Even though
I rarely wax nostalgic at the end of year, I have been blown away by robust
arts experiences this year and wanted to record some.
So, here is
my Top 10 Art Experiences of 2013 list based on my limited traveling and
natural biases toward the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s own activities.
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| Wayne White Halo Amok installation at OKC Museum of Art (photo by Amy Young) |
Halo Amok: Wayne White at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art
With rare
amusement and conceptual thoughtfulness, White’s site specific installation
captivated area visitors. How can you
not enjoy huge, interactive cowboy puppets in an art museum? Bravo to
curator Brian Hearn for initiating this project.
México Inside Out: Themes in Art Since 1990 at The Modern in Fort Worth
This
ambitious exhibition (still up a few more weeks!) explores artwork created in
México over the last two decades. Besides geography, intense intertwined political
and social themes connect the work. The exhibition was as captivating visually
as it was intellectually.
 |
| Risë Wilson speaking at Statewide Arts Conference |
Risë Wilson at the Statewide Arts
Conference:
Laundromat
Project founder Risë Wilson served as a guest speaker for the Oklahoma Arts
Council’s conference in Ardmore this fall. Besides bringing an uncompromising
approach to racial and socioeconomic inclusion, Wilson introduced our state to
paradigm-shifting concepts of public art and community action for artists.
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| Representing Oklahoma at the kickoff for 2013 National Arts Advocacy Day |
Uniting with
arts supporters from across the country at our nation’s capital, I felt buoyed and
reinvigorated to advocate about the importance of art. Americans for the Arts brings
together a huge network of affiliated organizations focusing on art and health,
education, community revitalization, economic impact and more. Working together we can work towards public
policy that encourages arts and cultural activities in all parts of our lives.
Peter Coffin: Here & There at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Coffin
directly animated actual permanent collection objects, such as those by Pablo Picasso, Edward Hopper, Willem de Kooning
and John Singer Sargent, with video and sound. Through widely varied,
uniformly compelling works, Coffin opened up
imagination related to art history, painting, and more.
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| No photos allowed in the exhibition, so here's my mom & daughter outside the Turrell exhibition |
James Turrell: The Light Inside at the Houston Museum of Fine Art
In a word,
the artwork and exhibition was sublime. I happened to be in Houston when this opened,
but I would have traveled far for this consummate experience of the large-scale
light rooms and projections.
Brady Arts District in Tulsa
Truthfully,
this whole list could feature the amazing thing that have launched or grown in
Tulsa’s Brady Arts District, which creates a nexus of art of all disciplines
and engaging public space. A few of most
wonderful thriving spaces this year include 108 Contemporary and The Hardesty Arts Center. Also, Philbrook Museum of Art opened a new outpost in downtown Tulsa featuring splendid contemporary and
Native American exhibitions. Besides
thoughtfully curated exhibition, the Museum is an approachable scale, easy to
enjoy in an afternoon.
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| Curator Raechell Smith visits with Art 365 artist Eyakem Gulilat in his studio |
Visiting
artists’ working spaces is one of the distinct honors of my work. Over the past
year, I’ve joined guest curator Raechell Smith as she works with the Art 365 exhibition artists for the
exhibition. Each artist bravely dove
into a year-long adventure—transforming their artwork dramatically in scale, concept
and/or presentation. We can’t wait to
see the snapshot of their inquiries when the first iteration opens February 28,
2014 at Artspace at [Untitled] in Oklahoma City.
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| Ellsworth Kelly works on paper at the National Gallery of Art, see quality images here. |
Ellsworth Kelly: Colored Paper Images at the National Gallery of Art
Focused on
molded handmade paper images, Kelly’s work opened my mind to the potential
emotional and psychological aspects of geometric abstraction. I spent longer in and contemplated this show
longer than I have had the patience to visit any other exhibition in quite a
while.
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| Charlotte Street Foundation curator-in-residence Jamilee Polson Lacy with Aaron Hauck |
Focus OK-KC in at the Charlotte Street Foundation’s La Esquina Gallery in Kansas
City
Culminating
a multi-year partnership with the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, the Charlotte
Street Foundation presented four Oklahoma-based artists alongside four projects
by Kansas City-based artists. Examining
place, community and artists networks, the exhibition surpassed my expectations
and reinforced our regional network.
And... I couldn't help throwing in this picture of my son's first violin recital at Cleveland Elementary. Thanks for OKC Public School & A+ Schools for infusing our schools with art.
If you want to add your own Top 10 list, feel free to comment. Happy end of 2013!
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