“The loss of human connection and expression through the arts hits hard and The Depot, through the pandemic, continues searching for ways to innovate and share the profound joy that binds us together through the arts,” says Depot Executive Director Shari Jackson. "Our vision is creating community through shared artistic experiences and we knew it would look different, but we determined to innovate and pivot to keep going. Our community needs us now. Artists, musicians, and poets need a platform, and are working to continue to be that.”
The process began with the creation of Depot TV in April, an ongoing online TV show live-streaming musicians, artists, and poets to partially replace our indoor poetry readings and concerts. (September schedule is at article end.)
The Depot board and staff then re-imagined the community favorite Summer Breeze Concert Series which, rather than meeting in the park, became a radio show in partnership with KGOU Radio.
The Depot is now augmenting the physical gallery with an online gallery viewable on the website, www.normandepot.org. The gallery at 200 S. Jones will begin open hours again October 1 with gallery hours Thursday through Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm and by appointment. Masks are required and group size is limited. Currently showing in both the physical and and online galleries are artists: Carol Armstrong, Adrienne Day, Joey Frisillo, Don Holladay, Debby Kaspari, Lauren Midgley, Brad Price, Connie Seabourn and Sue Moss Sullivan.
Envisioning and testing new concepts for socially distanced in-person activities resulted in a scheduled screening of "The Big Lebowski" on the lawn next to the Depot, Friday, September 18, at 8pm. Attendance is limited to 40. Get tickets for the event on the Depot page at Facebook.com/normandepot or by calling us at 405-307-9320. Ticket holders are asked to arrive at 7:30/7:45 to be seated in socially distanced pods. Trivia will begin at 8pm with the movie to begin around 8:30. Feel free to bring a picnic blanket, chairs, and your own snack.
Depot TV programming continues on the Norman Depot Facebook Page with the following artists upcoming:
*Wednesday, September 23, 5pm: Kierston White is an Americana singer/songwriter from Shawnee, OK who has been performing in the Norman area for over ten years. She has toured throughout the US and has released one studio album, She is the founder of female super group The Tequila Songbirds and anticipates releasing her sophomore album, “Bad On Paper” in the next year.
*Thursday, September 24, 2020, 5pm: Ken Hada is a poet and professor, in his 20th year of working at ECU in Ada, OK. Ken has received many awards for his poetry, including the Glenda Carlile Distinguished Service Award. He has been published in several publications including The Writer’s Almanac and has also published 8 poetry collections, the most recent of them entitled “Sunlight & Cedar.”
*Wednesday, September 30, 5pm: Kat Lock is a Norman based singer/songwriter with a unique sound, described as everything from indie rock to music theatre punk. She got her start in music with musical theatre and in 2016 decided to channel that passion into something different when she started her first band, St. Basic. She released an EP called “You Again” in 2019 and “An Existence,” an experimental album. in 2020.
Funding is difficult, but all the arts are finding ways to adapt and continue, and with community support, The Depot, a 501c3 arts nonprofit housed in Norman's Santa Fe Train Station, will continue to do so as well. They are in the middle of a membership drive and anyone can become a member of the Depot for as little as $5 a month at www.normandepot.org/join.
For further information about Depot events, visit www.normandepot.org. Depot TV is funded by a grant from the Kirkpatrick Foundation. All events at The Depot are made possible, in part, by grants from the Norman Arts Council and the Oklahoma Arts Council, The City of Norman, and by generous corporate, individual and member donations.