Art Focus
O k l aho m a V i s ual A r ts C oal i t i on
Ok l a h o m a Vo l u m e 3 3 N o . 2
| Spring 2018
Variations on the Theme of Loss Emily Chase & Tali Weinberg April 6- May 20, 2018 Opening Reception: April 6, 6:00-9:00 PM Artist Talk with Emily Chase: April 7, 1:30-3:00 PM Artist Talk with Tali Weinberg: April 21, 1:30-3:00 PM
Image (top): Emily Chase, Mend Image (bottom): Tali Weinberg, Guilded Valley
Consuelo J. Underwood Thread Songs from the Borderlands June 1 - July 22, 2018 Opening Reception: June 1, 6:00-9:00 PM Artist Talk with Consuelo J. Underwood: June 2, 1:30-3:00 PM
Image (right): Consuelo J. Underwood, C Jane Run
108 E Mathew Brady St, Tulsa, OK 74103 | www.108contemporary.org Design by Rachel Parks, Third Floor Design, The University of Tulsa School of Art, Design, and Art History
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Art Focus
Ok l a h o m a Vo l u m e 3 3 N o . 2
| Spring 2018
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Momentum: A Showcase of Talent Blown Wide Open by Lucie Smoker
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Birds of a Feather: Community Flocks to NBC Oklahoma Gallery by Penny Snyder
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Gathering Sticks and Building Community: Patrick Dougherty at H. A. Chapman Centennial Green by Mary Katheryn Moeller
12 Visual Voices: Contemporary Chickasaw Art at the FJJMA by Erin Schalk
F e a t u re s 15 ahha Reintroduces Itself with THE EXPERIENCE by Jill Farr
18 Engaging Art as Holistic Healing by Blair Summers
20 Robert Peterson: Creating a Legacy by Ariana Jakub
22 The Personal is Political, and Makes for Great Art by Carleigh Foutch
24 EKPHRASIS: Art & Poetry edited by Liz Blood
26 OVAC News (top) On the cover: Patrick Dougherty, Call of the Wild (2012) Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA, Photo: Duncan Price, page 8
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(bottom) Robert Peterson, Heavy is the Head that Wears the Crown, oil on canvas, 36 x 48, page 20 Support from:
Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition 730 W. Wilshire Blvd., Suite 104, Oklahoma City, OK 73116. PHONE: 405.879.2400 WEB: ovac-ok.org Editor: Krystle Brewer, director@ovac-ok.org Art Director: Anne Richardson, speccreative@gmail.com Art Focus Oklahoma is a quarterly publication of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition dedicated to stimulating insight into and providing current information about the visual arts in Oklahoma. Mission: Supporting Oklahoma’s visual arts and artists and their power to enrich communities. OVAC welcomes article submissions related to artists and art in Oklahoma. Call or email the editor for guidelines. OVAC welcomes your comments. Letters addressed to Art Focus Oklahoma are considered for publication unless otherwise specified. Mail or email comments to the editor at the address above. Letters may be edited for clarity or space reasons. Anonymous letters will not be published. Please include a phone number.
2017-2018 Board of Directors: President: Susan Green, Tulsa; Vice President: John Marshall, Oklahoma City; Treasurer: Gina Ellis, Oklahoma City; Secretary: Laura Massenat, Oklahoma City; Parlimentarian: Douglas Sorocco, Oklahoma City; Marjorie Atwood, Tulsa; Bob Curtis, Oklahoma City; Hillary Farrell, Oklahoma City; Jon Fisher, Oklahoma City; Barbara Gabel, Tulsa; John Hammer, Tulsa; Ariana Jakub, Tulsa; Travis Mason, Oklahoma City; Michael Owens, Oklahoma City; Renee Porter, Oklahoma City; Amy Rockett-Todd, Tulsa; Dana Templeton, Oklahoma City; Chris Winland, Oklahoma City, Dean Wyatt, Tulsa; Jake Yunker, Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition is solely responsible for the contents of Art Focus Oklahoma. However, the views expressed in articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Board or OVAC staff. Member Agency of Allied Arts and member of the Americans for the Arts. © 2018, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. All rights reserved. View the online archive at ArtFocusOklahoma.org.
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MOMENTUM: A Showcase of Talent, Blown Wide Open By Lucie Smoker
Brenna Baer, Avery, detail, oil and silicon on panel
Walking through the Gold Dome, you can’t help but gaze at the six-foot-tall individuals—raw, imperfect nudes looking down at you. These Brenna Baer figures are encased in layers of synthetic polymers and glue--but transcend them. With a mindboggling skin texture that falls somewhere between lava and rough opal, they feel authentic and determined to make a name in this life. Nothing will limit their dreams, nobody can box them in. Kazi, Nicole, and Avery know who they are and how they want to be seen. On a pedestal nearby, a Rolodex file labelled “Crestwood” holds tiny relics of paper or cardboard—snippets documenting moments in the life of a community. Artist Chris Schultz collected these relics from parking lots and sidewalks in each of four neighborhoods where he has lived. He shaped them and sketched or painted in subtle imagery to deepen their stories with personal memory. Their resulting narratives
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Chris Schultz, Neighborhood, in process
feel both public and intimate. Add in the flip-book effect of the rotating card file and Schultz has fabricated an addictive archaeological experience that begs the question: what will our relics say about us? Music and conversation transition you to a nest-like paper silhouette with cutouts of Fifties-era homemakers. Removed unaltered from magazine pages portraying the “ideal modern” Kodachrome life, they still portray what a woman was supposed to be. Have our expectations changed? Artist Marissa Raglin has placed them in a crafted modern landscape that asks: When a woman enters our space, what assumptions do we make about her? How can our expectations of feminine “perfection” mesh with the realities of life, love, and—someday—equality? Even now, does the modern woman have the freedom to create her own story or is she stuck in a his-story of male dominance? The nest says a lot about what has changed for women in fifty years—and what has not.
The three artists behind these works were the focal point of this year’s Momentum exhibition, up only March 9th through 11th at the Gold Dome, but they represent something more. Momentum is the Oklahoma Visual Art Coalition’s annual debut for artists aged thirty and younger. It spotlights three artists, mentored by guest curators in the months leading up to the exhibition. Staged with music and live performances, Momentum included the work of dozens of additional young artists in a venue created just for them. Brenna Baer, Christopher Schultz, and Marissa Raglin were the centerpiece of a state-wide showcase. In past years, the exhibition opened, gave art patrons and the general public an opportunity to see the emerging talent, and closed-- fast. This year, that all changed. The Preview
Momentum truly began on February 22nd with the opening of the Momentum
Spotlight Artists Preview Exhibition at Oklahoma City’s posh new 21c Museum Hotel. Part contemporary art museum, part resort, the venue was named one of Travel & Leisure’s 2017 Top 100 New Hotels in the World. It brings the past work of the three Spotlight artists, Raglin, Schultz, and Baer, to a far-reaching network of patrons. This exhibition features the work of the Spotlight Artists, leading up to their projects presented at Momentum. This work will remain up at 21c on the third floor until June, with docent tours every Wednesday and Friday at 5pm. The Big Show
The main Momentum exhibition opened on March 9th at another historic venue, The Gold Dome. A landmark of Route 66, the iconic building paid tribute to Oklahoma City’s heritage while ushering in the future of Oklahoma art. More than just an exhibition, Momentum was a carnival of community, a little rowdy, with stunning artworks by over forty artists working in every medium. The real star, however, was the bar it raised. Curated by Anna Katherine Brodbeck of the Dallas Museum of Art and Emerging Curator Bianca Martucci-Fink, Momentum triumphed in both depth and presentation. The communities theme connected the three spotlight collections without limiting them. The variations in scale and media brought out a wide diversity of ideas that both meshed and pressed against each other. To me, the driving friction that elevated the spotlight pieces was their commentary on how we see ourselves versus how the world sees us. It linked Schultz’s unplanned narratives from community relics with Raglin’s newly-liberated fifties housewife and Baer’s inspiring, self-confident nudes. We cannot control what others think of us—what preconceived assumptions they assign to us based on sex, race, or body image—but we can build a strong life story that shatters it. A strong theme of “plastic”-whether material or ideal, wove through Baers’ encased nudes, Schultz’s plastic pockets, and Raglan’s
Marissa Raglin, Nesting
artificial fifties ideals. We have built this plastic planet, now our challenge is to live in it. The choice of venue, The Gold Dome, felt both elegant and historic. It elevated the overall experience and, in some ways, opened our minds wider as the dome raised toward the center of the exhibit. It connected past and promise in a way I haven’t seen before in this area. The Ongoing Exhibition
And then Momentum went really wide. On March 13, it opened again at The University of Central Oklahoma’s Mitchell Education Center, sharing the art of the central, spotlight artists in a whole new forum where classes of schoolchildren, citizens, and the university community were given an extended opportunity to see this exciting new talent. Momentum did more than put on a good show this year, it changed the game. The 21c preview inspired networking to the broader art world in a way that just might enlarge
the artists’ pool of patrons and funding for years to come. At The Gold Dome, both nights featured a carnival atmosphere with performance art and live music. Top local performers, including Samuel Regan, Haniwa, Jarvix, and Original Flow and the Fervent Route attracted a crowd that might not otherwise have set foot in an art exhibition. And, the following UCO event allowed greater exposure to the general public, plus art enthusiasts who didn’t make the opening night. Momentum wasn’t just a party or celebration of us—look what we’ve done. It was a bridge to what we will do. What really happened this year was an acceleration of opportunities for local talent. that can only lead to a true renaissance in Oklahoma art. The event was a long-term investment in the next decade of Oklahoma art. n Lucie Smoker is a suspense author, poet, and freelance writer. Check out her latest words at luciesmoker.wordpress.com.
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BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Community Flocks to NBC Oklahoma Gallery By Penny Snyder
(left to right) George Alexander (Muscogee), Modern Traditional Self-Portrait, 2017, oil on canvas; Tom Palmore, Oklahoma Spirit, 2012, oil on canvas
Altus, a town of nearly 20,000 located in the southwest corner of Oklahoma is home to the headquarters of a state-wide bank, a small gallery space, and flocks of birds downtown. All three come together this winter in a quirky yet compelling exhibition called Birds of a Feather at the Wigwam Art Gallery. Ken Fergeson, the chairman of NBC Oklahoma, began collecting art when he was in college in the 1970s, and has continued to do so since. As Chairman of NBC Bank Oklahoma and a passionate philanthropic leader in Altus and the state, Fergeson has amassed a stellar art collection of nearly a thousand works that captures the breadth and quality of Oklahoma art.
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Moses, an art historian and the Administrator of Art Collections for NBC Oklahoma. The collection extends past state lines, but the emphasis is mostly on preserving and sustaining Oklahoma’s artistic lineage. Another advantage to collecting regional art is that it is likely to speak to local communities. “As a consequence of focusing on Oklahoma artists, we get a lot of subject matter that’s important to people in Oklahoma,” adds Moses. “We’re a community-focused gallery that’s trying to interact with a public who might not always be thinking about art.”
The collection represents styles ranging from Native American flat style art from the early 20th century, to Western landscape paintings, to contemporary expressionist works by artists living and working in Oklahoma today.
And although Fergeson is the force behind the collection, unlike most private collections, this one resides in a public setting. NBC Oklahoma owns a small gallery space in downtown Altus. Located next to the NBC Bank, the gallery shows works from the collection and hosts community events, which helps bring even more people to the galleries.
“It’s extremely important to pay attention to regional art. We don’t collect just to get big names, we look for excellent art,” says Aaron
The NBC Collection’s deep ties to its home community is apparent in the current exhibition up in the gallery, Birds of a Feather.
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Inspired by a civic debate in Altus regarding a protective ordinance that prevents people from harming birds that led to bird over-population, the exhibition examines the relationship between humans and birds through visual art from the NBC Collection. After the omnipresence of birds in Altus sparked his imagination, Moses who works as the curator, registrar, marketer, and more for NBC, found that there were around 30 to 40 paintings, drawings, and prints in featuring birds in their collections. He whittled down the selection from there, focusing on works that illuminated the role that birds play in human lives as well as how humans affect birds. Like the collection itself, Birds of a Feather encompasses a range of styles and mediums such as a painting by Tom Palmore called Oklahoma Spirit, which features the Oklahoma flag with ruby throated hummingbirds, to Marwin Begaye’s woodcut of a blue heron against an intricate ornamental background. Many works in the exhibition feature traditional, representative depictions of birds in
Marwin Begaye (Navajo/Dine), Relative from the Blue World, 2017, woodcut
painting or sculpture, but there are several works that border on abstraction, where birds straddle the line between representative and aestheticized objects. Moses says that the exhibition’s focus on an accessible topic helped him connect with local audiences. One piece in particular resonated with audiences despite its somewhat unconventional style. Maybe This Year by D.J. Lafon depicts a farmer wearing a John Deere hat encircled by a halo of cartoon animal skulls. Above him is a crow set inside a blue-sky background, separated from expansive blue field that forms the background of the rest of the painting. “I thought it would resonate with people in Altus because it shows a character that could walk into a café here, especially since we have a strong agricultural community.” Despite its expressionist and surrealist style, Moses says he’s received positive commentary about the painting from local audiences. “A lot of people say oh that looks like my dad or grandpa,” he recounted. n Penny Snyder is an avid museum-goer, urban explorer and writer. She graduated from Wesleyan University in 2016, and is the PR & Media Manager at the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas. Read more of her writing at penny-snyder-writes.squarespace.com.
Dee J. Lafon, Maybe This Year, oil on canvas
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Patrick Dougherty, A Waltz in the Woods (2015) Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Photo: Rob Cardillo
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Gathering Sticks and Building Community: Patrick Dougherty at H.A. Chapman Centennial Green By Mary Kathryn Moeller
Award-winning artist, Patrick Dougherty, has been building monumental environmental works around the world for more than 30 years. His upcoming project at the H.A. Chapman Centennial Green is an opportunity for Tulsa to commune with him in the building of one of his unique stickwork sculptures while also reconnecting to their personal and primal past. Born in Oklahoma and based in North Carolina, Dougherty first began experimenting with tree saplings as a material in the 1980s. Since his earliest pedestal pieces, Dougherty has created over 250 site-specific installations. His whimsical structures exist in a tension between Seussical playfulness and hallowed dwellings of our ancient ancestors. They are lattice-roofted tempiettos and hedge-like gateways; swirling mazes and mysterious glyphs that viewers wander and explore. The structures sometimes lean precipitously or graft into or onto existing structures. Dougherty uses saplings as material for their flexibility but also for their regenerative nature. Wherever sourced, these tender trees will regrow, making Dougherty’s mark on the landscape gentle and unobtrusive. The sticks are wrapped by hand around one another forming columns, walls, roofs, and openings. They are pulled and tucked into place creating webs of continuous lines and patterns. The end result are structures that seem to have frozen in the motion of emerging fully formed from the earth.
Sponsoring Dougherty’s work at Centennial Green is The Urban Core Art Project (UCAP). This installation will be their third project in downtown Tulsa since the organization began in 2012. As is typical of Dougherty’s building process, UCAP is helping to recruit volunteers who will work alongside him over the threeweek installation. Dougherty speaks of the endearment of his works by the local populace through the work of volunteers. There is a shared sense of pride in its completion and in the enjoyment of it as a temporary addition to the existing environment. In the early years of his work, Dougherty says that many people were critical of the temporary nature of his installations. More recently, he says viewers are “more accepting of temporality and [that each piece] has its own life cycle.” Dougherty states that most of his works exist, at their best, for one year. The pieces can begin to change in the second year as the material begins to shift and wear. Several of his works, however, have survived in less-than-ideal conditions. One piece weathered a hurricane in Birmingham, AL while another lasted through the deep snow of 2017 at the Montreal Botanical Garden. In all cases, the sponsoring organizations are responsible for the care and maintenance of the works after installation. “They do have to be babied a bit,” Dougherty states. The decision of when to deinstall is left to the sponsors.” Whenever possible, Dougherty prefers to gather his materials locally and speaks of the collection of sticks as a harkening to our primal past. He references our hunter-gathering ancestors who
availed themselves of whatever nearby material could be used. “You have to be flexible in what you do [and] try to do the best you can with the materials you gather,” Dougherty states. Depending on the location, he has used a variety of sticks. In Hawaii, he used java and plum saplings as well as all kinds of guavas. For the Centennial Green project, Dougherty anticipates working with willow gathered along the Arkansas River and possibly elm and dogwood. The amount of sticks needed for a project can vary but Dougherty says a good marker is a full tractor trailer. He will begin with a structural footprint and dig holes throughout the location to establish areas for the vertical sections. A scaffolding is erected around the piece acting as an exoskeleton to support the rising forms. As the piece takes shape, Dougherty becomes a draughtsman, approaching the design graphically. “For me it is a bit of a drawing style... using the all of the conventions of drawing on the surface with sticks as lines,” he states. The greatest source of his drawing inspiration is the sourced material. “The matter of the sculpture is in the moment and based on what you can gather,” Dougherty notes. Once he begins on a sculpture, he finds himself highly aware of ways that the material can be used to be most dynamic. His process while working becomes more reactive than active. “Things are more meaningful to you. You are looking at what you are doing and trying to make it better than what it is, making it more succinct and vital [and therefore] more interesting to the public.”
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Patrick Dougherty, Ready or Not (2013) North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro, NC, Photo: Juan Villa
Dougherty’s goal is to, “craft an object that has real relevance to the people and the site.” That relevance, he believes, is buried deep within our subconscious. Again, referencing our nomadic days as hunter-gatherers. Dougherty says, “we long for simple shelter and are fascinated with nests.” There is an innate yearning for the earnestness of natural materials and what they provide. This is evident in our human response to sticks. Children especially are drawn to their formal possibilities. Without hesitation, sticks are at once swords, fairy wands, walking canes, and backyard building materials. “Reaction to sticks is so universal. People have lots of feelings about and personal associations with this material. It pulls adults backwards...you have to go back to your own childhood. But kids get it and make reciprocity with it. They are more free with their emotions and break the ice for rest of the viewers.” Drawing people into engagement with his structures is critical to Dougherty’s work. Thus, the selection of a site is of utmost importance. Rarely are Dougherty’s pieces
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located in a remote field. “They are,” he states, “put in a pivotal place to encourage people to see it and engage.” Together with the sponsoring organizations, Dougherty helps decide where best to place an upcoming work. For his design in Tulsa, Dougherty wants viewers to be able to see the structure from their cars. “It needs to have an outline that people can identify.” He will craft entrances so that they can step off the street into a new environment. Holbrook Lawson, one of the four Tulsa Arts Commissioners who founded UCAP, says Dougherty’s work and the selection of Centennial Green is an opportunity to bring Tulsans into an urban space that lacked engagement. The project is also creating an extraordinary network of local partnerships. One partner, Up with Trees, met with Dougherty to examine areas that require clearing as possible sources of saplings. Members of First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa will serve as docents. The Tulsa Community College’s Thomas K. McKeon Center for Creativity plans to host an art show related
to Dougherty’s work. Through the Mental Health Association, several people will be hired to help build the structure alongside Dougherty and local volunteers. Graduate students with the University of Oklahoma’s Design Studio have been meeting for the last six months with a variety of stakeholders to determine the future of Centennial Green after Dougherty’s work is gone. “The project,” Lawson states, “has blossomed into this big picture perspective in which art is the catalyst for change.” She hopes it can serve as a great model for other cities stating, “art is a great way to make positive change.” Engaging Design: Creating Urban Identity will be built over three weeks beginning March 8, 2018. If you would like to volunteer, visit ucaptulsa.com/volunteer. Patrick Dougherty’s work will be on view until March 2019 at the H.A. Chapman Centennial Green located at 605 South Main Street in Tulsa, OK. n Mary Kathryn Moeller is an arts writer, educator, and curator. She is available at mkmoeller77@gmail.com.
“People have lots of feelings about and personal associations with this material. It pulls adults backwards... you have to go back to your own childhood. But kids get it and make reciprocity with it. They are more free with their emotions and break the ice for rest of the viewers.” —Dougherty
(top) Patrick Dougherty, Summer Palace (2009) Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Photo: Rob Cardillo (bottom) Patrick Dougherty, A Waltz in the Woods (2015) Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Photo: Rob Cardillo
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VISUAL VOICES: Contemporary Chickasaw Art at the FJJMA By Erin Schalk
Erin Shaw (U.S., Chickasaw, b. 1975), The Lore I Found [detail], 2017, acrylic on canvas-mounted panel, 2 panels, 48 in. x 60 in. each, Loan courtesy of artist
One of Oklahoma’s most distinguishing features is that it is home to thirty-nine Native American nations which shape the complex fabric of the state’s cultural communities. Yet, even well into the twentyfirst century, contemporary art exhibitions and art historical scholarship in the United States repeatedly fail to acknowledge the significance of Native American artistic contributions. Beginning June 8th, the University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art will feature the groundbreaking exhibition Visual Voices: Contemporary Chickasaw Art. This exhibition, curated by Dr. Manuela Well-Off-Man and Ms. Karen Whitecotton, seeks to bring increased artistic and cultural representation to contemporary Southeast artists. Visual Voices will feature the work of fifteen regionally and nationally-recognized Chickasaw artists who work in a range of media: JOANNA UNDERWOOD BLACKBURN works in a variety of artistic disciplines, including pottery and sculpture. Her hand-built pottery
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incorporates intricate carved designs and is often made from Oklahoma red clay that she digs herself. KRISTEN DORSEY uses metal, fiber, and precious stones to create exquisitely-designed jewelry that combines both traditional and contemporary motifs. BRENT GREENWOOD’S multi-layered acrylic paintings seamlessly combine both naturalistic and abstracted images, Southeastern motifs, and text to generate powerful statements about 21st century Native American identity.
is a painter and mixed media artist who uses images of Chickasaw luminaries and expressive, saturated colors to make powerful and psychological portraits.
BILL HENSLEY
NORMA HOWARD is a painter who depicts quiet scenes of Native American life with exceptionally beautiful, diminutive dashes of color. She describes her signature painting technique as “basket weave strokes.”
LISA HUDSON’S photographs capture and immortalize fleeting moments. Through digital editing, she creates images with emotive colors and textures.
abstract paintings are visual feasts of color, texture and pattern. She describes her work as “reflect[ing] my history, experiences, and the way I see my environment.”
BRENDA KINGERY’S
LOKOSH is an artist deeply engaged with Chickasaw language preservation. His narrative paintings and mixed-media works are visual records of traditional Chickasaw stories.
incorporates painting, printmaking, mixed media, as well as traditional and innovative techniques to create intricately abstract two- and threedimensional imagery.
DUSTIN MATER
is a mixed media artist who creates highly symbolic works in a variety of materials including paint, metal and glass. His art addresses past and present aspects of Chickasaw life.
PAUL MOORE
is a fiber artist who uses ancestral techniques to make handwoven and finger woven textiles, including intricate lace shawls and dresses.
TYRA SHACKLEFORD
ERIN SHAW engages in dynamic visual storytelling through painting and installation that juxtaposes symbolic and dreamlike imagery.
employs vibrant, geometric Native American patchwork patterns into designs for contemporary handbags and accessories.
MAYA STEWART
MARGARET ROACH WHEELER is an artist who works extensively in sculpture, textiles, and fashion. For Visual Voices, she created full-figure sculptures using hand-weaving and hand-casting processes.
knives are constructed from found metals and use traditional forging techniques. The handles of the blades often zig-zag dramatically and utilize highlysaturated colors.
DAN WORCESTER’S
Without question, the work of the Visual Voices artists is as complex in its content as it is in form. Nevertheless, a recurring theme that many of the artists’ work addresses is: the desire to honor Southeastern art forms of the past, but to also re-contextualize traditional imagery and techniques into art with a contemporary focus. As the five-member Chickasaw Artist Board — the creative developers for the Visual Voices exhibition — explain, “One message that we hope the visitor takes away from the [Visual Voices] exhibit is that Chickasaws throughout history have survived many periods of change while maintaining strong Chickasaw identities. As Chickasaws we understand that resilience is the key to a thriving Nation. As Chickasaw artists, our work reflects both a desire to keep the ways of our ancestors alive, while looking forward to the future of our Nation. We do not see these two activities as contradictory; instead we recognize that innovation is our tradition. Seasons transform the landscape of time, while life cycles continue. With this exhibit we hope to illustrate this resilience and continuity.”
Bill Hensley (U.S., Chickasaw, b. 1978), Young Chickasaw Man, 2014, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 in. Loan courtesy of Capital Assets, Inc.
(continued to page 14)
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(top) Brenda Kingery (U.S., Chickasaw, b. 1939), Watching Now, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 72 x 1.75 in. Loan courtesy of the artist (bottom) Paul Moore (U.S., Chickasaw, b. 1970), The Field [detail], 2017, acrylic on panel (triptych), 20 x 16 x 1.5 in. Loan courtesy of artist
Visual Voices: Contemporary Chickasaw Art will be at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art from June 8 - September 9, 2018. The exhibition will travel to the Mississippi Museum of Art from March 2 - June 2, 2019, and then to the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe from August 15, 2019 - January 19, 2020. For more information on Visual Voices: Contemporary Chickasaw Art, please visit chickasawartists.com. In addition, the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, in collaboration with the Chickasaw Cultural Center, will offer educational programs that correspond with Visual Voices. “Family Day” will take place on June 17, 2018 from 1:00 - 4:00 PM, and children and adults alike are invited to partake in storytelling, stomp dancing, and interactive art projects. On August 30, University of Oklahoma students are invited to view the exhibition, listen to artist talks from a handful of Visual Voices’ artists, and enjoy music and stickball demonstrations. To learn more about Visual Voices at the FJJMA, please visit ou.edu/fjjma/exhibitions1/visual-voices.html. n Erin Schalk is a recent MFA graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Currently, she is a visual artist and writer based in the greater Los Angeles area, California. She may be reached at eschalk@saic.edu.
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Tulsa’s ahha Reintroduces Itself...With THE EXPERIENCE By Jill Farr
Group portrait created by the artists and shot by Jeremy Lamberton. Pictured L-R are David Reed James, Jeremy Lamberton, JP Morrison Lans, Daniel Sutliff, Laurie Keeley.
The Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa Hardesty Arts Center (ahha), has served a vital purpose in Tulsa’s Arts District since it opened in 2012. However, not everyone in Tulsa has fully understood all of what that purpose is, or the the extent of what ahha offers. Since the nonprofit’s founding in the 1960s, it has cultivated creativity in Tulsa while morphing and expanding to serve the community’s needs.
houses ahha in the Tulsa Arts District doesn’t offer much insight, either; the industrialmodern exterior doesn’t really answer the question, “What is this building? Office space for council meetings? Is the building an art school? A gallery?”
If you read publicity for their various community services--the member organization program that serves over 100 arts and humanities groups in Tulsa, or the Any Given Child-Tulsa program, that provides access and equity in art education for K-8 students in Tulsa public schools--you might think they’re simply an organizational body for arts advocacy and awareness. The nondescript building that
“As an organization, we do so much in schools and the community, but we also have a significant presence in downtown Tulsa with this facility. Our Board of Directors recently made the big decision to simplify our name. Now, the organization and the building will be known as ahha Tulsa. The name change happens at a time when we are launching new, exciting programming for the public.”
The simple response is...yes. Holly Becker, ahha’s Executive Director, explains.
Exhibition space is available on the first floor, the third floor houses classrooms which host workshops and classes; a painting and drawing studio, a printmaking/fiber studio and darkroom are open to the public...ahha is fully worthy as a point of attraction for anyone who desires to look at, or create art. “Creativity is truly at the core of the building,” says Dr. Amber Litwack, Director of Education, Public Engagement, and National Partnerships. It’s also the main focus of ahha’s community work, and something that the leadership wants to bring into sharp relief--in hopes of furthering the success of those efforts. “We seek to cultivate a more creative Tulsa,” says Dr. Litwack. “As we remind people (continued to page 16)
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The 3rd floor at ahha has become a space where all ages can explore their creativity.
about our longstanding advocacy and community programs, we have also developed a new, holistic model for people to experience the arts in a new way.”
Something that may help with that endeavor is a unique art event opening at ahha this Spring: THE EXPERIENCE. THE EXPERIENCE is a large-scale, fully immersive art installation that participants explore through sight, sound, movement, and touch. Five local artists--David Reed James, Jeremy Lamberton, JP Morrison Lans, Laurie Keeley, and Daniel Sutliff--will take the lead in transforming the second floor of ahha through multimedia work that guests will interact with, both directly and indirectly. Immersive, experiential art like THE EXPERIENCE has taken hold in a big way in other areas; WONDER at The Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, and the Rain Room at London’s Barbicon are two of the medium’s global phenomenons, and installations like Meow Wolf, St. Louis’ City Museum and Oklahoma City’s Factory Obscura have presented opportunities for Okies to engage with interactive art regionally, but THE EXPERIENCE will be a first for Tulsans. Artist David Reed James believes it will only grow. “This medium is exploding,” says James. “We’re in an era of everyone demanding more. From everything. From our jobs, our relationships, our government...and we’re also in the age of the spectacle. Art is rising to meet the occasion. Because our attention spans have been corroded, this is useful--this being in an environment that completely envelopes you, sort of traps you and forces you to have a genuine experience.”
AHHA Exterior, photo by David Sanders
JP Morrison Lans gives support to the notion of art meeting changed expectations, but also maintains that more traditional formats are still part of the overall experience and suggests that events like THE EXPERIENCE could not only broaden art’s definition but bring new appreciation to all its forms. “Having art that literally surrounds you, asking for attention, asking for contact, reacting to the viewer...people are hungry for that,” Lans says. “There’s a need to diversify the art we experience; a canvas hanging on a wall is incredibly valid, but to be enriched by this other type of art might also lead people to the canvas on the wall, to more esoteric types of art. It can be like a gateway drug.” The “selfie quotient” of spectacular, interactive exhibits like THE EXPERIENCE certainly raises their profile, and their desirability as a destination. Artist Laurie Keely not only thinks that’s a positive thing... she’s taking it as a challenge. “I think it’s our job to have as many selfie opportunities as possible in our work,” Keeley says.
Cast hands by JP Morrison Lans of people from the community that will be a part of THE EXPERIENCE
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Instead of placing distance between the experience and the experienceer, Keeley thinks that this type of interaction will be an encouragement for many who might not consider themselves “artsy,” or in a position to engage with art. “Everyday people are hungry for more art in their life,” Keeley says. “There shouldn’t be separation in art. It should be accessible to everyone. This type of art shows that art is in everyday life. It says you can be creative--even if you’re not artistic. Creativity is in all of us. Whether you have talent or not--this should encourage you.”
Daniel Sutliff is quick to point out that interactive art isn’t new...but the scope of installations and significance of the gallery-goer as part of the medium has definitely taken flight. “All art,” Sutliff says, “whether within the confines of a gallery or not, has this evolutionary process. This format is new in the sense that it’s so large scale--but even the Surrealists had openings where you had to hold a flashlight, move things to see, so interaction has been incorporated before. This isn’t a completely new thing, but in terms of the scale it is.” Sutliff also points out that while exhibits like THE EXPERIENCE are often touted as ways to introduce people to art who might not otherwise have an interest, they shouldn’t be ignored as a way to also deepen a seasoned aficionado’s relationship with art. “Going around looking at galleries--even for me, as an art person--sometimes it feels prohibitive. You’re looking in the window like, ‘Can I even go in there?’” While much of the engagement of THE EXPERIENCE will be tactile, Jeremy Lamberton’s contribution will be unique in that only the viewer’s movement will touch his installation; sensors will trigger reactions throughout a 40-foot video tunnel. Lamberton’s piece will possibly have the most direct commentary on what is part of an ongoing discussion that includes art like THE EXPERIENCE; does technology-screens, in particular--ultimately help or hinder us, as human beings? Does technology dampen our creativity, and our connection with each other...or can it enhance it? Lamberton believes that at least in some cases, the latter is possible...maybe especially with fostering art appreciation in those who might not otherwise be interested. “I think our lives are getting more technologically immersive,” Lamberton says. “People are hooked into phones all the time, looking at things from all over the world--but I think it helps when you’re creating these sorts of environmental installations. You’re creating a space and way of moving through artwork that is more attractive to some people. I don’t know if it’s more direct than staring at a painting or sculpture, but again, it involves the audience or the observer in the process. Especially in my installation, it will. The audience will help the artwork perform its function.”
School of Art, Design, and Art History The School of Art at the University of Tulsa offers majors in Art History, Digital Media, Drawing, Graphic Design, Painting, Photography, and Printmaking. The School of Art, Design, and Art History is a stimulating and intimate environment to practice, understand, and advance the visual arts. With small class sizes, students work closely with faculty to gain a solid foundation in media, artistic practices, and scholarly research. The liberal arts atmosphere at TU encourages students to develop innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to art and art history. Course work and individualized study foster students’ knowledge, critical thinking abilities and technical, creative, and writing skills. Students are challenged to develop the highest professional standards in concept, technique, and presentation, and to actively engage in the community as a part of good studio practice. Because of close relationships with faculty, students receive individualized attention as they shape the program to their needs. One of the highlights of the academic year is the Gussman Juried Student Exhibition The show is curated by a nationally recognized juror, and students win cash awards for their work. Come visit us!
Rebranding an arts center to ensure that the surrounding community understands its purpose and--more importantly-fully receives the benefit of that purpose, is evidence that it is truly an ambassador for the myriad benefits that art bestows. With a vehicle like THE EXPERIENCE to assist in heightening visibility, ahha is sure to accomplish its goal, and move closer to embodying the sentiment put forth by Elbert Hubbard, that “art is not a thing...it is a way.” n Jill Farr lives and writes in south Oklahoma City. You can reach her at info@jillfarr.com
Please Follow us on Facebook. www.facebook.com/utulsaschoolofart/ For more information, visit www.cas.utulsa/edu/art/ or call 918.631.2739 • TU is an EEO/AA institution
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Engaging Art as Holistic Healing By Blair Summers
Where hospitals fundamentally serve to improve physical conditions, the Art of Healing program through Hillcrest Medical Center and Oklahoma Heart Institute in Tulsa redefines the parameters of healthcare by means of engendering invaluable mental stimulation, creativity, and community. Whether one awaits a surgical procedure, requires long-term care, or has a sick loved one, the integration of visual and performing arts within often emotionally turbulent hospital spaces induces a calming presence. This notion is epitomized at Hillcrest by the scene of a harpist playing in the Intensive Care Unit waiting room. The program was initiated by Dr. Fred Garfinkle, MD and his wife Debra Garfinkle following their return from the Society of Arts in Healthcare Conference, which discussed the profound impact of art in conjunction with a patient’s mental state, stress levels, and healing processes. After several meetings between the artistic community and hospital administration, Hillcrest introduced the Art of Healing program in 2002, then consisting of multiple artists, musicians, a poet, and a director. The current team consists of Nat Torkelson, Art of Healing supervisor and Administrative Director of Cardiovascular Services at Oklahoma Heart Institute, and artists Sharon Allred, Margee Aycock, Tami Smith, and Tennille Wilson. “Many programs that team art and healthcare started in children’s hospitals, but the elderly, those in rehabilitation programs, and adults in acute-care settings can benefit, too. When hospitals bring in art, research has shown that patients are more satisfied and comfortable during their hospital stay,” explains Nat Torkelson, MS, RN. Today, the artists-in-residence, a paid position through Hillcrest and the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa supported in part by donations, along with staff from the medical center, operate the program, engaging with patients and their families by providing an opportunity to relieve tension through art-making. One artistin-residence Margee Aycock describes her inventory, “I have all sorts of painting
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supplies and paintable wooden things, like birdhouses, frames, boxes, scrap wood for making plaques, dry erase boards, and, of course, paper.” She also keeps knitting/ crochet supplies and teaches jewelry-making, particularly for those at the hospital for an extended period. Without a dedicated studio space, artists mobilize supplies through the Art Cart program, spreading the opportunity to focus on something positive to more patients and those in waiting rooms. Beyond individual catharsis and creative freedom, the Art of Healing program demonstrates the power, community, and necessity of the arts for those facing difficult situations. In this setting, patients and/or family members are able to work together in a small space that ultimately cultivates new conversations and perspectives. Aycock said that over the years she has been able to witness the transformative nature of the arts in healing. She went on to tell of a young woman who, on top of medical concerns, had to worry about possibly losing her apartment due to lack of income from her stint in the hospital. Aycock taught her to make earrings, and said that during their following visit, she had already created an entire bulletin board full of custom earrings; Aycock found out later that the woman’s friends sold every pair in order for her to pay next month’s rent. Another patient who also learned to make earrings completed a pair for her sister who was en route to the hospital. By the time of her sister’s arrival, the patient had already passed away. The nurse gave the earrings to the sister, who was so moved by the symbol that she was on her sister’s mind during her last few hours. In addition, a high-risk pregnancy patient decided to stay in the hospital for two months after doctors told her there was a chance of losing her twins after twenty-four weeks of pregnancy. She and other expecting mothers find solidarity in Art Cart breaks between the constant beep of monitors and racing anxiety. Instead, this mother focused on making matching pink bracelets for her
twin girls, materializing a resilient optimism throughout the process. A number of participants are experiencing life and death medical issues, depression, and financial stress. Working with the artists often becomes a major source of encouragement and stimulation helping them cope with their many challenges. When asked about one of the most memorable experiences throughout her time in the Art of Healing program, Margee mentioned the weekly exchange when knocking on a patient’s door of her saying, “Art Cart is here.” The patient often smiles and replies, “Thank God… I was so depressed before you got here.” Hillcrest is onto something. Since 2002, the Hillcrest Art of Healing Program has recognized the potential good that comes from engaging the community, including the caregivers, chaplain, nurses, or doctor, along with the Artists in Residence, coalescing interdisciplinary practices, and that perhaps things like live music or making a collage are vital to the holistic treatment and well-being of patients and their families. The Art of Healing program is made possible and sustained through donations. If you would like to contribute to this outstanding program, donations should be made to the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa and earmarked for the Art of Healing Program. n Blair Summers is a curator, researcher, writer, and artist in Oklahoma City. She graduated with a BA in Global Art and Visual Culture from the University of Central Oklahoma and can be contacted at blairelizabethsummers@gmail.com.
Art of Healing paint night fundraiser, photo by Hillcrest
Heart made by a patient
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ROBERT PETERSON: Creating a Legacy By Ariana Jakub
Robert Peterson hasn’t met many of the people whose portraits adorn his Lawton studio. His subjects, many no longer living, are brought to life through the warm bodies of his friends. So as not to rely on existing images of his celebrity muses such as Picasso, James Brown, and the Obamas, he often asks friends to sit for him to create distinctive poses. The eyes of his subjects stare directly at their viewer, confident and penetrating.
He gestured to a large canvas behind me. The subject is a homeless woman Peterson met while exhibiting in Art Basel Miami last year. Smoking a rolled cigarette and dressed in layers of shirts, skirts, and sweaters, she commands the frame in confident repose. Leaning on brick stairs with her legs bent, she looks exhausted yet ready to leap up towards the viewer. He was visibly excited about her and the new direction she is taking his work.
I asked Peterson to select some of his favorite paintings, a task he finds more than a little difficult. “A few days ago, I decided to There must be at least fifty stop painting celebrities. I don’t paintings in boxes, crates, on want my work compared to easels, and hidden behind objects other versions. I want to do in his garage. Many of his works it first,” he admits resolutely. can be found in the collections Never having received any of some of the celebrities he has financial help from his parents Peterson holding Beautiful Tar Covered Steps, oil on canvas, 48 x 60 painted. One is in a museum. or grandparents, he’s adamant As he moves around the studio, about the legacy he is leaving I notice a gold leaf portrait of to his three children, both Frida Kahlo in a corner beside the door. It’s financially and creatively. “It’s more than these drawings and easily translates into his the only painting that hangs on the wall. It’s the money. I want my work to outlive me.” paintings. Like Kahlo, who punctured her not a simple pose he’s captured—she sits with Peterson is painfully aware of how quickly pelvis in a bus accident and began painting one leg foreshortened, draped in three layers all he has gained could be gone. He and during her convalescence, Peterson’s injury of red, white, and dark green fabric—a nod to his family were homeless for a stretch, an awakened his artistic spirit that had lay her country’s flag. Shrouded in gold, she looks experience that keeps him working harder dormant for so many years. like an icon, perhaps serving as a reminder than ever before. His studio is in his home for of Peterson’s past, as they both share tragic a reason. “My family is what inspires me. I do Back in his studio, he pulled out a painting beginnings to their careers. this for them.” and stepped back. I stood eye-to-eye with boxing legend Joe Lewis. An apple floats In February 2012, Peterson was back in He speaks with pride about creating work in above his head, a nod to Magritte perhaps, Lawton after a period in New York where he Oklahoma, though the state’s support of art radiating a gentle white halo around Lewis’ studied fashion at Parsons School of Design. is at an all-time low. With no art classes in head. Peterson traced the fruit admitting One morning during his routine run on the its public schools, the Lawton Arts Council it was the first time he had ever painted an treadmill, he fell and broke his hip. Unable provides art classes for children and adults apple. He characterizes his painting style to return to work at the Goodyear factory, he in the community. “It makes no sense to tell as “spontaneous realism,” choosing colors awaited hip replacement surgery and hoped people to buy my art if they don’t understand its instinctually while maintaining an exact for the best. His doctor, however, prepared importance,” he explained passionately. Peterson physical representation of his subject. him for the worst and Peterson knew he’d have is proud to play a large role in the Council’s to find another way to support his family if financing by consistently donating his artwork The next painting he showed me was a he survived. He pulled out his Copic markers and time to help raise much needed funds to magnificent rendering of a red horse which from school and began drawing portraits nurture future generations of artists. n came to him in a dream a few months ago. of musicians he admired. He showed me a The animal is full of muscle and subtle stack of these drawing from his desk, colors shadows. He especially enjoyed painting slightly more prismatic than realistic, and Ariana Jakub is an artist, educator, and writer. the background, using a repeated design unmistakably accurate in depicting each She teaches art at Cascia Hall Preparatory School subject. His natural talent is evident in inspired from a recent film. and can be reached at ariana.jakub@gmail.com.
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Do You See What I See? Painted Conversations by Theodore Waddell Through May 13, 2018
Quarterhorse Noon #2. Theodore Waddell, 2008, oil and encaustic on canvas, 72" x 66"
(top) Robert Peterson, Heavy is the Head that Wears the Crown, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 (bottom) Robert Peterson, Red Horse, oil on canvas, 40 x 40
1700 Northeast 63rd Street Oklahoma City, OK 73111 Mon – Sat, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Sun, Noon – 5:00 p.m. nationalcowboymuseum.org Museum Partners Devon Energy Corp. • E.L. & Thelma Gaylord Foundation Major Support The Oklahoman Media Company • The True Foundation
f e a t u re 21
The Personal is Political, and Makes for Great Art By Carleigh Foutch
(left) Janice Mathews-Gordon, Nevertheless, She Persisted, acrylic paint, mixed media (right) Janice Mathews-Gordon, Silence Breakers, acrylic paint, mixed media
When you hear the word “divided” you may think of separated objects, groupings, classifications, fissures, or tension. Oklahoma City-based artist Janice Mathews-Gordon sets out to address just that: the tension that exists among all of us given our current political and social climate with her solo exhibition Divided., opening April 6th at JRB Art at the Elms in Oklahoma City. “The last couple years I’ve found myself sort of trying to express whatever’s going on with me,” Mathews-Gordon said. “And this last year, there’s just been so much going on with our country that’s just...awful. And it’s one of the only things I can think about, so I decided to put it into my art.” When it comes to constructing her thoughts, Mathews-Gordon begins with a carefully composed ink sketch of shapes, which is then outlined on a canvas. From there, the paint is applied, and the painting begins to coalesce as points-of-interest (shapes, lines, bits of paper, anything that gives the piece texture or life) are added. With a myriad of abstract paintings labeled after pivotal political moments or sayings that have happened since the 2016 election (Nevertheless She Persisted, Silence Breakers,
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Conspiracy Theory, etc.), Mathews-Gordon brings to the canvas the visceral thoughts and feelings many have had since then. She also seeks to capture the common human experience throughout all of her art, and Divided. captures the confusion, unease, and resiliency of the country as it journeys on through this tumultuous time on shaky legs. “The dialogue we’re having [as a country] just isn’t constructive, it’s destructive. And even though I grew up during the Civil Rights movement when so many awful things were going on, sometimes it just seems worse now,” she said. As a daughter to activist parents (with her father being a delegate for Eugene McCarthy), social justice and a practical knowledge of current events was a common and welcome topic during her childhood, with dinner table discussions being a cornerstone in shaping Mathews-Gordon, and is something that she’s carried with her into adulthood. Mathews-Gordon is currently working with Julia Kirt as she runs for the Oklahoma State Senate, among other boots-on-the-ground activities like going to the state capitol when the need arises and helping other female candidates run for local office.
Mathews-Gordon’s personal journeys have had a heavy influence in her previous art exhibitions (specifically Remnants and State-of-Mind), and Divided. focuses on the aspects of those personal reflections as it ties into the common human experience and current political climate, evoking the phrase “the personal is political” from the women’s movement in the 1960s and 70s. “I can’t separate the two,” she said of her experiences. “The overarching theme for me is, and always has been, a concern with what’s going on in the world, our state, our city.” The common human experience can be a tough beast to tackle, but Mathews-Gordon’s paintings bring the audience to a central point of understanding that the current fractured system has left the ability to compromise and negotiate seemingly in the dust. “We all have the same thoughts and feelings, and we all share a lot of the same troubles, and yet we seem to not be able to get along,” she said. “And that seems to be a common experience no matter who you voted for or what you think.” Throughout all of the madness, art has offered a way for Mathews-Gordon to give her thoughts a voice and shape, and the response
WANDERERS WELCOME
Janice Mathews-Gordon
of art across all generations as a way to combat the vitriol of the times has been uplifting. “It is encouraging to see what people are doing, that there is a response,” she said. “I’m going a more traditional gallery route, in a way, because I’m older and that’s what’s more comfortable for me. But it seems to me that young people are doing a wonderful job of getting out all sorts of messages in a lot of different ways.” Like all creative endeavors, creating the pieces for Divided. has taught Mathews-Gordon a few things about herself. “I’ve learned how much I care, and I’ve learned that I’ve got to express it. I cannot turn a blind eye to what’s going on,” she said. “And art is just a mirror of what’s going on, and I think we need more social commentary through art, so I’m excited to be doing [this exhibition].” Mathews-Gordon owned an award-winning graphic design business before transitioning into the fine art world full-time in 2008. Since then, her work has been exhibited and represented all over the state, including the Oklahoma State Capitol, Oklahoma City University School of Law, GE Global Research Center, Crowe & Dunlevy Attorneys at Law, and the Northcare Behavioral Health Center. For more information on Divided., visit the JRB Art at the Elms website at jrbartgallery.com. And for more on Mathews-Gordon herself, visit her website at mathewsgordon.com. n Carleigh Foutch is a writer and activist living in Oklahoma City. She received her BA in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and continues to write stories of all kinds in her spare time (although her favorite thing to write is fiction), and she works as a full-time copywriter in Edmond. To learn more about Carleigh and her work, visit carleighfoutch.weebly.com.
NEW EXHIBITION
Pop-Stars!: Pop Culture and Contemporary Art ON DISPLAY APR 2018 THROUGH JAN 2019
#thisis21c 21cOklahomaCity.com OPEN AND FREE 24/7/365
f e a t u re 23
24
ekphrasis
EKPHRASIS: Art & Poetry edited by Liz Blood
Artist Jason Cytacki and poet David Beebe recall Raymond Carver in this pairing: minimalism, darkness, the
After Hours Smoke tangles with tangerine clouds on the horizon like an invitation sealed in a soft cream envelope. The dying breath of day sends an empty beer can down
blues. Ekphrasis is a place for
the street into the fresh dark.
poets to respond to a visual
One by one the neighbors shut their windows but still the
work of art.
laugh tracks bounce off the brick and concrete.
Next door two boys punch it out in the mosquito glow of the streetlight; shirts ripped, cursing like their fathers, the neighborhood in silence as this happens all too often. The world isn’t big enough for boys with two first names. You would’ve pulled them apart.
Last night I saw you in Cape Canaveral as rockets became raptured in ribbons of smoke and you tossed your hair over your shoulder and waved at the camera, laughing with all your body the way honest people do. Before the end you said without Him you were nothing, but even in nothing you were everything. Poet: David Beebe is the co-founder of LCk Publishing and his poetry has appeared in This Land Press, New Plains Review, 3288 Review, and The Tulsa Voice. He lives and writes outside of Tulsa. Artist: Jason Cytacki earned an MFA from the University of Notre Dame in 2011 and currently is an Associate Professor of Painting at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. His work examines the underlying framework that mediates the values, meanings, and symbols of the world we inhabit.
Often I awake in the dark unsure of where I am, too afraid to move for there are killers on the highway, haunted by white noise from an after-hours television. Maybe it’s applause.
Jason Cytacki, Backyard (The High Life), 2017, oil on canvas, 24” x 18”
e k p h r a s i s 25
OVAC NEWS
Last month we issued three exciting opportunities: Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship, Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowships and Student Awards of Excellence, and 24 Works on Paper! The Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship trains promising writers and curators by expanding their professional education and experiences. This distinctive yearlong program awards twelve fellows the opportunity to participate in a structured and innovative curriculum designed to encourage new writing and curatorial projects. You can apply for the Fellowship on our website until May 15th.
Krystle Brewer, Executive Director
The Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowship and Student Awards of Excellence award outstanding artistic merit to two established artists and two current students, either undergraduate or graduateseeking. These cash prizes, $5,000 and $500 each, are intended to reward qualified artists with outstanding vision and are chosen by a guest curator from applications submitted by the artists. This year’s guest curator is Mark Scala, the chief curator at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, TN. You can apply for these awards on our website until April 30th. 24 Works on Paper is a biennial traveling exhibition of work by living Oklahoma artists that tours the state for 18 months, reaching rural communities across the state. This year’s guest curator is Louise
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SPRING 2018
Siddons, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Art History at Oklahoma State University. Selected artists are awarded a $50 stipend and have their work in an accompanying printed catalogue. You can apply for this exhibition on our website until June 1st. Additionally, we are thrilled to announce that this year the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition celebrates its 30th Anniversary! It’s incredible to witness the tremendous growth the organization has seen from a granting institution to include multiple exhibitions and programs as well as several professional development opportunities for Oklahoma artists. To mark the occasion and as a nod to OVAC’s roots, we are kicking off a fundraising campaign to raise funds to support OVAC’s grants for artists for years to come. Launching soon, we will have an interactive website that captures the rich history of the organization. Thank you for being a part of the OVAC story and we hope you will join us for a very special 12x12 Art Fundraiser later this year to celebrate with us!
Sincerely,
Krystle Brewer Executive Director
Thank you to our new and renewing members from November 2017 through January 2018 Susan Agee, The Vault Art Space A Gathering Place Anita Albright Marilyn Artus Lori Bacigalupi and James Young Keith Ball and Marti Jourden Tahlia Ball Glen Bean Evan Beasley Joy Reed Belt, JRB Art at the Elms DiAnn Berry Amber Borum Piper Bridwell Tiana Buckner Nelda Burrows Paige Busick Cady Carlson Dill
Amilia Carpenter Ben Chaney Jack Chapman Sam Charboneau John Clegg Ryan Davis Emma Winters Difani Liz Dueck Jim and Linda Franklin Sam Goad Almira Grammer Chazz Grey Marsha Gulick Kristina Haden Reese Hadzeriga Sue Hale Darby Heard Daniel Giles Helm Madison Howard
Lydia Jeffries Todd Jenkins Rusty Johnson Jake Jones Kristopher Kanaly Katelynn Knick Melinani Kopta Adam Lanman William Walker Larason Michelle LaVasque Beverly Layton Bobby Lee Ashley Lewis Trace Logan Martin Lopez Patta LT Butcher Cindy Mason Travis Mason Marla Massey
Mitzi Massie William McClure America Meredith Faye Miller Nicole Moan Josephine Morrison Sean Mueller Van Nguyen Jamie Pemberton Phyllis Ann Price Shirley Quaid Laurence Myers Reese Ariana Riera Patrick Riley Connie Rish Gabriel Rojas Liz Ross Jay Sage Maddie Schmidt
Byron Shen Emily Smart Janetta Smith Alfred Smith Douglas Sorocco, Dunlap Codding Laurie Spencer Espanta Steppe Blair Summers Mary Hockett Thoma Cecilia Villalobos Shel Wagner Angela Williams Roger Womack Jennifer Woods May Yang Alix Yaw Malcolm Zachariah
Graduation Exhibitions
O U S C H O O L O F V I S UA L A RT S P R O U D LY P R E S E N T S T H E C L A S S O F 2 018 E X H I B I TO R S :
OU S oVA
Katherine Adams · Joel Agimudie · Arden Andrade · Sidney Bernbaum · Isabella Bianchini · Julia Blasdel · Meredith Brander · Zana Bruner · Cameron Bryan · Annavittoria Conner · Javier Cordova Caroline Corley · Braden Crumly · Rebecca Curtis · Olivia Egan · Yue Fang · Cristina Garcia · Courtney Geller · Frances Gottsch · Rachel Hall · Joven Higuchi · Jane Hsi · Alexandra Hopper Jasmine Jones · Terrance Jones · Mary Harley Jordan · Reva Kashikar · Madison Kay · Kyle Koessel · Hannah Leggett · Qianny Lu · Tricia Miller · Angela Maidt · Vesela Massaro Noelle Moon · Cub Olson · Kaylee Ondiak · Regan Osborn · Torrey Parker · Melvin Preston · Kelley Queen · Addison Rosenquist · Rachel Russell · Kara Sauzek · Abbie Sears · Mark Scott Brooklyn Spor · Kristin Thompson · Sydney Thompson · Olivia Walton · Katrina Ward · Nate Ward · Danielle Weigandt · Alexis Wilcox · Alison Wood · Sonoko Yago · Jacob Young
all
for you.
MFA
BFA
MAINSITE Contemporary Art 122 E Main St, Norman.
April 13 – May 11
Fred Jones Jr. Art Center 520 Parrington Oval, Norman.
April 30 – May 11
OU School of Visual Arts
Join Us:
104 th OU SoVA Student Exhibition
The University of Oklahoma
Dates:
April 26 – May 13
For more info: art.ou.edu
Location: Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
o v a c n e w s 27
Gallery Listings & Exhibition Schedule Ada
Claremore
63 Annual Student Exhibit April 2 to April 25, 2018 Senior Exhibits April 29 to May 11, 2018 The Pogue Gallery East Central University 900 Centennial Plaza (580) 559-5353 ecok.edu
Capstone Art Show April 19 – May 3 Foundations Gallery Rogers State University 1701 W Will Rogers Blvd (918) 343-7740 rsu.edu
rd
Davis
Wigwam Gallery 117 W Commerce St (580) 481-3150
Chickasaw Nation Welcome Center 35 N Colbert Rd (580) 369-4222 chickasawcountry.com
Alva
Duncan
Tour de Quartz April 6 – 28, 2018 Art of the West May 4 – 26, 2018 Art on the Salt Fork June 1 – 30, 2018 Graceful Arts Gallery and Studios 523 Barnes St (580) 327-ARTS (2787) gracefulartscenter.org
Chisholm Trail Heritage Center 1000 Chisholm Trail Pkwy (580) 252-6692 onthechisholmtrail.com
Altus
Ardmore African Art and Artifacts May 23rd to July 2018 The Goddard Center 401 First Avenue SW (580) 226-0909 goddardcenter.org
Bartlesville Price Tower Arts Center 510 Dewey Ave (918) 336-4949 pricetower.org
Chickasha Nesbitt Gallery University of Science and Arts Oklahoma 1806 17th St (405) 574-1344 usao.edu/gallery/schedule
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Durant
Melton Gallery University of Central Oklahoma 100 University Dr (405) 974-2432 uco.edu/cfad University Gallery Oklahoma Christian University 2501 E Memorial Rd (800) 877-5010 oc.edu
El Reno Redlands Community College 1300 S Country Club Rd (405) 262-2552 redlandscc.edu
Guthrie Hancock Creative Shop 116 S 2nd St (405) 471-1951 hancockcreativeshop.com
Centre Gallery Southeastern OK State University 1405 N 4th PMB 4231 (580) 745-2000 se.edu
Owens Arts Place Museum 1202 E Harrison Ave (405) 260-0204 owensmuseum.com
Durham
All Fired Up Art Gallery 421 N Main (580) 338-4278 allfiredupok.com
Metcalfe Museum 8647 N 1745 Rd (580) 655-4467 metcalfemuseum.org
Edmond Donna Nigh Gallery University of Central Oklahoma 100 University Dr (405) 974-2432 uco.edu/cfad Edmond Historical Society & Museum 431 S Boulevard (405) 340-0078 edmondhistory.org Fine Arts Institute of Edmond 27 E Edwards St (405) 340-4481 edmondfinearts.com
Guymon
Idabel Museum of the Red River 812 E Lincoln Rd (580) 286-3616 museumoftheredriver.org
Lawton The Leslie Powell Foundation and Gallery 620 D Avenue (580) 357-9526 lpgallery.org Museum of the Great Plains 601 NW Ferris Ave (580) 581-3460 discovermgp.org
Norman
Oklahoma City
Downtown Art and Frame 115 S Santa Fe (405) 329-0309
Acosta Strong Fine Art 6420 N Western Ave (405) 453-1825 johnbstrong.com
Firehouse Art Center 444 S Flood (405) 329-4523 normanfirehouse.com Jacobson House 609 Chautauqua (405) 366-1667 jacobsonhouse.org Fred Jones Jr Museum of Art 555 Elm Ave (405) 325-4938 ou.edu/fjjma Lightwell Gallery University of Oklahoma 520 Parrington Oval (405) 325-2691 art.ou.edu University of Oklahoma MFA Thesis Exhibition April 13 – May 12, 2018 Marissa Raglin and J. Chris Johnson June 8 – July 14, 2018 MAINSITE Contemporary Art Gallery 122 E Main (405) 360-1162 mainsite-art.com Moore-Lindsey House Historical Museum 508 N Peters (405) 321-0156 normanmuseum.org The Depot Gallery 200 S Jones (405) 307-9320 pasnorman.org
[ArtSpace] at Untitled 1 NE 3rd St (405) 815-9995 1ne3.org Brass Bell Studios 2500 NW 33rd (405) 361-3481 facebook.com/BrassBellStudios Contemporary Art Gallery 2928 Paseo (405) 601-7474 contemporaryartgalleryokc.com Current Studio 1218 N Penn Ave (405) 673-1218 currentstudio.org Dylan Bradway April 12 – May 6, 2018 Support Local Art Group Show Curated by Sean Vali May 10 – June 3, 2018 Oklahoma Illustrators – Arjan Jager, Jeff Sparks, and Greg White June 7 – July 8, 2018 DNA Galleries 1705 B NW 16th St (405) 371-2460 dnagalleries.com Exhibit C 1 E Sheridan Ave Ste 100 (405) 767-8900 exhibitcgallery.com IKBI: Chickasaws and Choctaws Sharing Our Culture and History Through Art June 7 – September 1, 2018 Gaylord-Pickens Museum, home of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame 1400 Classen Dr (405) 235-4458 oklahomahof.com
Grapevine Gallery 1933 NW 39 (405) 528-3739 grapevinegalleryokc.com Howell Gallery 6432 N Western Ave (405) 840-4437 howellgallery.com Sue Hale April – June 2018 Resident Artist Terry Clark April 2018 Resident Artist Rita Ortloff May 2018 Resident Artist Lucinda Cornish June 2018 In Your Eye Studio and Gallery 3005A Paseo (405) 525-2161 inyoureyegallery.com Individual Artists of Oklahoma 706 W Sheridan Ave (405) 232-6060 individualartists.org JRB Art at The Elms 2810 N Walker Ave (405) 528-6336 jrbartgallery.com Kasum Contemporary Fine Art 1706 NW 16th St (405) 604-6602 kasumcontemporary.com In the Principles Office: Tom Ryan the Art Student April 7 – November 11, 2018 46th Annual Prix de West Art Exhibition & Sale June 8 – August 5, 2018 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 1700 NE 63rd (405) 478-2250 nationalcowboymuseum.org Nault Gallery 816 N Walker Ave (405) 642-4414 naultfineart.com
Nona Hulsey Gallery, Norick Art Center Oklahoma City University 1600 NW 26th (405) 208-5226 okcu.edu Inasmuch Foundation Gallery Oklahoma City Community College Gallery 7777 S May Ave (405) 682-7576 occc.edu Isabelle De Borchgrave: Fashioning Art from Paper June 16 – September 9 Oklahoma City Museum of Art 415 Couch Dr (405) 236-3100 okcmoa.com Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center 3000 General Pershing Blvd (405) 951-0000 oklahomacontemporary.org Oklahoma State Capitol Galleries 2300 N Lincoln Blvd (405) 521-2931 arts.ok.gov Paseo Art Space 3022 Paseo (405) 525-2688 thepaseo.org Red Earth 6 Santa Fe Plaza (405) 427-5228 redearth.org smART Space Science Museum Oklahoma 2100 NE 52nd St (405) 602-6664 sciencemuseumok.org
Park Hill Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc. 21192 S Keeler Dr (918) 456-6007 cherokeeheritage.org
Pauls Valley
Sulphur
Vantage Point May 3 – May 30, 2018 Wanderlust June 7 – July 9, 2018 The Vault Art Space and Gathering Place 111 East Paul Avenue, Suite 2 (405) 343-6610
Chickasaw Visitor Center 901 W 1st St (580) 622-8050 chickasawcountry.com/explore/ view/Chickasaw-visitor-center
Ponca City Ponca City Art Center 819 E Central (580) 765-9746 poncacityartcenter.com
Shawnee Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art 1900 W Macarthur (405) 878-5300 mgmoa.org
Stillwater Graphic Design Capstone April 2 – April 19, 2018 Annual Juried Student Exhibition April 23 – May 8, 2018 Gardiner Gallery of Art Oklahoma State University 108 Bartlett Center for the Visual Arts (405) 744-4143 art.okstate.edu Layered Voices May 1 – August 18, 2018 Oklahoma State University Museum of Art 720 S Husband St (405) 744-2780 museum.okstate.edu Observations: Bloodgood & Bonifield March 8 – April 22, 2018 Modella Art Gallery 721 S Main Modellaartgallery.org
Tahlequah
Cherokee Arts Center 212 S Water Ave (918) 453-5728 cherokeenationart.com
Tonkawa Eleanor Hays Gallery Northern Oklahoma College 1220 E Grand (580) 628-6670 noc.edu
Tulsa Variations on the Theme of Loss: Emily Chase & Tali Weinberg April 6 – May 20, 2018 Consuelo J. Underwood: Thread Songs from the Borderlands June 1 – July 22nd, 2018 108|Contemporary 108 E MB Brady St (918) 895-6302 108contemporary.org Aberson’s Exhibits 3624 S Peoria (918) 740-1054 abersonexhibits.com Exploring the Big Trail May 1 – December 31, 2018 Gilcrease Museum 1400 Gilcrease Road (918) 596-2700 gilcrease.utulsa.edu Andrew Hladky: The Nite in the Nite and the Nite in the Daytime May 4 – July 22, 2018 Hardesty Arts Center 101 E Archer St (918) 584-3333 ahhatulsa.org Henry Zarrow Center for Art and Education 124 E MB Brady St (918) 631-4400 gilcrease.utulsa.edu/Explore/ Zarrow
Alexandre Hogue Gallery University of Tulsa 2930 E 5th St. (918) 631-2739 utulsa.edu/art Holliman Gallery Holland Hall 5666 E 81st Street (918) 481-1111 hollandhall.org Joseph Gierek Fine Art 1342 E 11th St (918) 592-5432 gierek.com Living Arts 307 E MB Brady St (918) 585-1234 livingarts.org Negative Space April 2018 Sarah Sullivan May 2018 E.T.A., A Tulsa Art Collective June 2018 Mainline 111 N Main Ste C (918) 629-0342 mainlineartok.com M.A. Doran Gallery 3509 S Peoria (918) 748-8700 madorangallery.com Lovetts Gallery 6528 E 51st St (918) 664-4732 lovettsgallery.com Rena Detrixhe: Red Dirt Rug March 14 – July 22, 2018 Philbrook Downtown 116 E MB Brady St (918) 749-7941 philbrook.org Innovative Impressions June 9 – September 9, 2018 Philbrook Museum of Art 2727 S Rockford Rd (918) 749-7941 philbrook.org (continued to page 30)
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Pierson Gallery 1307-1311 E 15th St (918) 584-2440 piersongallery.com Urban Art Lab Studios 2312 E Admiral Blvd (918) 747-0510 urbanartlabstudios.com Tulsa Artists’ Coalition 9 E MB Brady St (918) 592-0041 tacgallery.org Tulsa Performing Arts Center Gallery 110 E 2nd St (918) 596-2368 tulsapac.com
Weatherford SWOSU Art Gallery 100 Campus Drive (580) 774-3756 swosu.edu
Wilburton The Gallery at Wilburton 108 W Main St (918) 465-9669
Woodward Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum 2009 Williams Ave (580) 256-6136 nwok-pipm.org
AN IMMERSIVE, FANTASTICAL, LARGE-SCALE, MULTIMEDIA, ARTIST-DRIVEN EXPERIENCE: SPRING 2018
WaterWorks Art Center 1710 Charles Page Blvd (918) 596-2440 waterworksartcenter.com
AHHATULSA.ORG/EXHIBITIONS/EXPERIENCE
Become a member of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. Join today to begin enjoying the benefits of membership, including a subscription to Art Focus Oklahoma. Collector Level + Community Supported Art (CSA) Program $1,000 ($85 a month option) · · · · ·
2 original and quality pieces of art by Oklahoma artists 2 tickets to CSA Launch Events twice a year 2 tickets to 12x12 Art Fundraiser $400 of this membership is tax deductible All of below
PATRON $250 · · · · ·
Listing of self or business on signage at events Invitation for 2 people to private reception with visiting curator 2 tickets each to Momentum OKC & Momentum Tulsa $200 of this membership is tax deductible. All of below
FELLOW $150 · · · · ·
Acknowledgement in Resource Guide and Art Focus Oklahoma Copy of each OVAC exhibition catalog 2 tickets to Tulsa Art Studio Tour $100 of this membership is tax deductible. All of below
FAMILY $75
· Same benefits as Individual, for 2 people in household
INDIVIDUAL $45 · · · · ·
Subscription to Art Focus Oklahoma magazine Monthly e-newsletter of Oklahoma art events & artist opportunities Receive all OVAC mailings Listing in and copy of annual Resource Guide & Member Directory Invitation to Annual Members’ Meeting
Plus, artists receive: · Inclusion in online Artist Gallery, ovacgallery.com · Artist entry fees waived for OVAC exhibitions · Up to 50% discount on Artist Survival Kit workshops · Affiliate benefits with Fractured Atlas, Artist INC Online, Artwork Archive, and the National Alliance for Media Arts & Culture.
STUDENT $25
· Same benefits as Individual level. All Student members are automatically enrolled in Green Membership program (receive all benefits digitally).
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THE EXPERIENCE
MEMBER FORM ¨ Collector Level + Community Supported Art Program ¨ Patron ¨ Fellow ¨ Family ¨ Individual ¨ Student ¨ Optional: Make my membership green! Email only. No printed materials will be mailed. Name Street Address City, State, Zip Email Website
Phone
Credit card #
Exp. Date
Are you an artist? Y N Medium?________________________ Would you like to be included in the Membership Directory? Y N
Would you like us to share your information for other arts-related events?
Y
N
Detach and mail form along with payment to: OVAC 730 W. Wilshire Blvd, Ste 104, Oklahoma City, OK 73116 Or join online at ovac-ok.org
E X P E R I E N C E R A R E LY S E E N E X P E R I M E N T A L S H O R T F I L M S A N D V I D E O I N S TA L L AT I O N S B Y O N E O F T H E L E A D I N G F I G U R E S I N C O N T E M P O R A R Y F I L M A N D A R T.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul: The Serenity of Madness, MAIIAM installation view, 2016. Image courtesy of the artist and Independent Curators International.
Art Focus
Ok l a h o m a
April 14: ASK Workshop: Vital Visual Documentation
730 W. Wilshire Blvd, Suite 104 Oklahoma City, OK 73116 The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition supports Oklahoma’s visual arts and artists and their power to enrich communities.
Non Profit Org. US POSTAGE PAID Oklahoma City, OK Permit No. 113
Visit ovac-ok.org to learn more.
April 15: Grants Application Deadline April 30: Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowships & Student Awards of Excellence Deadline May 15:
Oklahoma Arts Writing & Curatorial Fellowship Deadline
June 1:
24 Works on Paper Deadline
May 3rd-5th 8:00pm & May 6th 2:00pm Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center 3000 General Pershing Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73107
Tickets available for purchase at www.perpetualmotiondance.org