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December 15 to January 2008
Contemporary Farm Women from the Mid-America Arts Alliance

In the past, our views of farming and its influence on American life and culture have focused on the roles that men have played as farmers, while women's contributions to agricultural production were largely ignored, perpetuating the stereotype of the “farmer's wife.” The photographic exhibition Voices of American Farm Women, opening on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at Artsplace Ponca City presents a contemporary perspective on women in agriculture. Photographer Cynthia Vagnetti has documented women from across the United States whose farming techniques promote environmental responsibility, economic stability, and community well-being.

The exhibition weaves together the power of image and word by featuring selections from oral history interviews conducted with the subjects of Vagnetti's work. The 30 striking black-and-white photographs explore a diverse group of women and their relationship to the land. Their voices narrate a multifaceted view of work, family, and community. Strong opinions on many topics—including farm work, childcare, and housework—dispel many misconceptions about women who work the land.

Artsplace Ponca City is located at 319 East Grand Ave in downtown Ponca City, OK. Hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 1 – 5 PM.

Voices of American Farm Women is part of a larger documentary project conducted by Vagnetti, who has a long-standing commitment to sustainable agriculture, rural communities, and related issues. She has produced numerous multimedia projects and photography exhibitions, and she is co-author of People Sustaining the Land. Her work in the past decade is inspired by the work of Farm Security Administration photographers, most notably Dorothea Lange and Russell Lee.

The exhibition is organized and toured by ExhibitsUSA. The purpose of ExhibitsUSA is to create access to an array of arts and humanities exhibitions, nurture the development and understanding of diverse art forms and cultures, and encourage the expanding depth and breadth of cultural life in local communities. ExhibitsUSA is a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance, a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1972.

This exhibits runs through January 19, 2008. For further information, call 580-762-1930.

This exhibit is also made possible with the assistance of ConocoPhillips.

November 2nd to December 7, 2007
Matt Jarvis: China Re-collections

“Matt Jarvis: China Re-collections” opened at Artsplace on Friday, November 2 and runs through December 7, 2007. The exhibit consists of thirty-one collaged black and white photographs taken by Jarvis during a trip to China.

Jarvis writes “My artwork deals with the issues of identity and identifying. My journey through China with friends, family members of friend and acquaintances (old and new) allowed me to see more of the real China than an American stereotypical tourist trip. This is not their father’s People’s Republic of China.

Jarvis received a BA on photography from the University of Washington and an MFA in photography from the University of Oklahoma.

This exhibit is made possible with the assistance of ConocoPhillips.

September 14th, 2007 to October 26th, 2007
New Works by Walter Wimberley

The exhibit, New Works by Walter Wimberley, opens Friday, September 14, 2007, with a reception from 6 – 8PM. The exhibit runs through October 26, 2007.

Walter Wimberley was born August 18, 1960, in Ponca City, the son of Kathy and Jerry Wimberley. After graduating from the Ponca City High School where he studied with Maxine Warren, Wimberley left to attend the University of Oklahoma, studying theater, philosophy, and art. The art department at OU proved to be a great learning experience, receiving a well rounded knowledge about all the basics concerning art history, different techniques and applications, and critical philosophy concerning the visual arts. In 1983 Wimberley moved to New York City and transferred to The School of Visual Arts where he graduated in 1988. He has been working, painting and making art in New York City for the past twenty years.

In addition to his paintings and found-object constructions, Wimberley has produced greeting cards of his images. Seventy-five percent of card sales will go to the Heifer Project International, a non-profit charitable organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas , dedicated to relieving global hunger and poverty. It provides gifts of livestock and plants, as well as education in sustainable agriculture, to financially-disadvantaged families around the world.

This exhibit is made possible with the assistance of ConocoPhillips, Artsplace is located at 319 East Grand Avenue in downtown Ponca City . Hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 11AM to 4PM. For further information call 762-1930.

“Oklahoma Suite II”
July 6 to August 10, 2007

Suite Oklahoma II began 10 years ago with a desire to see the current work of contemporary printmakers who have lived and worked in Oklahoma with the first Suite Oklahoma. The exchange portfolio Suite Oklahoma II exhibit brings together some of the finest artists in Oklahoma, and reflects a diversity of approaches and a love of the medium of printmaking. Many traditional methods are represented with intaglio, relief, serigraphy, and lithography included in the portfolio. The use of solar plate, collage, monotype, and sewing are exciting additions to traditional methods are also represented.

The 18 artists who participated in this exhibit live and work in a variety of locations around the state. Some are established artists, while others are emerging talents. Featured artist are: Alyson Atchison, Marc Barker, Lynn Barnett , Tommy Barnes, Marwin Begay, Betty Bowen, Sheryl Cozad, Steve Cluck, Adrienne Day, Gillian Kemper, Katherine Liontas Warren, Dewayne Pass, Kathleen Rivers, Tim Sullivan, Rob Smith, Kim Springer Smith, Michael Wilson, Betty Wood.
 

“MEN OF BIBLICAL PROPORTION”
May 18 to June 29, 2007

“Men of Biblical Proportion,” an art quilt exhibit, opened at Artsplace Ponca City on Friday, May, May 18, 2007 and runs throught June 29, 2007. The exhibit was curated by Ruth Harris of Hinton, OK and Chantelle Cory of Broken Arrow, OK.

“Men of Biblical Proportion” consists of 51 art quilts made by men about male biblical characters. Each quilt is 22” X 22”. This exhibit is a sequel to the “Women of Biblical Proportion,” consisting of 50 quilts by women about women of the Bible which was at Artsplace in 2005. Each artist explored his selected character, using his unique style and vision. These award-winning artists are well established in the art community. Among them are authors, designers, teachers, engineers, musicians, TV producers, college professors, shop-owners, florists, costumers, and other numerous fields. They work with a variety of fiber and include paint, wood, glass, clay, jewelry, steel, photography and ceramic in their work. Their styles range from realism to representational, and figurative to abstract. The diversity of the artists reinforces the diversity of the characters portrayed.

Artsplace is located at 219 East Grand Avenue in downtown Ponca City. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11AO to 4PM. For further information call 580-762-1930.
 

April 6 to May 11, 2007
Fiber Art: Emily duBois, Stephanie Grubbs, and C. Elizabeth Smathers – Curated by Sue Moss Sullivan

Emily DuBois received a BFA from the School for American Crafts, Rochester, New York. a MFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland California, and did postgraduate studies at the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology, Varanasi, India. She received fellowship awards from the California Arts council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Her work is included in numerous collection including M.H. deYoung Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco CA., Mingei International Museum, San Diego CA., Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museums, Washington DC., Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA., The Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque NM., Hastings School of Law, San Francisco CA. and Aichi Shibori Archive, Nagoya, Japan. DuBois lives in Hawaii.

Stephanie Grubbs, a weaver and fiber artist for 35 years, now works primarily in hand-formed, hand dyed paper and felted wool. She is a native Oklahoman who grew up in southeastern Oklahoma and except for years spent teaching in Colorado and Kansas has lived in the state all her life. Stephanie's work has been included in many private, corporate and public collections including Dallas Market Center, Phillips Petroleum, Spiro Archaeological Museum and several libraries. Her fiber art has been exhibited in local, regional and national juried and invitational shows

C. Elizabeth Smathers has been a professional fiber artist for 30 years. After receiving a BFA in fiber from the Memphis Academy of Arts, she wove tapestries and rugs, mostly commissioned works for offices and individuals. Moving to Oklahoma from Tennessee Smathers began working with pine needles, experimenting and learning as she went. Each step lead to another and evolved into new directions. She started with pine needles in traditional styles and wanted to make baskets which have more movement and individuality. She now incorporates wood turning and raku in her baskets


This exhibit is made possible with the assistance of ConocoPhillips, Kirkpatrick Family Fund, Oklahoma Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts.

Brandon Reese: Ceramic Sculpture
February 23 to March 30, 2007

Artist, Brandon Reese, works primarily with stoneware and porcelain. He received his BFA in sculpture from the Kansas City Art Institute where he became proficient in bronze, cast iron, steel, wood and ceramics. While in Kansas City he apprenticed with Jim Leedy until pursuing a graduate degree specializing in ceramics at Bowling Green State University. There, he had the privilege of working with artists Jun Kaneko, Don Reitz and Peter Voulkos. While at Bowling Green, he focused on salt and wood firing for creating unusual and varied surfaces on each sculpture. Upon graduation, Reese was hired by Oklahoma State University as an assistant professor of its newly expanded ceramics department. In addition to teaching, Reese regularly exhibits his large-scale ceramic sculptures. His work has been exhibited in Germany, Taiwan and across the United States. Chiaroscuro gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Scottsdale, Arizona represent his work. Although most of Reese’s exhibitions are ceramic sculpture, he balances teaching the hand-building techniques with wheel throwing pottery and functional vessels.

Reese’s work is predominately known for their simple, familiar forms created in a variety of methods and at such large scales that they push the traditional boundaries of ceramic art. His sculptures playfully and beautifully express the idea that relationships offer a unique ability to enhance the individual elements while simultaneously unifying them to create a powerfully emotional and visual experience.

This exhibit is made possible with the assistance of ConocoPhillips, Kirkpatrick Family Fund, Oklahoma Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts.
 

Lobby Art From the Collection of the Poncan Theater
January 12 to February 16, 2007

During the early days of the motion picture industry, theatres employed their own graphic artists to create "lobby art" to promote upcoming films. The Hollywood studios and promoters provided photographs and the artists would then paint the art for the local theater. Gone are the days of the independent theater artist and what was known at the time as the "exploitation department." Sadly, most of the artwork has been destroyed. Many pieces were painted over and re-used over and over. During WWII, the paper drives cleaned out the art from the theater. Recently, the Poncan Theatre discovered a treasure horde of lobby art hidden away upstairs. This unique collection is very rare.

Due to the generosity of patrons of the Poncan Theatre, these works have been cleaned and framed. They will be displayed from January 12 to February 16, 2007 at Artsplace Ponca City before being permanently installed at the Theatre.

This exhibit is made possible with the assistance of ConocoPhillips, Fred and Suzanne Boettcher, the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.