Breaking Barriers: The Jim Thorpe Collection
October 13 through November 11, 2023
Opening Reception: 6-9 p.m. Friday, October 13
Closing Reception: 6-9 p.m. Friday, November 10
MAINSITE Contemporary Art | 122 E. Main, Norman
Open 10a-4p Tuesday through Saturday
It’s fitting that in Norman — a city equally celebrated for its Sooner athletics and creative community — we see those respective worlds collide in Breaking Barriers: The Jim Thorpe Collection.
The exhibition is the brainchild of Norman-based artist Steve Hare and features the work of Hare, Norman printmaker and artist Ginna Dowling, metal work by Corbin Leonard and artwork created by Norman High School students under the instruction of NHS art teacher Tauri Simms. It runs at MAINSITE from Friday, October 13 through Saturday, November 11, with an opening reception set for 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, October 13 as a part of the 2nd Friday Norman Art Walk.
The body of work represents intersections of a lifetime’s worth of experiences from Hare, who has gone from a volunteer at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame to a member of the Executive Council, a member of the selection committee for the Jim Thorpe Award and the prestigious opportunity to paint the recipient each year.
“Art encourages memory and discovery. It allows us to re-connect with what may have been lost or to connect with what may not have been found,” Hare said in his artist statement. “It was my father that first introduced me to Jim Thorpe, a real-life superhero that I would first capture in my 4th grade Oklahoma history project unaware that our paths would one day cross again.”
Breaking Barriers celebrates the seminal Oklahoma figure who played both professional football and baseball, was the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States in the Olympics and is considered to be one of the greatest athletes of all-time.
“The pieces in this show represent a relentless pursuit of knowledge over this past year, of trying to capture the spirit of Jim Thorpe through my eyes,” Hare said. “Jim Thorpe has been a symbol of strength and determination for generations. A shadow in history that teaches us lessons in humility, determination, and hope against all odds.”
MAINSITE Contemporary Art is located at 122 E. Main, Norman and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday each week.
Steve Hare (center) and Justin Lenhart — Curator of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (far left) — with Norman High students
More about Steve Hare
Norman-based artist Steve Hare works primarily in acrylics across multiple techniques. He chooses various sizes of dry wall taping knives over traditional brushes as his primary instruments of choice. Through creative color mixing, Steve employs bold color combinations on canvas when creating his abstract bases.
A sports enthusiast personally and professionally, Steve blended his artistic skills with his experiences and connections, bringing about a perfect marriage of his two passions.
Steve’s evolution into representational abstract allowed him to introduce another element to this union and extend the range of his talents even further. His use of subjects such as Jim Thorpe allow Steve to challenge the boundaries of sports art – utilizing his technique to tell stories, which explore the depths of movement and composition.
Steve also explores two additional techniques within this exhibit, text art and pen/ink illustrations. Words are powerful tools. This series of text is aimed at the words, phrases, and quotes that shaped Jim Thorpe’s path. The Breaking Barriers suite of black and white illustrations capture Jim Thorpe in the simplest form, personally and professionally.