American Art

The Much-Anticipated Philbrook Downtown Opens to the Public on June 14th

Rich Fisher — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:21:31 +0000

This weekend --- beginning Friday the 14th --- the Tulsa community will welcome Philbrook Downtown, a new satellite space of the Philbrook Museum of Art, which was founded in 1938 and opened in 1939. Philbrook Downtown is a 30,000-square-foot, modern-style facility located in the city's vibrant Brady Arts District; it's comprised in a brick building that formerly housed a historic warehouse, and it's situated just steps away from several other newly created arts/cultural institutions in downtown Tulsa.

The Book as a Work of Art --- Philbrook Presents "Artists' Books: Works and Pictures"

Rich Fisher — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:05:58 +0000

On this installment of ST, a discussion of both the art and craft of making books. Our guest is Jody Williams, a Minneapolis-based book artist, printmaker, teacher, and writer. The (mostly miniature-sized) books that she creates as individual works of art appear under the name Flying Paper Press; books created by Williams have appeared in exhibits all over the country, and some are included in a group show currently on view at the Philbrook Museum of Art (through July 21st) called About Bookworks III.

Remembering the Artist Charles Banks Wilson (1918-2013) on StudioTulsa

Rich Fisher — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:04:40 +0000

Today on ST, a special interview from our archives as we listen back to a 1993 discussion with Charles Banks Wilson. The widely beloved artist died last week at 94. Wilson was born in Arkansas and grew up in Miami, Oklahoma; over the course of his long and prolific career, he worked as a painter, printmaker, art teacher, lecturer, historian, and magazine and book illustrator --- and his works are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, the Corcoran Gallery, the Oklahoma State Capitol, the Smithsonian, and other notable institutions.

"Tapestries of Jon Eric Riis" at the New 108 Contemporary Gallery in Downtown Tulsa

Rich Fisher — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 20:13:39 +0000

On this installment of our program, we speak by phone with the internationally known contemporary fiber artist, Jon Eric Riis, whose tapestry works can be found in private collections as well as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The New York Museum of Art and Design, The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Museum of Art, and elsewhere.

"From Max Weber to Mark Rothko" (A Lecture at Philbrook)

Rich Fisher — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 23:58:16 +0000

The widely praised "Models & Muses: Max Weber and the Figure" exhibit at the Philbrook Museum of Art here in Tulsa will close on February 3rd. On this installment of ST, we revisit this terrific show --- the first museum survey of Weber's work in two decades, and an exhibition which originated at Philbrook --- in order to explore one aspect of Weber's long and influential career in American modern art. Namely, that aspect is his relationship with Mark Rothko, the pioneering abstract painter who, while still a young man, was briefly a student of Weber's in the middle 1920s.

For Artist James Grashow, Anything Goes (Including Cardboard Sculptures, Woodcuts, LP Covers, Etc.)

Rich Fisher — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 23:14:31 +0000

On this edition of StudioTulsa, we speak with the veteran artist James Grashow, born in Brooklyn in 1942, who's been creating an appealing, wide-ranging body of work since the 1960s. From large-scale environmental installations to album covers for Deep Purple and Jethro Tull to miniature "houseplants" (in which homes and buildings replace flowers and buds in intricately constructed bouquets), Grashow creates works that somehow thrive on both whimsy and decay, both wonder and mortality.

Jazz, Ballet, and Contemporary Styles Blend Seamlessly in the Work of River North Dance Chicago

Rich Fisher — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:12:05 +0000

On this installment of ST, we speak by phone with Frank Chaves, the artistic director of River North Dance Chicago, a critically acclaimed dance organization, founded in 1989, that continues to perform at leading venues around the world. This company is recognized for its skilled and emotive dancers, stimulating music, and bold choreography. Chaves, who's also the company's main choreographer (and who's been with the company for two decades now), tells us that River North Dance Chicago is especially dedicated to merging jazz, ballet, and contemporary styles of movement.

Finding Stories, Capturing Moments, Making Pictures: A Chat with Veteran Photographer Jim Richardson

Rich Fisher — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 21:30:17 +0000

On this edition of ST, we speak with Jim Richardson, a longtime contributing photographer for National Geographic magazine (and contributing editor to NatGeo's Traveler magazine) who is known for his globe-trotting photo-journalism as well as his carefully observed images of rural American life. As a social documentary photographer who's been in the business for 30+ years, Richardson has enjoyed an influential and far-flung career.

Now at Gilcrease --- "Edgar Payne: The Scenic Journey"

Rich Fisher — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:48:36 +0000

Our guest is Dr. Scott A. Shields, the associate director and chief curator at the Crocker Art Museum in California, who's also the chief curator for a traveling exhibit that will be on view at the Gilcrease Museum here in Tulsa through March 24th. "Edgar Payne: The Scenic Journey" is a retrospective appreciation that features nearly 100 paintings and drawings, along with photographs, sculptures, and other objects from the artist's studio.

Opening Soon on East Archer Street in Downtown Tulsa: The Hardesty Arts Center

Rich Fisher — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 23:01:45 +0000

Our guest on this installment of ST is Ken Busby, the Executive Director and CEO of the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa, which is, per its website, the long-standing "champion of area arts and culture.