Allied Arts

Arts insider fact – galleries place red dots on artwork as soon as the pieces sell.

And IAO hopes to place plenty of red dots during its annual fundraiser – the Red Dot Art Auction.

Visit IAO’s new gallery space on historic film row on Friday, November 20th to get in on the art auction action. From 7-11 pm, the gallery will feature artwork by more than 75 Oklahoma artists. Guests will also enjoy food, drinks and friends while viewing the eclectic selection of art.

Funds raised via Red Dot directly support IAO exhibitions throughout the year. Cost of admission to Red Dot is $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Purchase advance tickets at Blue 7 (7518 N May Ave), Full Circle Bookstore (1900 NW Expressway), online at www.iaogallery.org or by phone (405) 232-6060. 

Does anyone already have plans to attend Red Dot? Looks like it is going to be amazing...and a great spot for one-of-a-kind holiday gifts.



Tornado Alley Roller Derby girls with sculptor Rick Bewley in front of his Red Dot sculpture. The Red Dot sculpture has helped IAO promote the upcoming art auction.

We're so excited to give you the scoop on City Arts Center, one of Allied Arts 20 member agencies. Check out all that they do for arts in Central Oklahoma.

Name and Title: Kristin Richter, PR Manager  
Organization Name: City Arts Center
Organization Phone Number and Web Site: 405-951-0000; www.cityartscenter.org

Give us the gist of your organization, Twitter-style (that means 140 characters or less).
The mission of City Arts Center is to provide interactive arts experiences through exhibits, classes and events.

What does your organization bring to Central Oklahoma?
City Arts Center is a community school of the arts that offers free admission to exhibits as well as very affordable art classes for both children and adults.

List a few things that your organization is looking forward to in the coming year.
City Arts Center is excited about our 17th Annual Café City Arts on January 29, 2010.

We also have several great artists lined up for the spring and are looking forward to having children invade our building during our summer camp season.

We are also excited about our 6th Annual Midnight Streak next July. In 2009, we had over 400 more runners than we did in 2008. We are hoping to increase the number of participating runners again in 2010!

How can people get involved with your organization?
If you are interested in art, you can visit City Arts Center at any time to view our art for free. If you would like to volunteer, we have numerous volunteer events. Contact 405-951-0000 if you are interested in volunteering!

Name your favorite piece of art or art performance.
It is impossible to name a favorite piece of art. We have so many amazing artists walk through our door, we couldn’t just name one!

Which artist would you most like to meet?
I think we are all very interested in meeting Jason Hackenwerth in April. He will be our April/May show. If you don’t know about Jason, he is definitely worth checking into! http://www.jasonhackenwerth.com/



A photo from Donald Longcrier's exhibit, currently available for viewing at the Eleanor Kirkpatrick Gallery (at the City Arts Center). Admission is free! 

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!).

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!

Hello, arts fans!  Let me tell you about a show that is sure to put the shriek in your Halloween - Lyric Theatre’s Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. After seeing a performance, I only have two words to describe it: creepy, awesome!

If you haven’t seen Lyric at the Plaza, you need to. The newly remodeled auditorium is simple and ultra-cool, and there’s not a bad seat in the house. A combination of the Plaza Theatre and a chilly fall night provide the perfect setting for this musical thriller. 

Sweeney Todd will run until November 1 with showings Tuesday through Sunday. If you’d like to buy tickets, I’ll make it easy for you! Click here: http://www.lyrictheatreokc.com/node/222. 

On Friday, October 23, O.K. City Chorus  new director, Mary Rhea, and her fellow members of Zing! quartet were named the “Queens of Harmony” at the Sweet Adelines International competition in Nashville.  Zing! competed against 50 quartets from across the globe to capture the crown.

Mary's first concert with the O.K. City Chorus will be the group's annual Christmas show, An A Capella Christmas Carol, at 3 pm on December 13 at Southern Nazarene University. 

Singers in the metro area will get the opportunity to sing with ‘Queen Mary' through a project called "Come Sing With Us." "Come Sing with Us" encourages aspiring singers (or those who just like to sing for fun) to join the OK City Chorus for a few carols during the Christmas show. Rehearsals begin on Tuesday, November 3 at St. Lukes United Methodist Church, NW 14th & Harvey, OKC, 73103.   

For more information about the O.K. City Chorus or "Come Sing with Us," visit www.okcity.org.




The Zing! quartet - winners of the "Queens of Harmony" crown.

This week, we’re introducing you all to Carpenter Square Theatre. We talked to Rhonda Clark, artistic director for the live theatre company, to get the scoop.

Give us the gist of your organization, Twitter-style (that means 140 characters or less). 
Carpenter Square Theatre produces a wide variety of contemporary plays – most that you won’t see anywhere else in the metro area – plus hosts educational programs. 
 
What does your organization bring to Central Oklahoma? 
We produce bold, adventurous theater in an intimate setting where the audience can truly feel involved with the onstage action.  In addition, we present programs specifically for high school students and provide free tickets to students deemed at-risk so that they can experience live theater.  
 
List a few things that your organization is looking forward to in the coming year.
Our 26th season is in full swing with performances through July 17, 2010. Check out our upcoming shows at www.carpentersquare.com. 
 
Also, Carpenter Square Theatre will hold special matinee performances of Arthur Miller’s theater classic “All My Sons” for middle and high school students in April 2010.

And Carpenter Square Theatre’s annual fundraiser – the 7th annual 10-minute play contest for Oklahoma writers – will finale on July 24, 2010. The final event features staged readings of the winning plays from the annual contest.
 
How can people get involved with your organization?
There are many ways to get involved with the organization. Here’s just a few:

• Volunteer. Help usher, participate in the annual fundraising event, clean up after shows or work on other special projects.
• Be on the board. Carpenter Square Theatre needs people who appreciate the arts, especially live theater, and are interested in helping our theater organization grow.
• Act. Carpenter Square Theater’s auditions are always open to the public. We love to get people involved who have never performed with us before.
• Donate. Financial donations and donations of clothing in good condition, especially period clothing and accessories, such as hats, gloves, shoes, etc. are much appreciated. Donations of vintage furniture are also very welcome.
• Advertise. Program advertising ranges in price from $100-$1000.
• Sponsor. Sponsorship opportunities start as low as $100. Or you (or your company) could sponsor our education program and help Carpenter Square Theatre extend free tickets and transportation for students attending our spring production of “All My Sons.”
• Go behind-the-scenes. And for those who are interested in getting “behind-the-scenes,” Carpenter Square Theatre always need assistance in technical theater positions, in the areas of stage management, as well as with the operation of lights and sound.  We’ll teach you! 

Contact Carpenter Square Theatre at (405) 232-6500 or visit www.carpentersquare.com.

 A picture from “Almost Maine” – Carpenter Square Theatre’s most popular show last year.

Every Thursday we’ll post some of the coolest arts activities and events taking place in the upcoming weekend. Post a comment if you’ve been to any of these shows – we’d love to read your review!

Here’s what’s going on this weekend:

Out of Sight Exhibit
@ IAO Gallery (Oklahoma City)
http://www.iaogallery.org/

Sweeney Todd
@ Lyric at the Plaza (Lyric Theatre – Oklahoma City)
http://www.lyrictheatreokc.com/

Rent
@ The Pollard Theatre (Guthrie)
http://www.thepollard.org/

Film Screening – It Might Get Loud
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/film

Murderers
@ Carpenter Square Theatre (Oklahoma City)
http://www.carpentersquare.com/

And don’t forget to create your Thunder pumpkins this weekend (for the Nov. 1st game!).

Allied Arts supports 20 different local arts organizations (we call them our “member agencies”) with funding, marketing, business development and educational opportunities.

One of our goals is that through this blog, you all will get to know our member agencies better.

Each Monday we’ll be interviewing a different member agency so that you can get the inside scoop on who they are and what they’re up to.

While you wait for Monday to come, we thought we’d give you a sneak peak of a recent all-agencies meeting. As a warm-up exercise, we did a Halloween arts activity. As you can imagine, we had some very creative results!

 

 Bradley Williams – Director of Cimarron Opera – with his ghost of Pavarotti. Isn't that too perfect?!

 

 Some of our board members getting in on the arts action.

 

 A spider created by Jason from Canterbury Choral Society. It’s made with a Tootsie Roll pop as the center.

On Saturday night, I attended IAO’s Out of Sight exhibit opening reception. The premise of the exhibit was beyond cool – all of the art work needed to be bold and/or tactical, as to allow visually impaired people the chance to experience the different pieces.

IAO partnered with the Oklahoma League for the Blind to ensure the exhibit was appropriate and sensitive to the needs of visually impaired people. For example, each art work’s write-up (you know, the little explanation they put beside the art) was accessible through three senses – touch (Braille), sight (text) and sound (a cell phone tour).

I have to say that I got a little emotional during the event. In the short time I was there, I saw several visually impaired people experiencing the art, primarily through touch. I thought – how cool that they can come in here and touch anything and everything, something that is usually so taboo in art spaces? And that got me thinking…without exhibits like this, visually impaired people are limited to only certain art forms. I was so thankful to Jeff Stokes (IAO director) and his crew for helping to make art accessible to all.

Check out my photos below.


A shot of some of the gallery space.
All the art work is black and white to ensure the most contrast possible for easier viewing for those with low vision.


I thought this piece was cool.
Every bit of it was drawn with words from a Grateful Dead song.


And here’s a pic of me sitting on the “Throned” piece of art work. It is a refurbished rocking chair with Braille on the arms and head phones (a well-rounded arts experience).

Check out www.iaogallery.org for more information. The Out of Sight exhibit will be up through Friday, November 6^th and it’s free!