Join Norman Arts for the Premiere of Continuum, a Documentary Short on Herb Greene and His Return to Oklahoma

Continuum premiere screening
7 p.m. Thursday, May 19
MAINSITE Contemporary Art | 122 E. Main

Join Norman Arts for the premiere of Continuum, a documentary short on architect and artist Herb Greene.

Filmed during Greene's return to Oklahoma — where his work as an artist and architect began to take off — during the opening of his solo exhibition at MAINSITE Contemporary Art in fall 2021, the documentary brings Greene back to some his most iconic structures in Oklahoma, exploring Greene's work, ongoing legacy of creativity and impact on the state and beyond.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the documentary beginning at 7 p.m. with a reception to follow. The premiere is free and open to all to attend.

More about Herb Greene

Herb Greene studied architecture under the direction of Bruce Goff (1904–1982), one of the nation’s most original architects and influential architectural educators. Following the retirement of Goff in 1957, Greene taught architecture at the University of Oklahoma for six years, furthering Goff’s legacy and developing his own unique pedagogy.

In 1961, Greene designed and built the Prairie House in Norman, Oklahoma. The idiosyncratic and innovative architecture of Greene’s Prairie House caused an international sensation and was published in Life and Look magazines, Progressive Architecture (St. Martin’s Press), and numerous journals throughout Europe and Japan. 

After his retirement from teaching in 1982, Greene moved to Berkeley, California where he continued to write, paint, and promote his concept for building with artists. In 1981, Greene published the book Building to Last: Architecture as Ongoing Art (Architectural Book Publishing, 1981), which incorporates the work of artists and crafts people into built environments and advocates for regional and cultural identity in architectural forms. 

Greene’s architectural drawings are in The Art Institute of Chicago’s collection alongside works by Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Bruce Goff, and other works in the “Prairie Tradition.” Greene’s collage paintings are also in The Art Institute of Chicago’s collection, as well as numerous private collections across the United States. 

Artist Liz Roth Explores American and International Landscapes, Historical Context in MAINSITE Exhibition

MAINSITE Contemporary Art welcomes a new exhibition from multi-disciplinary artist Liz Roth to the Norman gallery with a run beginning on Friday, May 13 and closing on Saturday, July 9.

The exhibition will be celebrated with an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, May 13 as a part of the monthly 2nd Friday Norman Art Walk, with a midway and closing reception set for 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, June 10 and Friday, July 8, respectively.

Rushing Waters (2013), Oil on canvas, 30"x48"

Understanding Place: Perspectives presents artist Liz Roth’s longtime exploration of landscape in many media, including sketches, watercolor, oil painting and prints. The exhibition is organized as a journey around the world beginning with America 101, an exploration of every state in America, and ending with Roth’s ongoing project to render the rich and varied landscapes of the 40th parallel north. 

For Roth truly “Understanding Place” involves extensive research as well as sustained looking. The sketchbooks and process material included in the exhibition give a glimpse into both of these practices and the ways in which they contribute to her finished pieces. Perspectives not only includes landscapes seen from different angles and sightlines, but also, more subtly, from different historical and disciplinary contexts. She notes:

“Driving across country for America 101 on small roads, and stopping constantly to look at and consider which landscapes to represent forever changed how I view land,” Roth said in an artist statement. “I realized I had so much to learn about the many lenses through which I might comprehend a landscape: geomorphology, cultural geography, natural resources, histories of ownership, agriculture, immigration … the list of ways of understanding place was innumerable.”

Liz Roth is Professor of Drawing and Painting at Oklahoma State University. Her paintings, prints, installations, and drawings have been shown in over 100 exhibitions, including a dozen solo exhibitions. She has received numerous prestigious grants, among which was a Fulbright fellowship to teach in China, and many national and international residencies. Her work is in several public and private collections, notably the Walker Art Center (Minnesota), Museu del Joguet (Spain), and Hall of Awa Japanese Paper Museum (Japan).

The exhibition is curated by Jennifer Scanlan.

Dunhuang (2021), Oil on canvas, 30"x48"

Norman Arts Council Seeks To Support Recovery of Local Arts & Cultural Organizations with American Rescue Plan Sub-Grants

American Rescue Plan Sub-Grants

MADE POSSIBLE BY NORMAN ARTS COUNCIL
AND NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

APPLICATIONS DUE ONLINE BY MIDNIGHT ON MAY 6, 2022
SUBMIT HERE

The Norman Arts Council (NAC) is calling for grant applications from any arts and culture-based organizations in Norman, OK for funds to help the Norman Arts and Cultural sector to recover from the pandemic. Eligible organizations may apply for funds to support job growth, fund operations, and for marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance in participation in programs.

Eligible applicants are 501(c)(3) nonprofits, institutions of higher education, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments. All applying organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier and be registered on the System for Award Management: www.SAM.gov.

Organizations may apply for grants of up to $25,000. These funds can be used for salary support, artist fees/stipends, contract personnel to support programming, facilities cost, health and safety supplies, and marketing/promotions.

Applications must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. Friday, May 6. The grant committee will meet to recommend funding on May 12 with organizations notified of awards by late May to get funding relief to organizations as quickly as possible.

These grants are made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts and Norman Arts Council.

Norman Arts Council Extends Eligibility for Arts Education Scholarships, Summer 2022 Applications Due Soon!

Norman Arts Council is pleased to extend eligibility for their arts education scholarship program to include Norman high school-aged students. This includes the next round of arts education scholarship applications for summer 2022 programs, which are due by the end of day on Sunday, May 1, 2022.

Students (grades K-12) who live or go to school in Norman can apply for up to $500. Any student is eligible to apply for any arts education experience, though preference may be given to those demonstrate financial need or other hardships to access to arts education experiences.

Expanded guidelines below:

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 

SUMMER 2022 Programs – Applications are available on April 5, 2022 and are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 1, 2022!

Note: Please read application guidelines thoroughly to ensure timely completion of all requirements!

ELIGIBILITY: The Norman Arts Council invites students in grades K-12th who live or go to school in Norman, Oklahoma to apply for a scholarship to offset the cost of an arts education experience provided by an established arts organization or educator.

APPLICATIONS: NAC guidelines and criteria should be followed carefully.  Only Applications submitted through the on-line process will be considered for funding. Applications must be 100% completed for consideration. "I don't know" or "unsure" answers will deem an incomplete application.

SELECTION CRITERIA:  The NAC is seeking applications for scholarships from students who:

• express a strong desire to enhance their arts education experience beyond what is offered in schools, demonstrates a past commitment to visual or performing arts, or a student that a parent, guardian or teacher deems the child could benefit from an arts experience

• have the ability to commit to the completion of the program

• have a financial need that prevents them from funding the tuition themselves

• priority will be given to low income applicants or families facing a hardship

• $500 is the maximum award a single student will be granted for a single program

• Applications must be 100% completed

Applicants will not be turned down for not meeting ALL of the criteria. It is encouraged, however, to try to meet as many as possible and to address the criteria directly in the proposal.

AWARDS:  Award notification will be by email. Due to limited funds, applicants may not receive the full funding requested and/or may not receive any funding at this time.  Oftentimes, our requests far exceed our budget each semester.

DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS:  Upon award notification and receipt of the signed scholarship agreement, the Norman Arts Council will give the awarded funds directly to the organization or individual implementing the program applied for on behalf of the student. Should the program be cancelled for any reason by the organization or individual implementing, the funds will be returned to the Norman Arts Council’s scholarship program and may be applied for during the next cycle.

COMMITMENT TO PROGRAM:  Upon award notification, the student’s parent or legal guardian will receive a scholarship agreement that states they will commit to ensuring the student’s regular attendance to the program. If the student fails to attend at least 75% of the program, the student will be asked to withdraw; any remaining funds will be returned to the Norman Arts Council’s scholarship program; and the student will not be eligible in the future.

AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS:  The total amount of scholarship funds available may be awarded to one applicant or divided among multiple applicants. The Norman Arts Council reserves the right to not award any scholarships should there be a lack of qualified candidates or shortage of scholarship funds.

LIABILITY:  Award recipients and their guardians agree to indemnify and hold harmless the NAC, its employees, its agents, and its Board of Directors, in connection with any action, claim, lawsuit, charge, or proceeding, including but not limited to any civil action in State or Federal Court, or before any State or Federal agency, which is made or brought against recipients, NAC, and/or any of NAC's employees, agents, or board members, by any person or entity, based upon and/or arising out of a recipient's use of the funds.

APPEALS:  Any applicant who is denied a scholarship in whole or in part may only appeal directly to the NAC Education Committee on the following grounds: 1) discrimination against the applicant or its membership on the basis of: race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, or disability, which is shown to have materially and adversely affected the outcome of their application; 2) illegal activity on the part of the Education Committee or a member of the Education Committee, which is shown to have materially and adversely affected the outcome of their application. 

OU MFA Thesis Exhibition Returns to MAINSITE

After a disruption to the annual tradition the past two years, the OU MFA Thesis Exhibition has returned to MAINSITE Contemporary Art. Three MFA candidates — Marissa Childers, Wesley Kramer and Benjamin Murphy — will present work representative of the culmination of their post-graduate studies in an exhibition opening to the public with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 8 at MAINSITE, 122 E. Main, Norman.

The show continues through Saturday, April 23, so the opening reception held concurrently with 2nd Friday Norman Art Walk will be the only reception for what has historically been an electrifying look at emerging art talent.

A Little Touch of Home, Marissa Childers, Stoneware, Soda Fired, Decal and Luster Application, Flocking, 4.5” x 11” x 5”

Marissa Childers was born and raised in the small town of Florence, Alabama. She attended the University of North Alabama, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2019 with a focus in ceramics. Upon graduating she worked as a ceramic intern at Anderson Ranch Arts Center and is now completing her Master of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma.

Childer’s work explores moments of connection and intimacy while celebrating femininity and craft found within domestic spaces. She uses a variety of textures and patterns within her work that is not only personal to her, but also very relatable for her viewers, in hopes of evoking a sense of joy and nostalgia. 

“Celebrations around food have a way of connecting us to one another while stirring up memories that make sharing a meal such a rich experience,” Childers says in her artist statement. “Those moments are even more impactful when they are shared through functional handmade objects. We experience intimacy with others as we simultaneously build a relationship with the vessel. Pottery can be cradled in your hands and raised gently to your lips. It has a history and a story to tell. It becomes a witness and participant to these routines of our daily lives.”

The Great Adventure by Wesley Kramer

Wesley Kramer grew up in Belvidere, IL exploring the woods and having adventures with his little brother and graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelors of Fine Arts, emphasis in printmaking. After graduating Kramer had the opportunity to move to St. Louis to work for Tom Huck, a world-famous printmaker at Evil Prints as an assistant printmaker. Gaining a lot of knowledge and skills after two years, he decided to move on to graduate school and is currently finishing up as a MFA student at the University of Oklahoma.

“From my art practice, I have created an alternate world that reflects our own and the issues within it. Comparing the two worlds in a few ways, one being through environmental issues. These problems are either man made or that of natural disasters, disrupting the balance and order of my universe,” Kramer says in his artist statement. “The stories that I have developed for this world revolve around the characters that may have not made the best decisions, but are trying their best to help out their world and fellow companions. In these narratives, I have created a series of characters that exist in their own reality, where I build up the environment that they thrive in to show the changes in how they progress. By filling this world with humor, whimsical environments, and chunky creatures, I entice the viewer to participate in my world in a physical and emotional one, too.”

The Legend Of Okjökull, Benjamin Murphy, oil on canvas, 72" x 120"

Benjamin Murphy is a Canadian born painter who is completing the MFA program at the University of Oklahoma. As an artist, he actively engages in exhibitions, collaborations, and scholarly endeavors at the state, national, and international levels. Recently he participated in exhibitions at the Salle Gilbert-Gaillard Gallery in France, Webster Arts Center, University of Southern Mississippi Museum of Art, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, and Gardiner Gallery Of Art at Oklahoma State University. 

“This current body of work examines the nature of progress through the lens of abstraction,” Murphy says in his artistic statement. “Images associated with scientific invention, human intention, and anthropogenic impacts create the foundations of image making explorations. In prints, drawings, sculptures and paintings, advances in human knowledge are recorded and transformed into contemporary signs. They explore the human ambition behind the use of these discoveries and the outcomes or implications for contemporary society.”
“Many of these artworks incorporate emerging technologies, such 3D modeling, 3D printing and CNC routing, into the art making process,” Murphy continues. “By expanding the traditional toolbox, the language of painting is expanded beyond its tradition framework. This utilization of old and new methods of image making often inform the broader theme of progress.”

Exhibitions at MAINSITE Contemporary Art are made possible by the generous support of the likes of The City of Norman, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Oklahoma Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Fowler Auto, Kirkpatrick Foundation and more.