Seven Oklahoma artists were given a year and $10,000 to hone their unique approaches to art and to develop a body of work that expresses their identities as artists. Sarah Atlee, Betsy Barnum, Joseph Daun, Ashley Griffith, Liz Roth, and Darshan Philips and Aaron Whisner in a collaboration called Live4This were each selected from a statewide call for proposals. Their individual points of view combined with their artistic talent granted them a place in Art 365, an exhibition of the results of their year of work.

Art 365 was exhibited at Untitled [ArtSpace] and had a preview on March 14 and an opening reception with the artists and curator on March 21. The opening reception was be preceded by a curator’s talk. The exhibition ran through April 26. Art 365 was created and sponsored by the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC). Each of the artists worked individually with curator Diane Barber and used the opportunity to focus intensely on progressing their style of art. The artists represent a diverse cross section of art in Oklahoma, with painting, printmaking, mixed media, sculpture, and modified technology all represented. Ashley Griffith, for example, created detailed grids of images, one of which is a documentation of her life for 365 days. Betsy Barnum used twelve prints to document the growth and changes that took place in her life over the year. Sarah Atlee’s project is called “Normal, OK,” and includes portraits of fictional people inspired by the names of places in Oklahoma. Joseph Daun used consumer products to create functional and interactive large-scale sculptures that explore the ideas of surveillance. Darshan Phillips and Aaron Whisner (Live4This) worked on wall-size screenprints meant to trigger memories of childhood, ranging from freedom to the possibilities of play and fun. Liz Roth’s project was entitled “America 101” and included 100 small oil paintings of landscapes from all 50 states.

Diane Barber, co-executive director and visual arts curator for DiverseWorks in Houston, curated the exhibition. Art 365 was funded in part by the Oklahoma Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Oklahoma Arts Council, Allied Arts, Kirkpatrick Foundation, and Jean Ann Fausser.

Watch a video of Joseph Daun's Flying Desk

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