of Oklahoma Art History Professor, this exhibition is an opportunity for young artists to have their work in the spotlight.

One of the major sponsors is the location by UrbanWorks, OKC Town Center LLC, Triangle Development Partners LLC and BuildBlock.

Other major sponsors include Carlisle Food Service Products, Toothbrusher’s Dental, Cathryn Koss, Chad Mount (design), Chesapeake Boathouse Foundation, Deep Fork Grill, Elliot + Associates Architects, Lila and George Todd, Michael E. Hoffner, The Bedner Law Firm, and Blue 7.

The artwork from Momentum will remain on display and open to the public January 15-19 from 5-8 pm. Tickets are on sale in advance for $7 online at www.ovac-ok.org, by phone 405.232.6991 or at Electro Lounge, Velvet Monkey 1, Velvet Monkey Too or GuestRoom Records or $10 at the door. See images and visit www.ovac-ok.org; see images and talk to artists at www.myspace.com/ momentumokc.

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Douglas Gordon 24 Hour Psycho, 1993

CUT: Film As Found Object in Contemporary Video Philbrook Museum, January 22 – March 26, 2006

by Rhonda Davis Coming soon to a museum near you is perhaps one of the most compelling exhibits to visit Oklahoma in a long time: CUT: Film as Found Object in Contemporary Video. While the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa is best known for its more traditional art exhibits, the museum likes to surprise us now and then by embracing more contemporary art forms. The CUT exhibit pulls together contemporary artists addressing one of the most challenging notions in film art today: why do we hold sacred the sequential time frame of narration? More precisely, is what we think of as “real time” how we truly experience reality?

The Cubists questioned our notion of one viewpoint representing our experience of the real world, and instead provided us with an image of objects seen simultaneously from multiple views. The claim was that this more multi-layered, collaged view was closer to how we experience the visual world. Dadaists questioned the status of art materials: what about the found object, could this not be considered art too? The last two decades have witnessed the act of appropriation, or the use of pre-existing imagery, opening up not just new ways of seaming together imagery, but a battleground over associated legal rights.

The exhibit CUT exposes the uses of pre-existing film footage as found objects to create new works. Such recycling of imagery interrupts, distorts and transforms the original narrative time frame, in addition to bringing to the surface the legal ramifications of borrowing or stealing images. Like all art media, film has evolved because of continual redefining and reinventing of its expressive potential. In a race to see what legally can and cannot be done, artists appear to be staying one step ahead of the law, and the process of defining what’s ours to take and use or not, may require public exposure of the issues.

In an enlightening essay entitled, The Failures of Fair Use and the Future of Free Culture, published in the CUT catalogue, Lawrence

Lessig writes, “… just at the time that technically (as in “with technology”) it has become unimaginably simple to mix and remix culture, it has also become extraordinarily difficult to remix this culture legally.” He then asks, “Why should the law demand permission first when technology could enable an extraordinary range of people to be creators?”

The Philbrook exhibition includes thirteen video installations, all of which will be on view during the run of the show. Featured artists include Candice Breitz, Omer Fast, Douglas Gordon, Michael Joaquin Grey, Pierre Huyghe, Christian Marclay, Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, and Paul Pfeiffer. An example of one methodology is Douglas Gordon’s 24 hour “Psycho,” which stretches the duration of the classic Hitchcock movie, reshaping its underlying suspense.

While all of these artists may start with conventional narrative footage, they employ a wide range of techniques that collectively showcase an emerging form of contemporary art.

Is this exhibit in any way a preview of what we might expect from Philbrook in the future? According to the museum’s Executive Director Brian Ferriso, “The CUT exhibition at Philbrook is in fulfillment of the museum’s strategic plan to expand its role in the presentation of contemporary art. Today, artists use a wide range of materials and concepts to create, including film and video, among other things. Therefore, over the next several years, Philbrook will be presenting works of contemporary art that are videos, paintings, sculptures, drawings, and photographs.”

The CUT exhibit is organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum with the assistance of the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami.

Curator of the exhibition is Stefano Basilico, adjunct curator of Contemporary Art for the Milwaukee Art Museum. A catalogue featuring three insightful essays and information about each featured artist accompanies the exhibit. Philbrook is also offering a variety of related programs and workshops for students and the public.

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Nicole Moan, OKC, Starburst, Ceramic Tile

Outrageous Art Empire:

The Riddles and the Moans

by Stephen Kovash

You can barely swing a cat in central Oklahoma without hitting the work of Nicole Moan. Resembling something out of the Barbarella movie, Nicole’s signature corsets seem to be turning up everywhere.

Most of the venues for viewing her work have been in “alternative” settings such as IAO’s Biting the Apple party, various “fetish” balls, and rave-like events at the Rampage Studio (formerly the site of Against the Grain). If you are intimidated by the body ink, piercing, fetish ethic of Nicole’s work, take heart. Nicole’s work extends far beyond the corsets and has considerable depth and breadth. She is also part of what amounts to an outrageous artistic dynasty that includes her husband Jason Aksel Moan and her parents Albert Riddle and Deborah E. Riddle who all share space in Rampage.

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If there is a softer side to this group, it is Nicole’s mother, Deborah Riddle.

Deborah is formally trained in commercial advertising design and illustration. She works primarily with oil on canvas, occasionally moving into acrylic, charcoal and ink. Described in her press material as figurative, her work brings to mind something between Henri Rousseau and LeRoy Neiman. She makes use of bold yet realistic color and her brush strokes evoke a lot of movement, even in her portraiture. Her subject matter primarily centers on portraits, pastoral scenes, horse races and fox hunts. While her work is fairly conventional, three of the acrylic on

canvas works I viewed make a side trip over to the edgy side. Green Eyes, Sea Nymph and Medusa portray what may be the same golden dressed woman, one dressed for an 80s new wave concert, one under water surrounded by sea creatures and one with eerie snakes, golden wings and talons.

Albert Riddle also comes from a background of commercial advertising and illustration, but there is no similarity between his and Deborah’s work. Albert’s work shows a strong cubist influence, particularly Picasso, with a little Salvador Dali surrealism thrown in. His media consist of acrylic or oil on canvas, plaster, metal, clay, glass and bondo on fiberboard.

His use of color expresses a lot of emotion, with oranges and reds predominating.

Music, musical instruments, theatrical settings and the human form make up the bulk of his subject matter. A good example of his work is Green Pick, a mix of oil, latex and acrylic on canvas that shows two people (one of whom I believe is wearing one of Nicole’s corsets) entwined with and playing a guitar. His pieces are charged with a lot of dynamic energy and sexuality. According to Nicole, growing up around Albert and his work was a major influence on her art today.

Moving a little further to the left we have Jason and Nicole. I met with them recently and I think I may have been lucky to get out alive. Jason has the energy of a young Anthony Kiedis of the

Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nicole comes across as a mixture of P.J. Harvey and the Tasmanian Devil. According to the press material, high and low fire clays are Jason and Nicole’s most frequently used media.

While Nicole has had some college courses in ceramics, she and Jason are generally self-taught artists. Jason’s work consists of 3-D mixed media wall sculptures and light installations as well as some freestanding stoneware sculptures. With the exception of collaborative work done with Nicole, Jason primarily expresses himself in a nonrepresentational way through the use of form and color. His Free Radical wall piece is edgy, colorful and includes stoneware, electric lights, tulle, syringes, marbles and other found objects. Another wall piece, Anti-You, is a collaboration between Jason and Nicole and features one of Nicole’s corsets surrounded by heart shaped barbed wire, mosaic tile and found objects with the color red predominating.

Nicole’s corsets tend toward the outrageous, with sharp edges, intricate designs, bright colors and challenging themes. The pieces are designed to either be worn, or displayed on stands or in handcrafted boxes. While most of her corsets are primarily popular with the fetish crowd, many have a sedate beauty that would work in many settings, including being worn to a formal event.

The Giraffe corset is a lovely pastel shade of green with imprints of leaves, giving a distinct oriental feel. Slightly more challenging as apparel but deserving of a

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place in any art collection is Pieces of Mary, a corset that depicts a Madonna figure on a background of orange and yellow. Nicole also uses her skill with ceramics to create hand crafted tiles which she uses to create fantastic murals depicting underwater scenes, suns and stars and even some of her father’s cubist work. A local salon owner recently had her porch done with Nicole’s tiles, emulating a jigsaw puzzle with whimsical shapes on a stunning cobalt blue background. Moan’s ceramic work also extends to light switch plates, vessels (like jewelry boxes), masks, clocks and miniature furniture.

If you are interested in viewing this work up close, the entire family will be showing at the Art House Gallery in Oklahoma City January 6 through February 10, 2006 with an opening artist’s reception from 6 pm to 9 pm on January 6. The Art House Salon is located at 8014 N. Western, Suite D, (405) 831-2874. The Rampage Studio website is at www.4anythingart.com.

Clockwise from Top Right: Nicole Moan, OKC Pieces of Mary Corset on Model Deborah Riddle, OKC The Wedding Party Oil on canvas Deborah Riddle, OKC Medusa, oil on canvas Albert Riddle, OKC Green Pick Acrylic, oil and latex on canvas

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ON THE

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Downtown, Cordell

Cordell: Cultural Core

by Julia Kirt Set in a fabulous square around the Washita County courthouse, downtown Cordell architecture teems with original facades and incredible details. The entire downtown is a National Historic District. Only one original building on the square has been lost, leaving many buildings with unique stories and looks. The high ceilings and large windows of the buildings would make many artists drool. In addition, the appetizing property values could support many creative endeavors.

The town had the foresight to carefully renovate the Washita Theatre, hiring Oklahoma City-based firm Elliott + Associates for the job. The project won several AIA awards and has since been a great success for attendance and community events. Cordell’s status as a Great American Main Street award winner grounds the future goals for cultural development.

Nibbling on homemade soup and fresh baked cookies over a recent lunch, I quickly learned why Cordell, Oklahoma has such a growing reputation in cultural circles. The cultural brain trust of Cordell sat around the table. Unassuming, but dynamic, the trio joked and spoke with passion about the opportunities for Cordell.

The planners are: Alex Damon, a photographer, who also serves as mayor as well as president of Cordell’s Main Street 16

projects and a recent transplant from Hawaii and other tropical lands; Paula Giblet, pianist, Program Manager of Cordell Main Street, piano and guitar teacher; and Phil Kliewer, investment representative, art enthusiast, tasteful developer, and eight-year mayor before Damon.

No doubt these three would not want me to focus the article on them, but the amount of focus they are applying to developing the cultural life of their area deserves mention.

All artists or professionals in another realm, they work on volunteer boards, as staff, and as elected officials to better the community Cordell with the arts as a core value. They have seen the strength that their aesthetically outstanding downtown has built.

They are not only working with regional initiatives such as the Oklahoma Main Street program, but also looking to new national models. In February, this group will bring Artspace, a national nonprofit real estate developer, to study the infrastructure for artists in Cordell. They hope to generate a plan for attracting and retaining artists in their community as a part of their bigger cultural overhaul of the city. Based in Minnesota, Artspace has worked nationwide to redevelop buildings for artist live/work spaces. The Cordell Main Street Program wants to use their guidance to develop the entire historic area as artist-centered.

I visited Cordell to discuss what could attract and sustain artists beyond the picturesque buildings and enthusiastic residents. The leaders have been exceptionally astute to garner federal grants to assist with renovation. They hope to use those skills to help artists who want to own a building. Furthermore, they plan to create partnerships for the long-term sustainability of the artists, especially with Southwestern Oklahoma University, the Oklahoma Arts Council, the Oklahoma Department of Tourism, and OVAC. Artists will no doubt benefit from this innovative networking.

If you have ideas about those elements most necessary for artists’ career sustenance, please email me your ideas—director@ ovac-ok.org. For more information about Cordell, see www.cordellmainstreet.org or about Artspace, see www.artspaceusa.org. I cannot wait to see what Artspace examines in our state, what they recommend and how Cordell will implement these projects.

Meanwhile, Cordell is already well worth the visit! Between a gorgeous bed and breakfast, striking courthouse, charming shops, and Damon’s attractive gallery and photography studio, you will have plenty to explore.

Since 1989, I have served on the Board of the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition. In the past five years, one particular role I have played is that of choosing jurors and facilitating the jurying process. Each year, as chairperson, I create a new Selections Committee that reviews proposals for shows for the upcoming year. Periodically, TAC also offers one-time only, group shows either showcasing members or focusing on a special theme. Recent examples of theme exhibits include You Can’t Show That in Tulsa! and The Prufrock Challenge (centering on T.S. Eliot’s poem The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock). In these instances, the jurors judge actual works of art in the gallery. Based on this extensive experience, I wish to share my insights and to make a few recommendations.

Before any juror is chosen, there are questions that your organization should address: • What are the objectives of the exhibit(s) and/or artwork to be selected?

• How does it fit into the organization’s mission?

• What requirements (in terms of media, content and style) must the artists meet as spelled out in your call for entries?

• If it is a recurring exhibit, what have past successful exhibits been like?

• If it is a theme exhibit, what exactly is the theme and how much freedom does the artist have in regards to interpreting the theme?

Answers to all these questions will provide the jurors the necessary framework from which to make judgments.

You need to prepare the jurors so that they can fulfill their role well, while not dictating to them. This last point is vital. The jurors must be informed, independent and objective in making their choices and they must be seen as such. Obviously, this is true from the perspective of the artists submitting their work for judgment.

Nobody likes to be judged; but to be judged by either uninformed or submissive jurors is anathema. Thus, in order to be fair to the artists, it is important that jurors understand and apply the requirements as communicated to the artists, rather than imposing additional requirements that the artists had no reason to believe they had to satisfy. This need of the jurors to be seen as objective and independent holds true for the sponsoring organization as well.

Not-for-profit organizations, like the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition, cannot afford to be seen as an insular, self-serving clique whose jurying process is merely a rubber-stamp.

Who to pick? The jurors should be drawn from the art community, such as artists, art teachers, museum curators, gallery owners, art historians and art patrons. Besides being familiar with your organization’s mission and past exhibits, they should also have an understanding of the social and cultural milieu within which the artists live and work. This requirement is rather easy for me to meet since the pool of potential jurors is confined to Tulsa, but it can be tricky for statewide and regional exhibits. Yet, it needs to be done.

After all, it really does not make sense to choose a juror from New York City or Los Angeles who does not understand the sensibilities and concerns of the mid-western artists.

Of these different groups within the artistic community, I especially appreciate having art teachers serving on the panel of jurors. They have experience in making judgments about the quality of work and can articulate why they find a particular piece to meet the criteria for the exhibit. This proves crucial in those situations where initially there is lack of agreement among the jurors. I have seen one juror convince the others to reconsider a work that they initially had been lukewarm towards. Also, experienced art teachers recognize the potential in the artwork. This is important for TAC since part of its mission is to encourage emerging artists, whose work may lack professional polish yet does reflect a unique artistic vision.

bus i ness of ar t

The Art of Picking Art Jurors

by Janice McCormick

How many jurors? Ideally, you should have three jurors who come together to view, discuss and decide upon the art. Although it may be more time consuming to schedule such a meeting of minds, it is crucial. Problems can arise when relying on a single juror alone. She may lack knowledge of certain artistic techniques in a given medium, and there is always the issue of personal preference. After all, not all art speaks to all people. By picking several jurors who are familiar with diverse artistic media and have different perspectives, you can partly mitigate against these limitations. Why three? Mostly it is a practical matter: an odd number of jurors forestalls tie decisions and more than three jurors may get in the way of a focused discussion.

In conclusion, the ultimate goal in picking jurors is to ensure quality art that will draw people into your gallery, while being fair and above board to the artists who submit. It is a challenging task, but a necessary one. The outcome is never predictable. Every time, I have been surprised by at least one of the jurors’ choices, and that is a sure sign I have succeeded in choosing an independent panel of jurors.

Alexandre Hogue Gallery @ The University of Tulsa UNIVERSITY OF TULSA SPEAKERS @ THE

USE OF THE PHOTOGRAPH Mayo Visiting Artist:

(918) 631 -2739

JAN. 12-27 ROBERT BERLIND Photo installations by TU studernts

Curated by Glenn H. Davis

an exhibit of enhanced material potentials Exhibition Alexandreoptical Hogue and Gallery NOV.3-DEC.2

Public Lecture

opening reception

NOV. 3

JAN. 12, 5pm - 7pm

Room 211: 4pm-5pm Curated by Glenn H. Davis

Reception 5pm-7pm Phillips Hall Opening J. Donald Feagin Guest Artist

Feagin Visiting Artist: LINDAJ. Donald FOSTER LEONHARD

COCO FUSCO

Installation Artist, Unsettled

FEB. 2 - 24 Chapman Hall, 7pm opening reception FEB. 2, 5pm - 7pm

DEC. 1

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bus i ness of ar t

Disaster Preparations and Other Dirty Secrets

by Sue Clancy

Introduction by Lori Oden: Hurricanes, floods, fires, tornadoes, and earthquakes have been so prominent in the news the past few months that a Business of Art article in Art Focus Oklahoma about disaster preparedness for artists seemed way overdue.

After working in a museum for over seven years and with a darkroom full of negatives at home, worrying about disaster has been a looming reality in my life for quite some time.

I called on my friend Sue Clancy to help with this project and she came up with some great ideas that you will read below. The most important point that Sue brings up is thinking about what, if you had the chance, would you save first (besides yourself and family first, of course). For me, I could rebuild everything else if I had my negatives; therefore, I keep my negatives in the same place and not scattered around the house. If I were at home during the disaster, I could grab them in a second.

However, I am not at home all the time, so I keep some of my absolute favorite negatives in a fire safe, along with important documents.

This type of preparation, whether it would really save the work or not, gives me some sense of peace that I have taken steps to save them in case of disaster.

Take some time today to think about your plan!

Sue Clancy: I recently had a series of wake up calls regarding my disaster preparation plans. I had been corresponding with a gallery in New Orleans and sent them a portfolio, which they received about a week before Katrina. Now that portfolio is in the muck and mire somewhere in New Orleans. This is an excellent example of why I only send out COPIES of my portfolio and NOT the original. Note to self (and you): this is a good disaster prep plan…only send out what I (you) can afford to lose. It is also a good idea to keep copies in several places, maybe even a safe deposit box.

Shortly after that, I had some clients come up for a visit from the Houston Texas area.

While they were here they purchased a

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painting of mine and later told me how nice it looked in their house. Less than a week later hurricane Rita was barreling up the coast and heading for Houston. I worried about my friends’ physical safety, but I also began to think about what might happen to the 14 artworks of mine that they own as well as their extensive art collection in general. I began to form a plan: if something should happen to my friends’ house, I would at least (besides offering them a place to stay) provide them with a list of the artworks of mine that they own and their value so that they could turn that list over to their insurance agent.

Fortunately nothing bad happened and my disaster plan wasn’t needed. These are a few examples of the risks artists take when they sell their work, but we can’t allow what might happen to freeze us and prevent us from putting our artwork out into the world. What we can do is be pro-active. We can develop plans of action, we can do our research about a gallery’s reputation (so as to minimize the risk that the gallery is a fly-by-night operation), we can be certain to frame our artworks well so that they have the best chance of surviving shipping or the festival atmosphere and take other preventative measures. Having a plan isn’t morbid, it is a way of positively managing the risks we have to take as working artists and be a vital part of planning for success.

I mentioned some of the recent real-life examples that caused me to examine my disaster plan, and the following are some of my subsequent thoughts: 1. Decide what you would most like to save of your artistic life and be prepared (and able) to grab it and go. (This may be in addition to personal papers like birth certificates, wills, social security cards and other important papers and documents.)

I have three notebook binders that I would grab and save if possible. The notebooks contain my mailing list, my current artwork inventory notebook and my sold-artwork notebook. If I could only grab one of these

I’d pick my mailing list. My second choice would be my sold-artwork notebook. I could, hopefully, get my current inventory from the galleries that carry my artwork.

2. Make a contact list: this is a list of all the galleries, organizations, clients and publishers that I work with regularly and all of their contact information. I keep this information written on a card and I carry in my wallet.

I also make a second copy and keep it somewhere else, in case of an emergency.

You should store your artwork carefully. Bugs, mice, mold and mildew are major enemies of artists.

3. Have an inventory of your art supplies and have an idea of the bare minimum you would need to get started again. If you, like me, are keeping receipts of all of your art supply purchases for income tax purposes (and you’re keeping the tax info in a safe place) you might be able to use this to form an inventory for insurance purposes if needed. A written list and a photograph of some of your most essential supplies is a good idea, for example, my papermaking equipment is essential to my fine artwork but if I didn’t have that I could start with some fine point black pens, some paper, envelopes and postage, and be back to cartooning in nothing flat. I would use the cartooning to make the money I’d need in order to eat and begin to slowly replace the other art supplies. This gives me an idea of what I’d need to replace first, second, third and so forth in order to get back to business the quickest.

4. Be aware of who might be able to help you in an emergency. There are organizations that are set up to help artists with emergencies. Often a local non-profit can help artists locate organizations such as CERF - Craft Emergency Relief Fund, http:// craftemergency.org.

After hurricane Katrina several non-profit organizations either formed funds to help the affected artists or passed along information about such funds. However, many of the organizations that help fund artists with emergencies will require slides of your work, a vitae or other documentation of your artwork and career for the application process. If your entire studio is burned, or wiped out by a tornado, this might be a difficult hurdle; therefore, this is another example of why keeping several copies of portfolios or slides or image CDs is a good idea.

Slide Registries are also good to participate in when times are good because if you need to replace your slides and vitae it would be possible to contact the slide registry and utilize what you’d given the registry to recreate the needed materials. (Keep a list of the slide registries in which you participate with your gallery contact information).

5. You need to evaluate your storage solutions. If your computer is your main storage vault for your mailing list, vitae, art inventory and other major art documents, be sure to back up this information to a CD or a zip disc and use firewalls and anti-virus protection. Even with such devices in place, computers can die horrible deaths and CDs can get broken or lost, so a printed hard copy of any essential information is still a good back-up to have as well. It’s also a good idea to make two copies of your ‘back up CD’ and mail one copy to your good friend who lives in Montana (or wherever) along with hardcopies. I have a good friend who I have adopted as “Mom” to whom I send regular updates for that I call The Mom File. A few other friends have Sue Files that contain information about me and my career. This is my back-up system that would help me re-create any documentation I need.

You should store your artwork carefully.

Bugs, mice, mold and mildew are major enemies of artists. Keep your unframed

work in archival portfolios or archival boxes with closures.

If your artwork is framed you can hang them on your wall (but not in direct sunlight) for a storage solution. If you decide to keep framed work and/or canvases in a closet, be sure to put some buffers between each piece so that the frames don’t gouge a canvas or scratch the glass or edges on another frame.

Periodically go through and check on your artwork that is in storage. It is easier to fix a small problem than a big one.

If you are like me and tend to have several artworks in progress at the same time, you might keep them in a room separate from pets, small children and your brother-in-law who smokes like a chimney. Hopefully you can close the door to this room and keep your un-finished works safe from wagging tails, handprints and falling ashes. If you work outside on a patio or in a living room, you might consider moving your work back to your art room for the night and haul it back out the next day for more work in the sun. Store your art supplies where children or pets are less likely to play with them, knock them over, chew on them or worse.

Common sense things such as this can prevent little disasters before they happen and this makes for a happy artist!

A storage solution that I really like is to have as much of my artwork as possible OUT THERE to various galleries, publishers or sold to collectors. This gives me more room to make more art.

To find galleries and collectors who will partner with you and help you care for your art is priceless.

None of the above disaster planning is fool proof, there will always be risk, but being prepared will give you a better chance that a disaster won’t be a careerending catastrophe.

By Kelsey Gillen The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition and Creative Capital seek artists who want to further their careers. These two organizations have formed a partnership that will benefit visual artists of Oklahoma.

OVAC has enlisted the help of New Yorkbased Creative Capital to infuse new information and perspectives into their current artist support program. The Artist Survival Kit program serves to connect artists to resources, build professional skills, and to connect emerging artists with established artists across the state.

bus i ness of ar t

Unique Opportunity for Dedicated Artists Seeking Success

Creative Capital is a non-profit organization that supports artists of all genres.

They offer Professional Development Workshops that are co-led by professional consultants and artists. These workshops use different teaching methods to educate artists about marketing/public relations, fundraising, and strategic planning. The skills learned at the workshop retreat can be used to help an artist take their career to the next level.

Twenty-four Oklahoma artist participants will be chosen to participate in the weekend. The retreat will be held at Quartz Mountain from March 31st to April 2nd, 2006. Thanks to funding from outside sources, this retreat will pose no cost to the artists. Funding has been provided by the Kirkpatrick Foundation and the Oklahoma Arts Council.

OVAC intends this opportunity to serve artists who are both responsible and ready to propel their career ahead. The selection process will require artists to demonstrate artistic vision, basic professional skills, and an eagerness to participate fully in the retreat.

Applications can be found online at www.ovac-ok.org, or by calling OVAC at 405.232.6991. The deadline is January 6, 2006.

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Rou nd U p

Round Up

The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition was proud to give several grants at the last grant deadline. Adrienne Day received an Education Grant to attend a workshop

by Mark Zaffron at Las Milagros Print Studio in Oklahoma City. Mark has been on the forefront of researching and developing non-toxic methods for intaglio printmaking. Trent Lawson also received

By Julia Kirt

an Education Grant from OVAC. His grant will allow him to participate in LOYAL: Linking Oklahoma’s Young Adult Leaders. LOYAL is part of a series of programs offered by Leadership Oklahoma City, which was founded in 1981 by civic leaders to “increase the pool of committed, knowledgeable volunteer leaders who have the skills and the dedication to effect

positive change in the community.” Sue Clancy received a Professional Basics Grant to assist with shipping images for a solo exhibition at the Miami Dade College in Florida. Congratulations everyone! The next two grant deadlines are January 15 and April 15; for more information about grants for artists visit www.ovac-ok.org.

At a Glance

As one of three exhibitions on display at the Leslie Powell Gallery in Lawton November 12-January 7, Nicholas Ajimine’s artwork is impressive. The first work entitled Testify combines a harrowing quality with a warm texture. It is a drawing with paint and collage on a fabric scroll, the work features a sketched man’s face with over painting of a shadowed “X” that eliminates his personhood. Ajimine’s statement points to the violence he experienced while serving in the military in the Middle East and Bosnia. He said he began this series grieving the hostility in America to native peoples and those aggressions abroad. This series is Ajimine’s strongest and seems to be developing as he creates more work. I hope he continues to explore these ideas and whatever motivated him to make that moving artwork.

Dean Wyatt’s exhibition In the Gloaming at the Tulsa Artists Coalition Gallery, November 4-19, 2005, delved into amazing layers, texture and color that create abstracted landscapes. Highlighting different shades, he used swaths of hues to draw the eye across the canvas. My favorite work was Fence One that has vertical strips of warm color amidst dynamic brushwork, which make it read like an organic cross section of the earth.

The effect of all the paintings was a coherent strong body of work.

Nicholas Ajimine Lawton Testify Mixed Media

Thank you to our New and Renewing Members from September and October 2005

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Chic Art and Design Alexandra Alaupovic Mary Jane Alexander & Edward Knight Jared Aylor Donald L. Baker Kimberly Baker Keith Ball Lynne Barnett Sparks Joy Reed Belt Kren Bennett Vicky Best Doris J. Bewley Julie Marks Blackstone John Brandenburg Diana Brown Stephanie Brudzinski Bliss Butler Suzie Hardin Chelsea Dian Church Betty E. Cobb Susan Cooper

Janey Carns Crain Bob Curtis Kari Darken-Thompson Jacqueline Zanoni de los Santos Cathy Deuschle Robert Dohrmann Tiffany English R. Vernon Enlow Jessica Epperson Janene Evard Ron Fleming Denise D. Gleason John and Stephany Gooden Jerrie A. Gronemeier Brenda Kennedy Grummer Kirkland and Julia Hall Carol and Dr. Jim Hampton Burt Harbison Diane Harris Steven Haught Bob and Janet Hawks Sandina Heckert

Leslie Hensley Jonathan Hils Sarah Iselin and Frank Parman Allie Jensen E. K. Jeong Willard Johnson Nancy Johnston Paula Jones Ellen Jonsson Stacie Lynn Jordan Kelsey Karper Jim Keffer Paul Lacy Tom E. Lee Leslie Lienau Monika Linehan Steve Liggett Dru Marseilles Cindy Mason Janet Massad Janice Mathews-Gordon Sharon and Ray McAllister

Kenny McCage Sarah McElroy Rudy Miller David Nunneley Nathan Opp George Oswalt Wallace Owens Bob E. Palmer Suzanne Peck David Phelps Jim Powers Gus Friedrich and Erena Rae Anne and Brian Richardson John A. Robinson Laura Lee Russell Diane Salamon Roger Saunders Lois Scharrer Barbara S. Scott Melanie Seward Mark Sisson Rob Smith

Julie Strauss Cindy Swanson Andrew and Mary Tevington Glen Thomas Harvard Tomlinson Susan Jennifer Tucker Diana Tunnell Kathy Vargas Denise Waible Ann-Maree Walker Laura Warriner Corazon S. Watkins Jeri Wensel Janie Wester Lynden R. Wilcoxson Cindy Williams E.J. Witterholt Wolf Production Anita and John David Wolf Dean Wyatt Jacque Collins Young Tom Young

Exhibition Schedule

Ada

Broken Bow

El Reno

Idabel

Sharon McCoy Paintings January 19-February 11 Interscholastic Show February 13-15 University Gallery East Central University (580) 310-5356 www.ecok.edu

Forest Heritage Center Beaver’s Bend Resort (580) 494-6497 www.beaversbend.com

Jack Hill Exhibition Through January 27 Bill Jaxon Exhibition February 2-March 29 Redlands Community College (405) 262-2552 www.redlandscc.edu

Southwestern Prehistoric Ceramics Through January 8 Lifewell Gallery Museum of the Red River 812 East Lincoln Road (580) 286-3616 www.museumoftheredriver.org

Henryetta

Lawton

Joseph W. Hardin Photography Exhibit January 1-December 31, 2006 Henryetta Historical Society 410 West Moore (918) 652-7112 www.territorialmuseum.org

USAO Biennial Reception January 7, 7-9 pm The Leslie Powell Foundation and Gallery 620 D Avenue (580) 357-9526 www.lpgallery.org

Ardmore

Art-Times Two Exhibit Through February Charles B. Goddard Center 401 First Avenue SW (580) 226-0909 www.godart.org

Chickasha Corazon Watkins January 15-February 10; reception January 15 at 4 pm Southwestern Oklahoma State University Faculty Show February 19-March 10; reception February 19 at 4 pm University of Sciences and Arts of Oklahoma Gallery-Davis Hall 1806 17th Street (405) 574-1344 www.usao.edu/gallery/

Galler y G u ide

&

Gallery Listings

Claremore Foundations Gallery-Baird Hall Rogers State University (918) 343-7740

Durant Southeastern OK State University 1405 N. 4th PMB 4231 www.sosu.edu/department/art/gallery.htm

Durham Dortha Killian, Norman, Conspicuous Stick Thing Mixed Media (photo by Ann C. Sherman) From the Charles B. Goddard Center Exhibition Art Times Two. This exhibition featrues artist couples and will be on display December 10th through Frebruary 25th, 2006.

The three featured artist couples are: D.J. Lafon and Dortha Killian, Elizabeth Yarosz and Richard Ash, and D. Arthur and Lisa Wilson.

Bartlesville Prairie Skyscraper: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Price Tower Through January 15 Price Tower Arts Center 6th and Dewey (918) 336-4949 www.pricetower.org

Museum closed December 1-March 1 Metcalfe Museum Rt. 1 Box 25 (580) 655-4467 www.metcalfemuseum.org

Edmond Edmond Historical Society 431 S. Boulevard (405) 340-0078 www.edmondhistory.org Shadid Fine Art 19 N. Broadway (405) 341-9023 http://www.shadidfineart.com Chambers Library Gallery University of Central Oklahoma 100 University Drive (405) 974-5931 www.ucok.edu

Michele Mikesell, Dallas, TX Crow Industrial Enamel and Oil On Display at the JRB Gallery as one of ten artists selected for the Oklahoma’s Collectable Young New Artists exhibition, opening Sunday, January 1, 2006 from 1-7 pm. Michele completed her Master of Fine Arts Degree at the University of Oklahoma in Norman in 2004. Currently, she resides in Dallas, Texas and works full time in her studio in Oak Cliff.

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Galler y G u ide

Norman Chocolate Show January 13-28; reception January 13, 7-9 Firehouse Art Center 444 South Flood (405) 329-4523 www.normanfirehouse.com The Kiowa Five: Paintings and Porchoirs by James Auchiah, Jack Hokeah, Stephen Mopope, Spencer Asah, Monroe Tsatoke and Lois Smokey Jacobson House 609 Chautauqua (405) 366-1667 www.jacobsonhouse.com Nelson Shanks February 3-March 12 Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 410 W. Boyd Street (405) 325-3272 www.ou.edu/fjjma/ Emergent Artists Exhibition Through February 11 Jack Slentz: Sculptures; Tom Lee: Photographs February 24-April 22; Reception February 24, 7-9 pm Mainsite Contemporary Art Gallery 122 East Main (405) 292-8095 www.mainsite-art.com

Oklahoma City Earth and Sky: New Works by Benjamin Harjo Jr., America Meredith and Charles Pratt Through January 7 UCO Graduating Student Design Show Through January 7 13th Annual City Arts Invitational January 20-February 25 Café City Arts January 27, 7:30-11 pm City Arts Center 3000 Pershing Blvd.

(800) 951-0000 www.cityartscenter.org Oklahoma’s Collectable Young New Artists January 1-28; reception January 1, 1-7 Karl Brenner Landscape Paintings; Matt Seikel and Denise Duong Ceramics and Paintings February 3-March 18; reception February 3, 6-9 JRB at the Elms 2810 North Walker-The Paseo Arts District (405) 528-6336 www.jrbartgallery.com

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Dana McBride Paintings and Sculptures by Eric Krause January 6- 28; reception January 6, 6-8 pm Contemporary Oklahoma Quiltmakers February 3-26; reception February 3, 6-8 Individual Artists of Oklahoma 811 N. Broadway (405) 232-6060 www.iaogallery.org Camera Work Through January 30 Peter Dombrovskis Through January 30 International Photography Hall of Fame 2100 NE 52nd Street (405) 424-4055 www.iphf.org Pendleton Photographer: Lee Moorhouse and the Real West Through January 8 Humor in the West through Carvings of Gene Zesch Through January 8 Music and Dance in American Indian Paintings Through May 7 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum 1700 NE 63rd (405) 478-2250 www.cowboyhalloffame.org

Joseph Breton January 7, 7-10 pm Nancy Sutor, Absence-Presence January 13-February 26; reception January 13, 5-9 pm Untitled [ArtSpace] 1 NE 3rd St. (405) 815-9995 www.1NE3.com

Ponca City

University Gallery Oklahoma Christian University 2501 East Memorial Road (800) 877-5010

Lou Moore Hale: Facing a Century: Life Stories in Sculptures Nonagenarians January 7-29; reception January 8, 1:30-4:30 Member Show February 5-26; reception February 5, 1:30-4:30 Ponca City Art Center 819 East Central 580-765-9746

Mid-Winter Arts Institute January 10-February 18 Ceramics by Laurie Spencer February 24-March 31 Artsplace Ponca City 319 East Grand Ave (580) 762-1930 www.artsplaceponcacity.net

Park Hill Cherokee Genealogy Dawes Roll Exhibit February 1-April 21 Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc. 21192 S. Keeler Drive (918) 456-6007 www.cherokeeheritage.org

Sherrie McGraw Through January 20 Governor’s Gallery National Watercolor Oklahoma East Gallery Through February 5 Oklahoma State Capital Galleries 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd (405) 521-2931 www.state.ok.us/~arts Mexican Masters, Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros Through March 26 Oklahoma Museum of Art 415 Couch Drive (405) 236-3100 www.okcmoa.com Recent works by Bert Seabourn January 15-February 10 Dr. Barry Rockler Photography February 19-March 17 Nona Hulsey Gallery, Norick Art Center Oklahoma City University 1600 NW 26th (405) 521-5226

Ruth Ann Borum, Norman Mermaid with Two Skulls Mainsite Contemporary Art Gallery, Norman through February 11.

D.J. Lafon: Oklahoma Masterpieces January 6-February 19; reception January 6, 7-9 pm Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art 1900 West Macarthur (405) 878-5300 www.mgmoa.org

Stillwater Studio Art Invitational Exhibition January 11-27; reception January 22, 2-4 pm Kim Beck: Recent Works by Tennessee Artist February 1-February 24; reception February 12, 2-4 pm Gardiner Art Gallery Oklahoma State University 108 Bartlett University www.art.okstate.edu/gallery

Tonkawa Eleanor Hays Gallery Performing Arts Center Northern Oklahoma College 1220 East Grand (580) 628-6670

Tulsa Apertures Gallery 1936 South Harvard (918) 742-0500 www.aperturesphoto.com Painting Demonstrations Saturdays, 11-3 Art Lover’s Saturday February 11, 11-3 Color Connection Gallery 2050 Utica Square (918) 742-0515

The Figure, City, Prairie, Studio and Home: Recent works by Mark Lewis January 5-26 Very Bad Art Show 06 January 28 Still Very Small and Dirty: Jodi Boatman February 2-23 Living ArtSpace 308 Kenosha (918) 585-1234 www.livingarts.org Floating World Gallery 3714 S. Peoria Avenue (918) 706-1825 Cut: Film as Found Object in Contemporary Art January 22-March 26 Turn-of-the-Century Prints form a Private Collection Through January 22 Bookworks: Exploring the Book as Art January 29-May 14 The Philbrook Museum of Art 2727 South Rockford Road (918) 749-7941 www.Philbrook.org

Tulsa Photography Collective Gallery North Hall at OSU-Tulsa 700 North Greenwood Alexandre Hogue Gallery Phillips Hall, the University of Tulsa 600 South College Ave. (918) 631-2202 www.cas.utulsa.edu/art/ Waterworks Art Studio 1710 Charles Page Blvd. www.cityoftulsa.org/parks/Waterworks

Galler y G u ide

Shawnee

Woodward Schindler’s List Performances/Exhibitions January 19-March 8 Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum 2009 Williams Ave (580) 256-6136 www.pipm1.com

Biomechanics by Sharon McCoy January 6-28 Wrap by Terri Higgs February 3-25 Tulsa Artists Coalition Gallery 9 East Brady (918) 592-0041 www.tacgallery.org Tulsa Performing Arts Gallery 110 East 2nd Street (918) 596-7122

Mount Vernon in Miniature Through February 26 Gilcrease Museum 1400 Gilcrease Road (918) 596-2700 www.gilcrease.org Holliman Gallery Holland Hall 5666 East 81st Street (918) 481-1111 Chris Richter: Aspens January 12-28; reception January 12, 6-8 Abstraction 2006 February 9- March 4, reception February 9, 6-8 Joseph Gierek Fine Art 1512 E. 15th St (918) 592-5432 www.gierek.com

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ArtOFocus kl a h o m a Annual Subscriptions to Art Focus Oklahoma

PO Box 1946 Oklahoma City, OK 73101

are free with membership to the

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Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition.

Membership forms and benefits can be found at www.ovac-ok.org or by phone (405) 232-6991.

Student Membership: $15 Individual Membership: $30 Family/Household Membership: $50 Patron Membership: $100 Sustaining Membership: $250

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