Summer festival season is drawing to a close, and cooler days, thank god, are finally within sight — meaning it’s the perfect time, dear Oxford Karma reader, to expand your horizons and cultural repertoire with some kickass local art. Say goodbye to summer with these can’t-miss OKC exhibitions.
Art Gone Wild
a.k.a. gallery
Noon – 5 p.m. Aug. 26-29
Art, conservation and a love for animals collide with the Oklahoma City Zoo’s 6th annual Art Gone Wild showcase at a.k.a. gallery in the Paseo. Animal artists ranging from elephants and grizzly bears to orangutans and stingrays got their feet wet (both literally and figuratively) to create truly unique works of art, with all proceeds supporting zoo conservation and enrichment programs. Apparently a lot of these animals really dig channeling their inner Picassos; they’re given non-toxic paint and a blank canvas and straight up go to town. Pretty cool.
Eric Piper: Forgive Yourself Forget Yourself
Tall Hill Creative
5 p.m. Sept. 6
Dope Chapel’s very own Eric Piper is bringing his special brand of experimental art to Tall Hill Creative on Sept. 6th, and the work on display will run the gamut. We’re talking both new and old screen prints and woodcut prints plus installation, sculpture, performance and graphite drawings. Come say hi to Eric before he heads off on a tour from Vancouver to Mexico this November.
Kalee Jones W.
DNA galleries
Aug. 13 – Sept. 4
Come out to the Plaza’s DNA Galleries to see a sea of stained glass created by multidisciplinary local artist Kalee Jones W. Though Kalee also works in acrylics, glass is the name of the game with this show. Various found objects and natural materials have been encapsulated in clear, colorful vessels, making for a truly unique visual effect. Side note: Don’t forget to mark your calendars for DNA’s Anniversary Show on Oct. 9.
PhotoFest 2015
Paseo Art Space
6 p.m. Sept. 4
The Paseo’s annual PhotoFest is always a cool time, displaying the distinctive artistic eyes of photographers across Oklahoma, whether they’re involved in traditional and digital processes or mixed-media work. Renowned local photographer John Jernigan will preside over the 2015 juried competition.
Exquisite Corpse Mixology
[Artspace] at Untitled
6 p.m. Sept. 17
For a bit of the weird and wild, head over to [Artspace] at Untitled on Sept. 17 for the opening reception for the Exquisite Corpse exhibit. If you’re indecisive like yours truly, then this one’s for you. Basically, [Artspace] has taken various artistic body parts created by an assortment of local artists to form seven-foot-tall, two-dimensional beings dubbed Exquisite Corpses. Want a corpse to take home? (Yeah, never thought I would type that sentence.) Visitors can digitally recreate their own corpse out of available pieces, which is then available for purchase. The create-your-own fun continues with food and drink bar where imagination is highly encouraged.
