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(from left to right) Marwin Begaye, Norman, Man Comes Around, Linoleum Block Print, 22”x30”; Marwin Begaye, Norman, End of the Trail, Linoleum Block Print, 22”x30”; Marwin Begaye, Norman, Riders of the Storm, Linoleum Block Print, 15”x22”
Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowship 2007 by Kelsey Karper Each year, the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition presents the Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowship, providing two awards of $5,000 each to Oklahoma artists. OVAC is dedicated to supporting visual artists living and working in Oklahoma and to promoting public interest and understanding of the arts and these awards are a part of that mission. The Fellowship awards are given to recognize past achievement and future promise and can be used as the artist’s needs require. The curator for the 2007 Fellowship awards was Jed Dodds, Artistic Director of the Creative Alliance at The Patterson in Baltimore, MD. Dodds has been at the Creative Alliance since 1999 and has helped to oversee the organizations transformation from a volunteer-driven artists’ collective to a community based artists’ organization with over 400 programs each year. Of 74 entries, Dodds chose two Oklahoma artists to receive awards: Marwin Begaye and Brandon Reese. In his statement, curator Jed Dodds wrote, “I did my best to consider each artist according to the terms they set for themselves, and felt genuinely rewarded for my time with them... In the end, though, two very different artists stood out for me. Marwin Begaye’s linoleum and digital prints confronting the epidemic of diabetes in his community are dripping with dark humor, pack visual punch to match the urgency of their message, and show a consistent personal vision. Sculptor Brandon Reese was simply my favorite among a wealth of strong ceramic artists in the group. Referencing suits of armor and Romanesque architecture, each of his massive stoneware constructions resonates with its own history and personality.” Brandon Reese, Stillwater, Alfred, Stoneware, 80”x45”x25”
Marwin Begaye is a printmaker and painter living in Norman. Begaye holds an MFA in Printmaking and a BFA in Painting, both from the University of Oklahoma (OU). He is also currently an Adjunct Professor of art at OU. His current body of work explores the epidemic of Diabetes in his Native American community. By taking iconic advertising images and turning them on themselves, he hopes his prints will empower the viewer to become more aware of the messages they are sending. Brandon Reese is a ceramicist and sculptor living in Stillwater. Reese holds an MFA in Ceramics from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH and a BFA in Sculpture from Kansas City Art Institute. Reese is currently an Assistant Professor of Ceramics at Oklahoma State University. He sees his ceramic works as structural investigations, defining space and pushing the boundaries of ceramics. As a part of their Fellowship year, these artists will perform a public service activity with a communitybased, non-profit organization in Oklahoma. For information about their upcoming events, watch www. ovac-ok.org. ■ About the Author: Kelsey Karper is the Editor of Art Focus Oklahoma and a photographer working in historic and alternative processes. She can be reached at publications@ovac-ok.org.
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