Allied Arts

Find out more about visual arts in Oklahoma...meet OVAC!

Name and Title: Kelsey Karper, Associate Director
Organization Name: Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (otherwise known as OVAC)
Organization Phone Number and Web Site: 405-879-2400, www.ovac-ok.org

Give us the gist of your organization, Twitter-style (that means 140 characters or less).
More than 4,000 artists paint, sculpt, photograph and create around our state and OVAC supports them through a magazine, career education, exhibitions and an online gallery.

What does your organization bring to Central Oklahoma?
Audiences experience work by talented local artists through exciting OVAC events such as Momentum: Art Doesn’t Stand Still, the 12x12 Art Show & Sale, and exhibitions like Art 365. Also, OVAC teaches our community’s artists the business side of art; helping them stay in the area and continue making artwork.

List a few things that your organization is looking forward to in the coming year.
OVAC is kicking off two new programs: The Public Art Mentorship and the Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship.

The Public Art Mentorship, a partnership with Oklahoma Art in Public Places, gives three artists commissions through the percent-for-art program. OVAC supports the artists’ opportunity to work with an experienced public artist for advice, technical assistance and logistical issues.

The Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship kicks off in January and lasts the calendar year. Through the program, OVAC hopes to increase scholarly activity about the visual arts in Oklahoma. Well known mentors will lead workshop days and public panels about current topics. The program is in partnership with the University of Oklahoma School of Art & Art History and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

How can people get involved with your organization?
OVAC has many opportunities for involvement. All Oklahoma artists are invited to submit /apply for our exhibitions, grants and awards, as well as to participate in our workshops.

We also have internships and volunteer opportunities. Volunteers can help OVAC with a variety of things, from selling tickets at the door of our events to organizing artist submissions in our office. Anyone interested in volunteering can email Sarah McElroy at office@ovac-ok.org for more information.

Everyone is welcome to our events and exhibitions. You can also enjoy artwork by Oklahoma artists by visiting our online gallery at www.ovacgallery.com.

Name your favorite piece of art or art performance.
OVAC is a fan of original art made by Oklahoma artists!

Which artist would you most like to meet?
We would love to meet artists who love their own work and wants ways to show them off to the public, grow their careers, or start creative events.  We are lucky to get to meet many artists throughout the state. It seems that Oklahoma has an endless supply of artists, as they can be found in even the unlikeliest of places. We always look forward to meeting more Oklahoma artists (especially in their working studios to see their tools, process and cool spaces!).

One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.

- Leonardo da Vinci

Oh, what a beautiful weekend!  The forecast looks great for the weather and for the arts, so let's all get out and enjoy some of these exciting events!

Murderers – last weekend!
@ Carpenter Square Theatre
http://www.carpentersquare.com/

Moss and Rivers Exhibit – last weekend!
@ City Arts Center
http://www.cityartscenter.org

Film Night
@ City Arts Center
http://www.cityartscenter.org/events/events.html

Red Dirt Improv
@ IAO Project Space
http://www.iaogallery.org/performance/index.htm

Doing What We Can to Help
@ Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art
http://www.mgmoa.org/

Frankenstein – last weekend!
@ Oklahoma Children’s Theatre
http://www.oklahomachildrenstheatre.org/

Museums on Us – free admission with Bank of America card
@ OKC Museum of Art
http://museums.bankofamerica.com/

Film Screenings – Barking Water, Pearl, Emerging Native Stories
@ OKC Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/film

The Couch Lounge – opening night!
@ OKC Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/cafe/cocktailsontheskyline

Classical Mystery Tour
@ OKC Philharmonic
http://www.okcphilharmonic.org/2009-2010-pops

On Sunday, Allied Arts teamed up with the Oklahoma City Thunder and invited fans to Pumpkin Up! Through this promotion, the first 200 fans to bring a pumpkin decorated in Thunder-style received a free ticket to the game.

Fans of all ages got creative and brought pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.
From foam French fries to sweat bands to pipe cleaners and paint, fans used anything they could to show their Thunder pride!  Allied Arts artists and Thunder staff selected five of the most creative fan pumpkins to receive Thunder prize packages. The lucky fans were also honored at half time.
 
Pumpkin Up! was a slam dunk event!  Here are a few photos from the game. To see more, visit our flickr or facebook pages.

Me and Bailey (far right) with some of our Thunder friends in front of just a few of the fan entries.



One of our winners. He carved Kevin Durant's name in a pumpkin, all by himself!



Allied Arts artists selecting the most creative fan pumpkins.



All five winners at halftime. Congrats to everyone that participated!

Here’s a group with big voices and a big mission. It’s time to hear all about Central Oklahoma’s professional opera company from its general director, Bradley Williams. Meet Cimarron Opera!

Give us the gist of your organization, Twitter-style (that means 140 characters or less).
Cimarron Opera is Central Oklahoma's professional opera company providing educational touring and community arts programming with a vision to grow into the grand opera company for the Oklahoma City metro. Our motto: "Opera for Everyone!  Experience the Joy!"

What does your organization bring to Central Oklahoma?
We bring the joy and grandeur of the most challenging and all-inclusive performing art - OPERA. We share opera with Oklahoma's children through annual school tours and our summer opera camp and with the general public through innovative programming.

List a few things that your organization is looking forward to in the coming year.
• Annual Scholastic Opera Tour - we are taking two operas into Oklahoma's schools: "The Owl, the Tree, and Me", and "Hansel and Gretel". (throughout the academic year)
• "Amahl and the Night Visitors" - a collaborative project with Norman North High School’s choral program.  High school students will play the shepherds with professional singers in the principal roles.  Members of the Oklahoma Youth Orchestra will be featured as well. (December 11 – Nancy O'Brian Performing Arts Center)
• "Divas Unleashed" - an operatic play by Todarte Productions in New York which combines the physical comedy styles of "The Carol Burnett Show" and Victor Borge with opera singing.  (January 23, 2010 - Sooner Theatre)
• 40th Annual Festival of Spirituals - this Norman traditional celebrates our cultural diversity and the uniquely American song genre of the spiritual.  Soloists and choirs come together for this event which will be held at company founder Thomas Carey's home church.  (March 28, 2010 - First Presbyterian Church, Norman)
• 15th Annual Summer Opera Camp - this popular summer adventure for youth produces a fully staged Gilbert and Sullivan operetta each year.  (June 7 - July 2, 2010)

How can people get involved with your organization?
Call Cimarron Opera at 364-8962, or email us at info@ccocopera.org.  We welcome anyone who wants to share their time, talent, treasure, or all three to help us bring an annual grand opera season to the OKC metro.

Name your favorite piece of art or art performance.
The aria "Nessun dorma" sung by Luciano Pavarotti.

Which artist would you most like to meet?
As an international opera singer for the past 20 years, I have had the privilege of performing with many of the world's most renown opera singers.  While I do not have an artist in mind that I would like to meet, I have many great artists in mind that I would like to present to the Oklahoma City arts-supporting public in a Cimarron Opera production.

For more information, visit www.ccocopera.org.

This is a repeat picture, but we just love Bradley’s Pavarotti ghost!