24 Works on Paper, a travelling exhibition of work by living Oklahoma artists, will open to the public on August 31, 2020 at the SWOSU Art Gallery, 100 E Campus Drive Weatherford, OK. Regular gallery hours are Monday – Friday from 8am-5pm, and visitors are required to wear masks and observe social distancing guidelines. OVAC will also have a digital catalog and education guide available on their website for folks who would prefer to enjoy the exhibition from home.
“We are looking forward to hosting 24 Works on Paper because it is important for our students to see contemporary artwork being created here in Oklahoma,” says Robin Jones, Professor and Chair of the Department of Art at SWOSU. “We are all in need of inspiration this year, and visual art is a wonderful way to keep our spirits up during this time.”
The 24 Works on Paper exhibition features 24 works of art created on paper, including media such as printmaking, drawing, painting, and photography. The 2020-2022 guest curator is heather ahtone, Ph.D., Senior Curator at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City. Reflecting on the selection process, ahtone said, “Working on paper is magic. Taking beaten pulp that has been pressed flat, and using its naturally textured surface to one’s advantage, requires a certain mastery of the hand and the materials. It was a thoroughly enjoyable process and I am grateful to all the artists who submitted and to OVAC for asking me to participate.”
The guest curator is responsible for selecting all the works for this touring exhibition in addition to the Curator’s Choice and Award of Merit cash prizes. Additionally, all artworks will be included in a full-color catalog along with an essay by the curator.
24 Works on Paper will be on view at SWOSU August 31st – September 18th before travelling to nine other locations throughout the state for more than a year, bringing original, contemporary Oklahoma artwork to viewers in communities in all regions of the state. Stops on the exhibition’s tour include the Wigwam Gallery in Altus, the Forest Heritage Center Museum in Broken Bow, the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center in Enid, the Spider Gallery in Tahlequah, and more.