VisionMakers Exhibition Catalog

O k l a h o m a V i s u a l A r t s C oa l i t i o n ’ s V i s i o n M a k e r s 2 0 0 9 : M a r c h 2 8 -A p r i l 3 0 S i x 1 1 C r e at i v e , 6 1 1 N B r oa dway, O k l a h o m a C i t y, O K

Thank you to the sponsors of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s VisionMakers 2009:

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

Exhibitions Committee: Elizabeth Brown // Stan Carroll // Jean Ann Fausser Jonathan Hils (Co - Chair) // Pam Husk y // EK Jeong // Jacquelyn Knapp Shawn Meyers // Liz Roth // John Seward // Carl Shortt // Suzanne Thomas Jeri Wensel // Elia Woods (Co - Chair)

OVAC Board: Jennifer Barron // Susan Beat y // Cathy Deuschle Elizabeth Downing // Jean Ann Fausser // Anita Fields // Joey Frisillo Jonathan Hils // Eunk yung Jeong // Stephen Kovash // Paul Mays K athy McRuiz // Suzanne Mitchell // R. C . Morrison // Richard Pearson Carl Shortt // Sandy Sober // Suzanne Thomas // Rick Vermillion // Elia Woods

LOGO & Catalog Design: Dylan Bradway

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PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: STUART ASPREY // MARTHA Williford AVRETT // RICK & TRACEY BEWLEY MILISSA BURKART // JANEY CRAIN // BRYAN DAHLVANG // WILLIAM DERREVERE CATHY DEUSCHLE // RON DU BOIS // JEAN ANN FAUSSER // RON FLEMING STEPHANIE GRUBBS // VIRGINIA HARRISON // BOB HAWKS // JANET SHIPLEY HAWKS CARLA HOUSTON // HOWARD KOERTH // ADAM L. LABE // NATHAN LEE // HAROLYN LONG SUNNI MERCER // MARIE MILLER // SHARON J. MONTGOMERY // DON NARCOMEY TOMOAKI ORIKASA // PAUL PFREHM // DAVID PHELPS // ANN POWELL // MARYRUTH PROSE CHRIS RAMSAY // BARBARA SCOTT // ASIA SCUDDER // LISA SORRELL // SUE MOSS SULLIVAN BROOKS TOWER // GEORGE WILSON // ERIC WRIGHT

Welcome to VisionMakers 2009: JULIA KIRT - DIRECTOR OF OVAC

Artists living and working in Oklahoma are eligible to enter this open call, survey exhibition. VisionMakers functions like a census, giving us a snapshot of artwork within the state. This exhibition certainly could not be considered a systematic gathering of information, but it is a fascinating sampling, showing a cross section of what artists are making. If like a census, what does VisionMakers tell us about the “social, economic, and geographic” of our state (to quote the Census Bureau)?

In terms of social and economic conditions of the state, VisionMakers shows which artists leave and which arrive. Two award winners from the last VisionMakers have moved, one for a job, another to pursue an MFA. Meanwhile, several artists in this year’s exhibition are new to the state. These immigrations and emigrations show changes in careers, family or prospects.

The survey also shows who participates and who does not. Some of this year’s VisionMakers artists have been in all, or close to, of the OVAC exhibitions since inception 20 years ago. We see their development over time. With each exhibition snapshot, artists may be working in new materials or have begun new bodies of work. Some artists simply continue the amazing quality and consistency of their artwork.

Meanwhile, new artists submit, many who were not even on our mailing list before their inclusion.

Perhaps they just started making artwork, began showing, or learned about the exhibition. Others may have graduated from universities, making them eligible to participate. Some reasons are social and others economic.

Many people are left out. Some artists did not enter. Maybe they did not hear about the exhibition, were not eligible, or could not complete the entry requirements such as meet the deadlines or submit images.

Others might not even know about the art world or possibility of exhibiting.

Still other artists entered work, but are not shown. The frame of this survey is our guest curator, Dr. Judith Schwartz, who must winnow entries from images, trying to make a meaningful grouping. She selected 37 pieces by 37 artists for the exhibition out of 201 pieces by 76 artists that were submitted.

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Seeing what is being made in the state and which artists are actively putting their artwork in the public eye makes a survey exhibition important. Also valuable is the distinct perspective of our guest curators, each sees the state’s artists in different ways, bringing to light new talents or reinforcing consistent excellence.

Thank you to Dr. Judith Schwartz, the guest curator, for her thoughtful consideration of the artwork and valuable viewpoint. A special thank you also goes to our sponsors, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Oklahoma Arts Council, for providing support of this exhibition and building strong opportunities for Oklahoma artists. We are grateful for their help.

We are especially appreciative of the gallery venue, Six11 Creative, for opening their doors to the exhibition audiences. Their lovely space and graciousness is superb.

Thank you to the Board of Directors and Exhibitions Committee who have been working year round for our mission. Thanks most of all to the artists, those who entered and who are exhibiting, for sharing your work with the public.

Thank you for viewing this catalog and learning about the artists.

CURATOR statement: Judith S. Schwartz, PHD - New York University

VisionMakers was a challenging exhibition to jury – complex, on the one hand, because of the diversity of materials and ideas submitted and demanding, on the other, because of the requirement to select less than one in ten among the many fine objects submitted for consideration.

Another challenge was jurying sculpture and craft in a single exhibition. While the intention of a ‘fine-art’ artist is to present an object for purely visual contemplation, the motivation of the ‘craft’ artist is more often about the function the object will serve and the skill employed in the handling of the material in the service of that function. I have juried exhibitions that were divided between “objects for use” and “objects for expression;” this was the first time I was asked to do both simultaneously within a single competition. As it turned out, the task, though daunting, was immensely rewarding.

Perhaps it is a reflection of our time, but there has never been a greater blurring of the lines of distinction between the ‘fine’ and the ‘craft’ arts. Artists now move freely among media, no longer bound by tradition to work within the constraints imposed by the material – a constraint now viewed as inhibiting to conceptual ideas and/or working style.

The work submitted for VisionMakers is reflective of this current trend. In fact, I feel my final selection represented works that not only demonstrated diversity, but were consistent with virtually all trends in contemporary art in producing objects that reflect cultural and social commentary, figuration, abstraction, mixed media and process or functional ware.

What was particularly noticeable about the work was how accessible it was, easy to live with, and scaled to domestic interiors - fitting into average-size rooms or outdoor backyard spaces. It is rather refreshing to see art made in human scale - not monumental, cumbersome, heavy-handed or grandiose works simply for their own sake.

I generally find group exhibitions difficult to review, particularly if there are no unifying themes to define the show.

Competitions are harder still since each submission carries its own world of content, form and material concerns. In fact, group shows can be so elusive and diverse that many publications simply refuse to take critical reviews of them.

With those caveats in mind, there are many aspects of this exhibition worthy of mention. First of all, there was significant attention paid to narrative content. I am happy to report that story telling is still a formable conveyance of ideas in art and VisionMakers amply demonstrated this trend. Obviously, Stuart Asprey’s ceramic tribute to Buffalo Bill is a prime example in his How The West Was Really Won. A beautifully detailed drawing of this famed western icon is majestically positioned in billboard fashion commemorating his role in American history. Milissa Burkart also provides a story in Quercus (Memory Aids for Non-Scientists series), with her mixed media surrealist assemblage

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reminiscent of the work of avant-garde artist Joseph Cornell. Another beautiful example is I’d Prefer Not To by Cathy Deuschle, which consists of an assemblage of various found objects such as hands and glass spheres that meander across a young man’s portrait. One can only conjecture about the significance these enigmatic objects are intended to convey. One can’t also help ask why those peasant costumed figures are dancing in a forest clearing in the intricately detailed stone mosaic of Brooks Towers’ The Clearing. Similar questions may also be asked of Virginia Harrison’s totem ceramic form Hidden Spirits.

Another impressive feature of this exhibition was the rather splendid display of techniques and materials that generally do not have much representation at most national art shows. In the hands of skilled artisans, however, it is evident that some of the oldest “craft” materials and techniques can, and are, being used to make powerful statements that speak to current issues in art. Tooled leather boots (Lisa Sorrell), coiled and knotted thread (Jean Ann Fausser), delicately felted wool (Stephanie Grubbs), woven fiber (Janet Shipley Hawks), quilted tapestries (Carla Houston), fabric painting and hand sewing (Marie Miller), loom weaving (Maryruth Prose), twisted bailing wire (Asia Scudder), even coffee filters (Sue Moss Sullivan) were recycled and incorporated into a beautifully delicate assemblage. These materials and time-tested techniques speak to a resurgence of the artist-craftsman, but more importantly, they demonstrate that the continuum of material, process and history coupled with artistic emotion and passion is alive and well in Oklahoma.

While clay, glass and metal are the more commonly used materials dominating contemporary art, it was also particularly refreshing to see so many fine examples of woodworking. Although working with wood can be a demanding craft, its warm hues and sensuous surfaces often make it the ideal material of choice and justify the effort. Featured among these was Barbara Scott’s Earthborn Starbound, whose muscular figure triumphantly reaches toward the heaven with powerful grace, Ron Fleming’s intricately carved bowl Scissortail and Bob Hawks’ meticulously detailed drawings in silver inlay on the shoulder of his turned vessel.

As someone whose profession it is to look at portfolios and analyze artwork for curatorial and educational assignments, I am in the business of explaining why some works are selected over others. The task, in a show as diverse as this, was not to judge between categories, but within. So, for example, the functional objects chosen were the best of the functional, the figurative objects, the best of the figurative, and so on. This show, with its array of potters, embroiderers, weavers, felt makers, woodworkers, painters, stone carvers, metal smiths, glassblowers and others provided a rich body of work from within which to make my choices.

I wish to thank all who submitted work for VisionMakers. You are obviously in love with what you do and have demonstrated how this passion continues to inform you. I am delighted to have had the privilege and opportunity to view your considerable achievements.

Stuart Asprey - NORMAN How The West Was Really Won - Porcelain, 20” x 8” x 7” The sophistication of media has strongly assisted in the social transformation of specific people, places, and events into cultural legends. My recent work revolves around this concept, relaying information through narrative exploration and the historical aspect of functional ceramics in the form of the vessel.

Character and story telling are developed by the implementation of juxtaposed images, embellished surface decoration, visual contrast, social commentary, and tongue in cheek humor.

The final product is an investigation into the infinite variety of the strange, exotic, and often outlandish issues in the sociological amusement park of the human condition.

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Martha Williford Avrett - STILLWATER Centifugal - Silver, Stone, Coral, Gold, Ivory, Gold Leaf, 3.125” x 3” x .375” This piece is an example of my jewelry making process. I find, or am given a number of similar objects.

I then begin to arrange them with other things that I have collected, moving the parts around until they are integrated into a balanced image. I then construct an armature to hold and enhance the form. In this case, the inspiration and central “gem” is a slice of coral that came up in a fisherman’s net in the Bering Sea. The growth rings of the coral suggested a circular energy which would attract the surrounding elements.

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Rick & Tracey Bewley - OKLAHOMA CITY 627 - Aluminum and Fused Glass, 5’ x 6” x 6” We have become fascinated with the combination of metal, glass and light. The delicacy of glass combined with the durability of metal is an interesting contrast that we are just beginning to explore. Adding lighting was important to emphasize the difference in the materials as well as to create pieces that evolve depending on the time of day. The addition of light to our work has added the ability for our sculptures to always look beautiful, day or night.

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Milissa Burkart - TULSA Quercus (Memory Aids for Non-Scientists series) Binder’s Board, Paper, BioFacts, 8.5mm x 10.8mm x 2.5mm By nature, I am an inquisitive person, but one with a terrible memory. Memory aids for non-scientists is a series of works created to help me remember key facts about a variety of subjects that interest me. Quercus (a genus of trees and shrubs more commonly known as oaks) is one of these aids. Hidden underneath each of the acorn caps is a brief list of characteristics describing four of the 28 species of oak native to Oklahoma; the caps can be moved around like checkers on a checker board.

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Janey Crain - NOBLE Smoked Vessel - Clay, 6.5” x 5” x 4” The softness of clay when we take it from the earth, transform it with our feelings and with fire, helps us to know ourselves and other beings. Eventually it returns to the earth and another cycle on and on.

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Bryan Dahlvang - TUTTLE Box Skull-pture Lamp 2 Wood, Pipes, Lamp, Skull, Metal, 24” x 18” x 8” I take found-object art to a different level. Using insects, toads, skulls and bones in conjunction with inorganic objects creates evocative imagery often laced with sentimentality or humor.

Raised on a farm in Minnesota, before the age of video games and attention deficit disorders, I used my imagination to entertain myself. I collected rocks, insects, stamps, skeleton keys, coins and skulls. My parents collected antiques, which taught me to respect things from the past. I still find inspirational value in objects that have been discarded - thought to be broken or worthless.

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William Derrevere - TULSA Where are You, Did I Lose You? - Metal, 18” x 12” x 1.5” My piece, Where Are You, Did I lose You? was completed near the end of a series I was building for a show at the University of Tulsa. The series incorporates found objects, some of which I’ve been collecting over a number of years. I like to bring value back into discarded items. Finding the Optical piece was the catalyst for this work, causing me to add the whimsical cherry and strawberry. It is surrounded by bits of old advertising tins, an interest which probably comes from my graphic design background.

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Cathy Deuschle - TULSA I’d Prefer Not To - Assemblage with Oil Painting, 31” x 27” x 4” The title, I’d Prefer Not To, is derived from an oft quoted line in Melville’s story, “Bartleby the Scrivener.” This piece, like the story, counterpoises the individual urge to passively resist the demands of external reality with societal pressure to engage in the ‘stuff’ of living. Life’s transience and death’s permanence are cornerstones of either position. The juxtaposition of painting, sculpture, found and transformed objects and materials seeks to mirror the jumble of sensory experience.

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Ron du Bois - STILLWATER White Garden Sculpture - Wood, 98” x 14” x 20” White Garden Sculpture is the expression of lifelong research with pure geometric form. It is one of a series of wall and free standing wood constructions done over the course of the last six years. Perhaps its function is to stand on the edge of two worlds: (1) the world of illusion we believe can be measured. (2) the unmeasured mysteries of the invisible world. Its function may be protective or to connect us to larger life forces.

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Jean Ann Fausser - TULSA Madonna (Temptress in a Teapot Series) - Coiled & Knotted Thread, 15” x 10” x 6” The vessels in this series portray iconic female performers. The teapot form is most often thought of in terms of a very gentile civilized activity. The performers chosen for the series are definitely not gentile in their performances. They are wild and crazy women the exact opposite of the image of ladies at tea time yet they are all very representative of their gender. For Madonna, I chose to use the bustier shape that she has so often employed, to represent her as a performer.

While the two forms, teapot and wild temptress performer are opposed, they still both represent women’s activities. First and foremost, I want the observer to make some thought-provoking connections and have a smile while they do it.

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Ron Fleming - TULSA Scissortail - Wood, 11� x 17�

This image was created from the Scissortail Flycatchers that I saw while hunting on the prairies of Oklahoma. They would sit on the power lines and dive down to catch an insect.

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Stephanie Grubbs - EDMOND Sea Spray - Felted Wool, 12” x 34” x 24” Very hard labor is required to change soft wool fibers into solid form. Felt takes the imprint of the maker to become something new, yet the wool always has a say in the form it takes. It can be soft and filmy or thick and hard enough to serve as a shelter. I enjoy using such a soft medium to suggest the power and motion of ocean waves.

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Virginia Harrison - TULSA Hidden Spirits 2 - Clay, Stoneware, Stains, Wax, 26” x 9” x 8” Transported into a dream world in the early morning, I often see images. Sometimes they are pieces of memories from my childhood, other times ethereal and hard to identify as they first present themselves. These images, disturbing at times, spiritual at others, stay with me. I’ve felt a need to deal with them through my art. As a sculptor, I tend to think in three-dimensions, so it seemed natural and important for me to translate these images into three-dimensional objects. This new work represents my efforts to understand this imagery that appears in my sleep.

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Bob Hawks - TULSA Power of Men - Wood, Silver Wire, 4” x 9” x 9” I have recently started using different materials in combination with my wood turnings. There are many materials that are compatible with wood and this allows me to explore new and different designs when producing my turned pieces.

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Janet Shipley Hawks - TULSA Golden Seaflower - Fiber, 2” x 6” x 8.5” Golden Seaflower is a thread sculpture done on the sewing machine. It is part of my continuing series of undersea creations inspired by my observations during scuba dives and the ongoing experimentation and development of my original “Sculpted Threads” technique.

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Carla Houston - OKLAHOMA CITY The Approximate Center - Fiber (quilt), Metal, Plastic, Glass, 50” x 41.625” My work is about the visual interest created from combining unusual items with the textures and colors of the quilted surface. I use dupionni silk for the top which is hand appliquéd and machine quilted using monofilament thread.

The last step in the process is adding the binding and sewing the items to the top of the quilt.

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Howard Koerth - OKLAHOMA CITY Shi Series 5.4.08 - Earthenware, 11” x 9.5” x 8” “Nature/Nurture” refers to dualities in life; yin/yang, half empty/half full, a time to reap/a time to sow. It can also reference our relationship with the world around us; what we preserve and what we alter, what we coexist with and what we re-shape and re-define. Each piece develops over time; a blend of what needs to be formed with what is, at any given point, already present. These objects are not about one part or the other but should be seen as a whole, a fusion of all into a singular and complete visual statement.

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Adam L. Labe - STILLWATER Truss - AC Fir Plywood, cast Epoxy Resin, 12.5” x 20” x 9” As an object maker I continue to explore the relationship between craft, fine art and industrial design. I have always been fascinated with the geometry, construction and function of anonymous industrial architecture, such as storage tanks, cooling towers and silos. These utilitarian and sculptural objects are of particular interest to me based largely on their abstract aesthetic significance and the formal language they present as “things of use.” While my primary interest is sculptural, not utilitarian, my creative endeavors align themselves with functionalism, the philosophy that form should be adapted to use, material and structure.

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Nathan Lee - OKLAHOMA CITY Soaring II Aluminum, Paper Mache, Paper Clay, Acrylic Paint Soaring 2 was meant to evoke a sense of flight and freedom. Flying is a metaphor for ultimate freedom and being without constraint or limitation. I wanted to explore the idea that man is on a quest to “get free.� I think freedom for me comes the closer I get to nature, hence the natural organic presentation of the work.

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Harolyn Long - EDMOND Edge - Ceramic, 12.5” x 16” x 5” My work is done completely without the aide of any assistants in my home studio. I have been influenced by pre-Columbian and Japanese art and strive to use the earthliness of one and the simplicity of the other.

All pieces are slab constructed white stoneware that has been Raku fired, an ancient method of glaze firing involving reduction outside the kiln. I enjoy combining materials from opposite ends of the visual and tactile spectrum.

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SUNNI MERCER - BETHANY Precious Frail Vapors Wood, Glass, Found Objects, Photos, 17” x 6” x 6” As an assemblage sculptor, the genesis of my work is in the gathering stage, where I research materials and form concepts. I glean many of my ideas from words. Using objects in combination with the written word allow me to layer information throughout my work. The resulting surreal juxtapositions inform the work on a visceral level, creating a sight poem. Ultimately, I intend for the interpretation of the work to be multi-faceted.

In this work, the materials come together to call attention to the ephemeral nature and fragility of our (read, the world’s) children.

You are but precious frail vapors.

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Marie Miller - OKLAHOMA CITY Pathway to Hidden Cave Handpainted Fabric, Hand Embroidery, 11.375� x 9.75�

In 2007, Oklahoma experienced a welcome rainy spring. The Wichita Mountains and surrounding plains burst into a colorful blanket of wildflowers and native grasses. My husband, friends and I decided to hike in the Valley of Boulders. As we climbed higher delicate blooms, fragrances, ferns and grasses alongside the trail appeared to protect and yet point the way to paths leading to crevices in the large boulders. I imagined that through those openings, cozy caves provided shelter for the animals that live in the Wichitas. This was the inspiration for and story of Pathway to Hidden Cave.

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SHARON J. MONTGOMERY - OKLAHOMA CITY The Lollipop Man Escorts the Red Headed Piano Player to China to Play Paper Dolls with the Feathered Dragon Mixed Media Assemblage, 46” x 19” x 16” The long black plastic stick figure with the baldhead and one ear is the Lollipop Man. He travels through the world seeking balance and searching for truth. The colors reflect the stages and experiences of this journey, which becomes a metaphor for all our journeys, mine – in particular. This personal element translates into a series of plastic characters, people I’ve encountered, and secrets I’ve carried. Mirrored Plexiglas is used to represent lit color fields as seen in the auras of the body. Found objects and symbols are used to represent sacred thoughts from all walks of life

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Don Narcomey - OKLAHOMA CITY Parting - Wood (Wenge, Spalted Elm, Cocobolo), Steel, Sandstone, Resin, Fiberglass, 26” x 28” x 20” I grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma and have lived in Oklahoma City for the past 21 years. Currently my work focuses on mixed media sculpture. I draw on references from the materials that I work with to create a correlation between those materials and our everyday lives. Parting refers to the loss associated with the ending of a relationship. It seems that these events can be difficult and sometimes painful and as a result of separation everything that was held between the two individuals slowly falls away..

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Tomoaki Orik asa - NORMAN Oracle - Bronze, 18” x 7” x 7” This piece depicts my interpretation of what an oracle would be. If you were lost and wandering in a forest, not certain of where you are going and what to do, the oracle, or the forest-like spirit being, would make itself known to help you see where you are. The oracle would help you determine where you are and how to get to where you need to be. The oracle does not tell you what your future will be; rather it enlightens your path.

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Paul Pfrehm - WEWOKA Vase #2 - Porcelain My technique of wheel thrown ceramics is a process of continual evolution. I begin with a traditional form that is functional then enhance it with modern influences. My desire is to continue to develop a unique style that combines fine art and functional pottery. My current work is in porcelain with incised carving to decorate the surface.

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David Phelps - OKLAHOMA CITY Eight Party Line - Bronze, Concrete, 77” x 37” x 30” Eight Party Line honors the spirit of my memories of life growing up on our Roberts Island farm. Grandma and Grandpa’s 1800’s house had the only phone in the farm yard.

When there was a call for my dad, Grandma would come out on to her back porch and yell across the farm yard, “Babe...telephone.” Seven other farms shared the same phone line. I laugh now when in a crowded room I realize that every person in the room has their own phone in their pocket.

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Ann Powell - PONCA CITY Portrait of Laurie - Paper, Acrylic, Wire, Metal, 6” x 6” x 6” This piece speaks of fragility through its construction of paper, and of fragmentation through the truncation of the visual images. It is also intended to convey an element of the unexpected, by the use of a traditional drawing technique viewed in a three-dimensional format. Each side is a fragment of the whole, and within it, contains a fragment of an image.

It is part of an ongoing series of multiples of drawings of my daughter, and exploration of the triangular form. I have a personal fascination with fragmented images, but intend for the interpretation to be open ended.

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Maryruth Prose - LAWTON Up Late #1 - Handdyed/Woven Fiber, 45� x 28�

I love color, I love to weave, I love to watch the color develop in the dye pot and grow on the loom. It is that simple. My inspirations for my color gradations come from the sunsets of Southwest Oklahoma; the water for the dye from the spring fed creek behind my studio in the Wichita Mountains.

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Chris Ramsay - STILLWATER Meditation in Stillwater 3 - (front and back views) – Etched Steel, 24 K Gold, Found Objects, 3” diameter x .5” My artwork has always been informed by objects that I have collected or found, often while on walks. The materials are both manmade and natural and are often aged or eroded in some way-evidencing change. I integrate collected objects into my work as a metaphor for the cycle of change that all materials and objects are affected by, including myself. This process provides a vehicle for me to consider my place on earth and my part in nature.

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Barbara Scott - OKLAHOMA CITY Earthborn Starbound Wood, Bone and Stone, 91” x 34” x 25” Earthborn, starbound that is what we are. We both love the earthly, and fear its decay. We live within the paradox of our fragility in the face of the unspeakable ravages of pain, fear and time and our heartbreaking beauty and strength of spirit wherein we still breathe in dreams and reach for the invisible.

In my work I do not seek to fix or deny this paradox but to address it in a way that recognizes the beauty of the fragments and moments that we are, where stone, wood and bone have life and where our nobility lies in reaching beyond these limits of the material, even if on damaged wings.

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Asia Scudder - nORMAN Retracing the Story of my Escape - Baling Wire, 48” x 99.5” x .125” I have utilized wire as an art form for 15 years to depict whimsical images of the human experience. In this example, I used wire to portray myself (the mermaid) leaving a dictatorial relationship in part frustration - part fear. Through the love and counsel of another who acts as an angel-like persona, she ‘escapes’ the darkness of oppression. It is meant to be an extension of the piece that all parts of the story expressed are truly parts of oneself. It is my hope that these images are not only a re-telling of my life experience but strike a universal note for others as well.

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Lisa Sorrell - GUTHRIE Boots - Leather, 16” x 12” x 10” I’m fascinated by the traditional floral and butterfly themes of vintage cowboy boots and my boots are often inspired by these themes. The tops of these boots feature overlaid suede leaves in an asymmetrical design and inlaid butterflies. Each color on the boot is a different piece of leather and much of the grace of the design is supplied by the decorative stitching that holds the leather in place. The foot is cognac crocodile.

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Sue Moss Sullivan - OKLAHOMA CITY Morning Harvest - Fiber (Coffee Filters), 14” x 12” x 10” I am currently exploring the use of coffee filters as a fiber medium and using them to continue the idea of “collections” as a series. The gathering of the same item and repeating it over and over intrigues me as a process and as a means to interpret a concept. Collected, stacked, bundled, grouped, rolled, wrapped. Lots of stained, recycled coffee filters waiting to be used.

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Brooks Tower - OKLAHOMA CITY The Clearing - Opus Sectile Stone and Porcelain, 32” x 22” x 1.5” This work, meant primarily as a meditation on aging, is based in part on an etching done around 1525 by the Swiss artist and mercenary, Urs Graf, around the year 1525. “Opus sectile” means “cut work” in Latin, and while this mosaic technique has a pedigree stretching back to the Romans, this piece was cut entirely on a tile wet saw, using methods that I have pioneered over the last decade.

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George Wilson - OKLAHOMA CITY I Feel like a Blind Man Driving a Red Cadillac - Pine, Eastern Red Cedar, Pinon, Aluminum, 58” x 70” x 11” I generally think of artist statements as large, steaming, multi-colored piles of poo, my own included, but here goes. This piece has been percolating in my sketch books for a little over 10 years and thematically in my conscious mind for most of my 55 years; all the physical parts finally came together. Times being what they are it seemed relevant again.

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Eric Wright - EL RENO Nest - Concrete and Steel, 14.5” x 14” x 14” My work depicts the dark side of the “American Dream,” which I see merely as a quest for the shiny object. Conspicuous consumption is the rule in a consumer economy, and many in American culture are driven to possess the trappings of success and wealth.

Such a shallow and endless pursuit causes those ensnared to live lives filled with stress and indebtedness; so, what first seems to be a comfortable nest is later revealed to be a source of discomfort and pain.

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ARTIST INDEX

Stuart Asprey - Ceramics/Sculpture Instructor, Oklahoma City University. MFA in Ceramics, University of Oklahoma. BA in Studio Art, Humboldt State University, CA. Awards: First Place, History in the Making II, Rochester, NY. Honorable Mention, University of Dallas Juried Ceramic Competition. Honorable Mention, Red Heat: Contemporary Work in Clay, Tulsa, OK. Purchase Award, Feats of Clay, Lincoln, CA. Martha Williford Avrett - B.S. in voice Juilliard School of Music. Studied with Chris Ramsay, Oklahoma State University.

Instructor, Jewelry and Metals, OSU. OVAC Artist of Excellence Award. Represented by Utopia Boutique, Tulsa, and Karen Melfi Collection, Santa Fe. www.marthawillifordavrett.com Tracey Bewley - BFA with a Minor in Museum Studies, Oklahoma City University. Represented by Istvan Gallery, JRB Art Gallery, & Studio 6, all in OKC. Exhibits: Café City Arts, City Arts Center, OKC; 12x12, OVAC fundraiser, OKC; Red Dot, IAO Gallery, OKC; Edge Art Now, IAO Gallery, OKC. Awards: Mixed Media Award (in collaboration with Sue Moss Sullivan) Rick Bewley - Represented by Istvan Gallery, JRB Art Gallery, & Studio 6, all in OKC. Exhibits: Café City Arts, City Arts Center, OKC; 12x12, OVAC fund raiser, OKC; Red Dot, IAO Gallery, OKC; Edge Art Now, IAO Gallery, OKC; Photo Fest on Paseo, Paseo Arts Space gallery, OKC. Awards: Best of Show, Photo Fest on Paseo & Best New Artist, Edge Art Now. Milissa Burkart - BFA with printmaking emphasis. Represented by Vamp & Tramp Booksellers. Exhibits: Bookworks, Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; Anthology, Tulsa Artists Coalition, Tulsa; The Pearl Gallery, Tulsa. www.storybirdstudio.com Janey Crain - Artist in Residence program, OK. Teaches visual arts to K-12. Collections: Private, corporate and museums. Exhibits: Firehouse Art Center, Norman, OK. Bryan Dahlvang - BFA in Studio Art, Oklahoma City University. All American Scholar, United States Achievement Academy. Over ninety exhibitions since graduation. Member of Individual Artists of Oklahoma Gallery, Oklahoma Watermedia Association, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, and Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. Currently a Graphic Designer for the Federal Aviation Administration. www.bryandahlvang.com William R. Derrevere - MA, University of Tulsa; MA, Western Illinois University. Represented by M.A. Doran Gallery, Tulsa; Zarks, Eureka Springs, AR. Exhibits: Featured Artist, University of Tulsa Alumni Homecoming Art Show, October 2009; Cow Thieves and Outlaws, Woolaroc, OK, September 2008.

Cathy Deuschle - Ed.M, Harvard University; BA in Art History, Colby College. 2008 exhibitions: Know Thyself, IAO Gallery, OKC; Under the Influence II, City Arts Center, OKC; Autobiovisual, Friends University, Wichita, KS. Ron du Bois - Graduate of California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA: MA, University of California, Berkeley (Practice of Art). Studied with Andre Lhote, Paris, France. Professor Emeritus, Art Department, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK. Three Fulbright lecturer/ research grants for Korea, India, and Nigeria. Producer of “Potters of the World Film/ DVD Series” Available for program presentations. He contributes annually to OSU faculty exhibits and authors articles on ceramics, art education and social reform issues. www.angelfire.com/ok2/dubois

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Jean Ann Fausser - BA in Liberal Arts, University of Tulsa. (Master’s work – English, MBA work – University of Tulsa). Represented

by Pierson Gallery, Tulsa, OK. Exhibits: VisionMakers; Edge Art, IAO; Fiber Works, Cafe City Arts, Oklahoma. Art Quilts at the Sedgwick, Philadelphia, PA. Aullwood annual art quilt exhibit, Dayton, OH. Solo exhibits mixed media – Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. www.JFiberart.com Ron Fleming - Represented by del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles; M.A. Doran Gallery, Tulsa; Wexler Gallery, Philadelphia; The Hawk Gallerie, Columbus. Exhibits: Celebrating Nature, Los Angeles County Museum; Wood Takes Root, St. George Museum, UT; Challenge VII, Dysfunctional, The Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia. Permanent Collections: Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery 1995-2003. www.hearthstonestudios.com Stephanie Grubbs - BS, University of Oklahoma. Exhibits: Fiberworks, Oklahoma City; VisionMakers; Fiber Focus, St Louis. Awards: Fiberworks 2006, 2007 Best of Show; Materials Hard and Soft Award, Denton, TX, 2008.

Virginia Harrison - MA in sculpture, New York University. BA in visual arts, Bennington College. Studied abroad in Italy and France. Teaches at The Philbrook Museum of Art and with the Arts and Humanities Council in Tulsa. Numerous group and solo exhibitions since 1984. Represented by galleries in New York, Oregon, Florida and at M.A. Doran Gallery in Tulsa.

Bob Hawks - Art Center College of Design, Los Angeles. 40 years as commercial and advertising photographer. Wood turner for 25 years. Represented by Brazos Fine Art Gallery, Taos, NM and gallery on the Square, Williamsburg, VA. Janet Shipley Hawks - BS, Occupational Therapy, University of Kansas. Exhibits: Oklahoma Centerfold, Lawton and Chickasha, OK, 2008-2009. Heart and Soul of the Great Plains II, Lawton, OK 2007. VisionMakers 1989, 2002 and 2006. Fiber Artists of Oklahoma Fiberworks, 1992, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008. Publications: Sculpted Threads, Artful Brooches, Earrings and More, Martingale & Co. June 2007. www.sculptedthreads.com Carla Houston - MFA and BFA in Painting, University of Oklahoma. Exhibits: Oklahoma Centerfold 2008-2009 and 2005-2006, Leslie Powell Gallery, Lawton OK. OVAC’s 12x12 Oklahoma City, OK, 2006, 2007, and 2008. FiberWorks, IAO Gallery, 2008, 2007 and 2006, received Jurors Choice Award in 2006. VisionMakers 2006, Leslie Powell Gallery, Lawton, OK. Solo Exhibition Art Quilts, Fresh Light Gallery, Denison TX 2005.

Howard Koerth - BFA, University of Kansas; MFA, Indiana University/Bloomington. Publications: Ceramics Monthly, Dec. 1996; The Ceramic Design Book: A Gallery of Contemporary Work, 1998; The Studio Potter, June 2002. Awards: OVAC Special Opportunity Grant 2001; Regional Fellowship Award in Crafts, Mid-America Arts Alliance/National Endowment for the Arts, 1993. Artist in Residence at the Tainan National College of the Arts in Taiwan, 2001. Faculty member at Rose State College, Midwest City, OK. Adam L. Labe - MFA in Sculpture, New Mexico State University. BFA in Ceramics, University of the Arts, Philadelphia. Recent Exhibits: Visionary Drawings, MASS MoCA, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams, Massachusetts; Cedarhurst Biennial Sculpture Competition and Maquette Exhibition, Cedarhurst Sculpture Park and Mitchell Museum, Mt. Vernon, Illinois; SevenState Biennial, University of Science and Arts, Chickasha, Oklahoma. http://art.okstate.edu/faculty/labe.html Nathan Lee - Self-taught artist. Represented by Istvan Gallery, Oklahoma City. Exhibitions: Transcend Black Visual Artists Documentary, Harlem Renaissance Auction, Transcend. Awards: Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition Professional Basics Grant 2005; Oklahoma Water Color Association Mixed Media Exhibition, Jurors Recognition 2005; Salvation Army award for Artistic Contribution 2003; League of the Blind Artistic Contributions to the Arts 2003. www.visualrealmstudios.com, www.inclusioninart.org

V ISI O NMAKERS 2 0 0 9

Harolyn Long - BFA, University of Oklahoma. ME, University of Central Oklahoma. Eleven years teaching art in public schools.

Fifteen years of participating in numerous juried festivals. Represented by Earthworks Gallery, Yachats, Oregon and Main Street Gallery, Edmonds, Washington.

Sunni Mercer - BFA and MFA Painting, Sculpture, University of Oklahoma. NEA Regional Fellow Work archived at the Smithsonian Institution. Exhibits: OK Harris, NYC, NY. Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, KS. Leo Kamen, Toronto, Canada, among others. Awards: VisionMakers Award of Merit 2007. ALCA National Design Award 1999. NEA America Creates for the Millennium 1999. Texas Commission on the Arts Project Grant 1997. OVAC Artist Award of Excellence 1995. Artist Award for Professional Advancement, Oklahoma City Art Museum 1994.

Marie Miller - BS, Education, University of Central Oklahoma, MA, Education, Oklahoma City University. Exhibits: Fiberworks, Fiber Artists of OK and IAO Gallery, Oklahoma City; Fiber Forum, Margaret Parshall Gallery, Louisville, KY; Fiber Forum, Atrium Gallery, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD; Lessons from an Oklahoma Girlhood and Virgen de Guadalupe 2008, Adelante! Gallery on the Paseo, Oklahoma City. Publications: Lessons from an Oklahoma Girlhood, by Dorothy Alexander; Needle Arts, September 2008. The Embroiderers’ Guild of America.

Sharon J. Montgomery - University of Texas El Paso, Indiana State University, Arizona State University, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Escuela de Artes. Represented by Istvan Gallery, Scribner’s Gallery. Exhibits: One Woman Exhibit at Oklahoma Museum of Art, Exposicion de Pintura, Tijuana, Art Ventures Gallery, Santa Fe. Awards: Wood Carving Exhibition, Best of Category, Scroll Saw, Resident Intern Scholarship for Ceramics, Arizona State University. Teaching: Santa Fe Preparatory High School intaglio. www.sharonjmontgomery.com Don Narcomey - BFA, Central State University, Edmond 1983. Taught sculpture and furniture design at University of Central Oklahoma 2000 - 2004. Two-person show at Untitled [ArtSpace], Fault Lines, Oklahoma City 2007. Award of Excellence, IAO Mixed Media Exhibition 2002 and 1998. First Place at the “46th Spiva Annual” at the George A. Spiva Center for the Arts, Joplin, MO. 2006.

Furniture work was featured on HGTV’s nationally televised program, “Modern Masters” in 2001. Contact: narcomey@att.net Tomoaki Orikasa - Visual Arts and Design Formation Art degree, University of Central Oklahoma. Represented by The Crucible Gallery, Norman OK. Exhibits: Stage Gallery, NY; The Albuquerque Museum, NM; Art Center, Waco, TX; Period Gallery, Omaha, NB; Kirpatrick Gallery, OK: City Arts Center, OK and The Crucible Gallery, Norman, OK. www.oryartstudio.com Paul Pfrehm - BA, Art Education, East Central University; MFA, Clay, Wichita State University. Working in clay for 40 years. 21 years teaching experience at college and university level. Represented by galleries in Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri.

David Phelps - BA, Sculpture, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA; MFA, Sculpture, University of Oklahoma. Represented by Hahn Ross Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; JRB Gallery, Oklahoma City. Exhibits: 2008 Solo Show, Hahn Ross Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; Mainsite Contemporary Art, Norman, OK. www.phelpssculpture.com Ann Powell - BFA, Ceramics and Painting, University of Tulsa. Juried Exhibits include: Edge Art Now, Oklahoma Biennial, National Collage Society, First Frontier Collage Society. Represented in Oklahoma by Istvan Gallery of OKC. Maryruth Prose - MA, Museum Studies, University of Arizona. 2008 Exhibits: Leslie Powell Gallery (solo show); Fiberarts of Oklahoma; Woman Made Gallery (Chicago); Oklahoma Centerfold Show (Leslie Powell Gallery, Lawton).

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Chris Ramsay - Teacher at Oklahoma State University since 1990, Interim Art Department Head, 2008. Led workshops around the world and jewelry making classes for the University of Georgia, Study Abroad Program in Cortona, Italy. Artist-in-Residence at Oregon School of Arts and Crafts, Portland, OR and Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, ME. Collections: Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK; Children’s Hospital of Cleveland, OH; botanical gardens of Southern Living Magazine, Birmingham, AL. Exhibits: The Pioneers of Art Jewelry from America, Japan.

Barbara Scott - Self taught through experiment and exploration. Exhibits: VisionMakers 02 and 09, Seven State Biennial 02, 04 and 05, Oklahoma Centerfold, Heart and Soul of the Great Plains and The Irene Rosenweig Biennial. www.barbarascottartist.com Asia Scudder - MLS degree from University of Oklahoma, 2007. Human Consciousness studies. Participant in Venice Biennale 2001. Represented by MainSite Gallery of Contemporary Art, Norman. MA Doran Gallery, Tulsa. Pickard Art Gallery, Oklahoma City.

Collections at Melton Art Reference Library, Oklahoma City. Also collected by Anita Hill. asia333@sbcglobal.net Lisa Sorrell - Custom cowboy bootmaker since 1995. Achieved “Master Bootmaker” status in 2005. First Place “Master Category” Boot and Saddlemaker’s Roundup, 2007. Best Artist “Art to Wear” 2005 Southwestern Design Conference and Best Artist “Art to Wear” 2007 Western Design Conference. www.sorrellcustomboots.com Sue Moss Sullivan - BA from Lindenwood College; self-taught fiber artist. Awards both national and local. Represented in the Oklahoma State Art Collection and private and corporate collections. She owns Studio Six in the Paseo with 3 other artists. www.studiosixokc.com.

Brooks Tower - Self-taught artist. Exhibits and Awards: March 2007 Best of Show, Mosaic Arts International, Society of American Mosaic Artists; November 2008 Best 2D, Contemporary Mosaics and the Historical Tradition, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA; January 2009, Invited Artist, Sum of All Parts, Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas, TX; June 2009, Invited Artist, Cutting Edges: Contemporary Mosaic Art, Lake Oswego, OR. www.brooks-tower.com George Wilson - MFA, Metal Design, University of Oklahoma. Exhibits: Dinner in the Deuce 2007, Untitled ArtSpace, Oklahoma City; VisionMakers 2006, Leslie Powell Gallery, Lawton, OK. Awards: Oklahoma Centerfold 2000 Best of Show; Leslie Powell Gallery, Lawton OK; Oklahoma Centerfold 2002 Honorable Mention, Leslie Powell Gallery, Lawton OK; Materials Hard and Soft, 2001 Denton TX, Award of Merit; VisionMakers 2000 Award of Merit; VisionMakers 1998 Award of Merit; VisionMakers 1989 Award of Merit; Oklahoma Painting & Drawing Biennial 1999 Award of Merit.

Eric Wright - BFA, Graphic Design, University of North Texas; MA, Management and Media Communication, Webster University.

Emerging artist with no current gallery representation. Exhibits: Café City Arts: On the Rocks, City Arts Center, Oklahoma City, OK; Livin’ the Dream, IAO Gallery, Oklahoma City, OK. www.myspace.com/ericwrightartdude