FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Cedar Marie, cmarie@ou.edu
CONTACT: Jessica Upson, jess@ou.edu
OU School of Art & Art History
(405) 325-2691
OU Art Exhibition Offers Glimpse into the Culture of Fishing
NORMAN, OKLA. (October 12, 2012) – The University of Oklahoma School of Art & Art History and the Lightwell Gallery present FISH, a multimedia art exhibition curated by OU professor and artist Cedar Marie. The exhibition explores a concern for one of the planet’s most diminishing food resources and includes sculpture, photography, video, and painting from U.S. and international artists.
“FISH offers the public an opportunity to consider how we tend to our relationships with the food we grow, harvest, and consume,” said Cedar Marie. Artwork represented in this exhibition includes pieces from Bangkok-based photographer Jane Iverson, whose work documents the simplicity and fragility of Asian fishing culture, and Texas-based artist Christine Foerster who creates interactive installations based on green design. Other artists address Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, American kitsch, and patriotism.
Coinciding with the exhibit, The School of Art & Art History welcomes visiting artist and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Ray Troll. Troll will give a public lecture on October 30 at 10:30 a.m. in the Mary Eddy and Fred Jones Auditorium at the red Jones Jr. Museum of Art.
Ray Troll bases his quirky aquatic images on the latest scientific discoveries and brings a street-smart sensibility to the worlds of ichthyology & paleontology. “His paintings and drawings are also a delightful commentary on the fishy behavior of humans,” said Cedar Marie. His unique blend of art and science has reached a wide range of audiences in major shows at the Smithsonian, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Troll received a Gold Medal for Distinction in the Natural History Arts by the Academy of Natural Sciences, and is the art director for the Miami Museum of Science’s Amazon Voyage traveling exhibit. An exhibition based on his book “Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway”–written in collaboration with Dr. Kirk Johnson–is currently on tour.
FISH is on display from Tuesday October 23 through Wednesday November 7, 2012 in the OU School of Art & Art History’s Lightwell Gallery. A free, public reception will be held on Thursday, Oct. 25 from 6-8 p.m., with locally sourced, sustainable and seasonal food donated by LOCAL of Norman, Oklahoma, and fish hors d’oeuves prepared by Pepe Delgaldos.
The university of Oklahoma’s School of Art & Art History is located in the Fred Jones Art Center (FJC), 520 Parrington Oval, in the OU Arts District. The Lightwell Gallery is located on the second floor and is open from 8 a.m-5 p.m., Monday through Friday and is closed on holidays and weekends. For more information on the University of Oklahoma School of Art & Art History please visit art.ou.edu.
For special accommodations call 405.325.2691 or email art@ou.edu.
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