2016

Symbiotic

Professional, student artists come together to create Symbiotic at OU’s School of Visual Arts.

NORMAN, Okla. (Sept. 23, 2016) – University of Oklahoma School of Visual Arts bachelor of fine arts graduates Jarica Walsh and Katie Pendley have curated an exhibition combining working artists and students for the Lightwell Gallery. Symbiotic, a variety of works that includes site-specific installations will be exhibited from Oct. 10 through 28.

A complimentary opening reception is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, in the gallery.  

“We want the community to experience these artworks and be inspired to continue the discussion beyond the walls of the gallery space, giving greater consideration to the ways in which they appreciate and support art,” curator Jarica Walsh said about the exhibition.

“Symbiotic is an exhibition of collaborative works created by teams composed of professional and student artists. The works are intended to be a reflection of the intrinsic relationship between art and community.

“Maintaining the art community is a collaborative effort, requiring the participation of our greater communities to attend, fund, and provide feedback,” she added. “Everyone needs to play a part, and everyone can benefit.”

Ten OU School of Visual Arts students are involved with this exhibition. They are being mentored and guided by working artists to help them move forward in their art careers.

“We believe in the importance of what each student stands to gain from this project. Great consideration was given to the selection and invitation of each professional artist, placing value in both artistic vision and the ability to mentor,” the two said, adding, “We also viewed this as an opportunity to add to the discussion regarding art and community using visual art works and with a multitude of voices. We want the community to come experience these artworks and be inspired to continue the discussion beyond the walls of the gallery space, giving greater consideration to the ways in which they appreciate and support art.”

In a real-life example of the relationship between art and community, Fowler Automotive provided sponsorship for Symbiotic. A Fowler spokesperson said the business is passionate about supporting art and culture to improve quality of life for the local community.

Symbiotic student artists are Sidney Bernbaum, Bella Blaze, Rachel Boyd, Rebecca Curtis, Olivia Egan, Alyssa Howery, Jasmine Jones, Reva Kashikar, Stephanie Ma, Angie Maidt, Noelle Moon, Amy Sanders, Jordan Satepauhoodle and Sterling Smith. Professional artists are Autumn Brown, Dan Harris, adam lanman, Mandy Messina, romy owens, Marissa Raglin and Josh Vaughn.

Nunca Pasa Nada

Bethany Springer

NORMAN, OKLAHOMA (Aug. 8, 2016) Bethany Springer, a visiting artist from Arkansas, will be featured in a sculptural exhibit, Nunca Pasa Nada, in the OU Lightwell Gallery beginning Aug. 22 and running through Sept. 9.

A public closing reception is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6, in the Lightwell, located on the second floor of the Fred Jones Center, 520 Parrington Oval, in Norman.

Nunca Pasa Nada is derived from Frank Stella’s 1964 “black painting” of the same name and a postcard series developed over the past few years in Newfoundland, Canada.

Springer describes her current work as being “somewhere between romanticism and realism, an inquiry into place and identity, as influenced by history, heritage, globalization and the information age.”

Says Springer, “We are living manifestations of our cultural heritage and genetics, but at times it’s difficult to trace what remains and if it matters anymore.  Change is certain but not always obvious, which is perhaps why patterns are established to preserve some semblance of control and belonging, as if we could bridle something fleeting.”

Springer imagines her work will allow viewers to “find a connection readily with some of the information presented, imagery that relates to contemporary phenomena like climate change, yet at the same time experience a disconnect with other parts of the installation; historical references such as the Shaker writing desk and Frank Stella’s black painting.“

“This is my goal – to situate the viewer in a complex environment so that a recognition and analysis of place can occur.” she adds.

Springer is an associate professor of sculpture at the University of Arkansas, in Fayetteville. She has received grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Arkansas Arts Council, Iowa Arts Council, the University of Arkansas Community and Family Institute, and the Center for Digital Technology and Learning at Drake University in Des Moines.

She also has been in residence at Full Tilt Creative Centre and Terra Nova National Park in Newfoundland, the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts & Sciences, the Fine Arts Work Center, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, and the Artist House at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Springer currently has one of her sculptures on view at 21C Museum Hotel in Bentonville, Arkansas, and another in the Regional River Market Exhibition at the Kansas City Artists Coalition.

She also will be exhibiting Nunca Pasa Nada at the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith in December.

Red Clay Faction Student Exhibition

Annual Red Clay Faction Student Exhibition Coming to the Lightwell Gallery at OU’s Fred Jones Center

NORMAN, OKLAHOMA (March 18, 2016)—Members of the public and the University of Oklahoma community are invited to attend the annual Red Clay Faction student ceramics exhibition, scheduled March 28 through April 15, in the Lightwell Gallery at the Fred Jones Center.

The event, sponsored by the Red Clay Faction and the School of Art and Art History, will open with a complimentary reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5 in the same location.  This exhibition gives the public the chance to see what the ceramics students have been creating over the past eight to 12 months.

“This exhibition gives students the chance to not only make work for public display of their art, but they also assist with the gallery preparations and installation of the exhibition,” pointed out Stuart Asprey, faculty sponsor.

“It also helps build awareness of the ceramics program by “promoting ceramic artwork and exploring avenues to create a dialogue about clay,” he added.

For more information about the Red Clay Faction or the ceramics program at OU, please contact David Stevens, president of the Red Clay Faction at daves@ou.edu or Stuart Asprey, faculty sponsor at stuart@ou.edu.

An Odyssey from East to West

International artist takes the Lightwell Gallery on An Odyssey from East to West this February.

NORMAN, OKLAHOMA (Jan. 26, 2016) —Portraits of a range of working-class people from southern Taiwan will be featured in an exhibition opening Friday, Feb. 12, at the University of Oklahoma. Members of the public are invited to attend the reception, scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. in the Lightwell Gallery of the OU School of Art and Art History.

An Odyssey from East to West, which will remain on display through Feb 26 in the Lightwell Gallery, features a selection of portraits from an ongoing project by Shih-jaey Tseng.

“The portraits are an attempt to describe the real-life aspects of an inadequately represented group in southern Taiwan. North Taiwan frequently depicts this group as laid-back and unmotivated,” says Dr. Tseng. “My goal is to provide witness to the daily events that comprise their lives.”

He added, “The intention of this work is to introduce the viewers to the individuals and culture lifestyles represented in these images. At a time when discussions of diversity and the impact of people of other races and ethnicities are at the forefront of political topics, it is hoped that these images will engage and inform the audience of otherness.”

Tseng is an associate professor of photography in the Department of Mass Communication, I-Shou University in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. He earned his master of fine arts degree in media: photography from OU in 1999 and his doctoral degree in education from the University of Virginia in 2002.

He has worked as a commercial photography assistant in Norman, Oklahoma, and Dallas. A Taiwanese Fulbright Scholar, he spent the 2011-12 academic year in America on a photography project.  Later this year, he will have an exhibition in Taiwan titled “The So-called True Southern Taiwan Series.”