Multiple paintings created by Kyle Larson, associate professor of art at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, will be among the artwork of 26 others July 29-Sept. 13 at an exhibition in Oklahoma City that celebrates Oklahoma-based artists.
His work will be displayed during Oklahoma Contemporary’s ArtNow 2021, an exhibition in the Eleanor Kirkpatrick Main Gallery to showcase the new works of selected artists with active studio practices in Oklahoma. These artists’ works respond to the complexities of contemporary culture, reflecting the vibrant diversity of contemporary art in Oklahoma.
Each artist in this exhibition was hand-selected by guest curator Helen Opper, an independent curator and an associate of the Appraisers Association of America. Opper owns her own business and serves as director of The Art Hall Gallery in Oklahoma City. She also is an adjunct professor in the visual art program at Oklahoma City Community College.
“I’m honored to have my work included in this exhibition amongst this dynamic group of artists who represent the breadth and diversity of art-making throughout the state,” Larson said.
Among the artwork to be displayed is a special exhibition featuring several of Bert Seabourn’s works in recognition of his contribution to the cultural landscape in the state. Seabourn’s works are in national and international collections, and he is the recipient of the Governor’s Arts Award from the Oklahoma Arts Council (1981) and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters (1997) from his alma mater, Oklahoma City University. Besides his dedication to art, Seabourn has fostered comradeship in the arts in Oklahoma and has committed his time and talent to teach at Oklahoma Contemporary for many years.
Tickets to view ArtNow 2021 and other exhibitions at Oklahoma Contemporary are free, but visitors are required to reserve limited-access timed tickets up to two weeks in advance. Currently, the museum is encouraging masks for visitors and requires them for children age 2-12 and public-facing staff. The facility is located at 11 NW 11th Street. Tickets may be reserved using https://oklahomacontemporary.org/exhibitions/free_tickets. The museum is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays and closed on Tuesday.
Additional information about the exhibition and the artists represented may be found at https://oklahomacontemporary.org/exhibitions/upcoming/artnow-2021.
Larson has been teaching at Northwestern since 2015. He earned a Bachelor of Art in English and Visual Art and a Master of Art in Painting, both from California State University-Sacramento before earning a Master of Fine Art in Painting from Boston University.
He has been a part of numerous solo and duo exhibitions as well as selected group exhibitions. He also has taken part as an artist-in-residence in North Adams, Massachusetts, and Santiago, Chile, and served as a Northwestern artist-in-residence in 2014 before his employment at the university.
To see more of Larson’s artwork, including some that will be displayed during ArtNow, visit https://kyle-larson.com.
To learn more about Northwestern’s visual arts program, contact Larson at (580) 327-8108, krlarson@nwosu.edu or visit the web page at www.nwosu.edu/school-of-arts-and-sciences/fine-arts/visual-arts.
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