Semblance of Society: Momentum Tulsa 2013 Spotlight Artist Molly Youngblood

As a part of Momentum Tulsa, three artists received $2,000 Momentum Spotlight commissions to create new artwork. The Momentum Spotlight artists receive cash commissions and three months of interaction with the guest curators. Selected Momentum Spotlight artists are Leigh Martin of Edmond, Stuart Whitis of Norman, and Molly Youngblood from Norman.

Exploring culture through integration and theatrics, Molly Youngblood received the Spotlight award for Momentum Tulsa and will debut her project “Semblance of Society” on October 12.

Youngblood’s project will inquire into four different subcultures, each for two weeks. Through video and photographic documentation of performance, Youngblood analyzes the way culture, context and habits play in our lives to make us each unique. The artist plans to explore subcultures in Oklahoma that she is not familiar with, e.g. hunting, casinos and religion.

The artist at a gun range in order to learn about gun and hunting culture

While the artist will use common assumptions and stereotypes to form the initial personality of the character, each character will change. Through interactions with others in that subculture, her characters will act as a constantly shifting learning experience to create a formed knowledge of these subcultures through the artist's lens.

Four large-scale portraits of the artist immersed in various subcultures will be on display in the gallery, along with writings, collected objects and media documentation to give a sense of the process the artist went through while exploring each subculture.

The culmination of the project is a final performance the night of the event October 12^th, in which Youngblood performs live as a character. The audience will be active as a context to inform and influence the performance in progress.

Molly Youngblood posing as a hunter

Youngblood holds her BFA from the University of Oklahoma, where she studied New media and curated the exhibition, Redline, for her senior capstone. She will also be featured in Continuous Present-Tense, a curated performance at Living Arts Tulsa October 4th, 7pm.

See this article in our Art Focus Oklahoma magazine for more about all three Momentum Tulsa Spotlight projects.

Momentum Tulsa opens October 12, 8-midnight with a ticketed event full of music and performances.  Curated by Emily Kern from 108 Contemporary and emerging curator Krystle Brewer, the exhibition continues at Living Arts of Tulsa, 307 E Brady with free gallery hours through October 24.