OU art show honors students, benefactors
NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma’s 102nd annual School of Art and Art History Student Exhibition will open with a free public reception at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave.
The exhibition will remain on display through May 15 in the Nancy Johnston Records Gallery.
Visitors to the guest-juried show can expect to see top student works in multiple mediums, including photography, design, video, sculpture and painting.
“This year we are privileged to have a wonderful guest juror, Joy Reed Belt,” said Bette Talvacchia, director of the OU School of Art and Art History. “Her expertise and enthusiasm will certainly put together a great exhibition. Also, there is strong material to work with from the students. The works submitted present a rich spectrum of subjects and materials; nevertheless, related thematic concerns emerge upon close consideration.”
Belt is owner and director of JRB Art at The Elms in Oklahoma City.
As part of the reception, an awards ceremony is scheduled for 8 p.m., during which students will be honored with prizes, including the top award, the T.G. Mays Purchase Award, which is offered to a student whose artwork becomes a part of the museum’s permanent collection.
“In addition to honoring student achievement, this exhibition serves as a reminder of the history of the university’s art museum and its generous benefactors,” said Mark White, the Wylodean and Bill Saxon Director of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.
“The T.G. Mays Purchase Award and the Oscar Jacobson Award, which was endowed by Dr. Mark Allen Everett, honor longtime supporters of the University of Oklahoma and its art museum. The annual student exhibition reminds us of these and other donors whose decades-long legacies continue in the form of student distinction.”
The opening reception will feature music and a photo booth by Nexus Productions.
A mini exhibit by Todd Stewart, associate professor of art, technology and culture, and Robert Bailey, assistant professor of art history, both at OU, also will be unveiled during the student exhibition opening.
For more information about the OU School of Art and Art History, go to art. ou.edu or ou.edu/fjjma.
Admission to the museum is free to all visitors, thanks to a gift from the OU Athletics Department. The museum is closed Mondays. Information and accommodations on the basis of disability are available by calling 325-4938.