dance, art & okc: ISTVAN GALLERY OPENING TONIGHT

Four Cutting Edge Artists TONIGHT, February 14

Istvan Gallery Celebrates Valentine’s Day with New Art Installation

Not to deny his “street cred” but Dylan Bradway has graduated from being an “Emerging Artist” to an established artist. Growing up in Oklahoma City, Dylan was surrounded by a very creative family atmosphere which allowed him to find his passion early in his life. Throughout his schooling Dylan continued to build his creative talents in many art related studies that led to his BFA in Graphic Design with honors in 2006 and continues to be in great demand as a graphic designer. With a drive for supporting emerging artists he has built a close relationship with his local arts community. Over the past 5 years Dylan has worked with his wife Amanda to establish DNA Galleries which specializes in showing local urban contemporary artist and selling retail items produced by local artists. Dylan currently works as a freelance graphic designer and co-owner of DNA Galleries in Oklahoma City while pursuing his passion for visual arts. His work has shown in many exhibits in the United States including: Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Portland. In 2009 his work travelled overseas for a solo exhibition in Hannover, Germany.

“My work is a part of a free flowing thought process that utilizes line, gesture and form to create figural landscapes” states Bradway. The artist’s work is exactly that, ethereal and moving. Think Maurice Sendak meets Jean-Michel Basquiat

In addition to Bradway, featured artists for the February show at Istvan Gallery will include Courtney Struttman, Michael Hatcher and Nathan Evans.

Courtney Struttmann recently received her BFA from the University of Oklahoma with a Major in Photography and Minor in Art History. Struttmann has shown across Oklahoma including OU, the Brookside Gallery in Tulsa and at the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s Momentum. Her photography is innovative, edgy and multidimensional. She creates scenes using books, vintage film and other found objects and photographs these creations using non-traditional lighting and composition to challenge and entertain the viewer. Her works incorporate themes including family, history, lineage and memories.

Her recent projects have been an exploration of light and shadows using dioramas portraying childhood memories. The dioramas are created using cut out dictionary book pages in the shape of people or objects that represent the scene depicted from my childhood. A single artificial light spotlights the diorama but also casts another layer or dimension in the shadow that the book page silhouettes create on the background. The final images created contain two portrayals of the same memory.

Michael Hatcher, a painter and sculptor also received his BFA in Studio Art from the University of Oklahoma. Hatcher has shown regionally at OU, Kansas City and at the Oklahoma Visual Arts Momentum. His current body of work consists of paintings on canvas as well as “paintings” sculpted from wood, acrylic and resin. The color, form and composition are reminiscent of work by Oklahoma pop artist Edward Ruscha.

Nathan Evans, an art student at the University of Central Oklahoma and will graduate this year with a Bachelor of Fine Art. He has had several gallery shows in Oklahoma, including Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s “Momentum.” He has recently received the Claire Hart DeGloyer Memorial Fund award from the Dallas Museum of Art.

As a former psychology major turned art major, Evans uses his mixed media drawings to communicate his interest in understanding grief and bereavement. His work is inspired by funeral ceremonies for deceased animals. “My art uses drawing as a memorial for the dead. Through the process of observation, drawing, shrouds, and the handling of the remains, I create a ceremony for these animals and translate that into mixed media drawings” says Evans.

The work in this show is a product of those ceremonies and is beautiful and intriguing. Per the artist, “I choose the animals that I do as a metaphor. I think societies' response to death is to discredit and ignore it. In a way societies' relationship to animals bred for food or "lesser" animals like rodents and pigeons mimics that response. I feel that they were ignored in life and disenfranchised in death. By making them the sole subject of my drawing; I elevate them to deserve to be the subject of my drawing. By giving them a voice I hope to give a voice to grief itself.”

All four of the artists for the February art installation are all young, and three of them are relatively new to the gallery scene, but the quality of their work is representative of some of the top artistic talent in the state. This show is a great opportunity to see examples of the great young talent we have here in Oklahoma.

The February art installation at Istvan Gallery will debut with an artists’ reception that is free and open to the public, Friday, Feb. 14 from 6 to 10 p.m. The event will include entertainment, light hors d’oeurves and beverages. Visitors can also observe glass blowing demonstrations by artists at Blue Sage Studio. The installation will continue through March 22.

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"Love on the Plaza" Live

Valentines Day on the Plaza

(after you stop by Istvan Gallery of Course!)

More information on the website: http://www.plazadistrict.org/2014/02/love-on-the-plaza-2/

What’s happening during LIVE on the Plaza:

"Awkward Couple" Photobooth
Kids Craft with Bilingual Family
Jim Shelley Heart Necklace Giveaway
Friends of the Plaza VIP Area
“I love the Plaza…” Interactive Art Project
Plaza Valentine Giveaway

Bad Granny’s - Artwork by Melissa Gray in the Backroom
Collected Thread - Bouquets by Katie Huskerson of Birdie
Dig It - “Hoodoo Ya Love” & Underground Monster Carnival Giveaway
DNA Galleries – Featured Artists - Jason Pawley and Ross Adams of Tall Hill Creative
Istvan Galleries – February Opening and Artist’s Reception, Featured Artists - Dylan Bradway, Michael Hatcher, Nathan Evans, and Courtney Struttman
Paint N Cheers – Painting Class: “Love Swing” Couples’ Painting
The Parish – Live music – DBOYD, Comics from New World Comics, Beer Sampling from Roughtail Brewery
PhotoArt Studios - Untitled Series by KO Rinearson
Pie Junkie – HapPi Hour all night, $3.14 a slice, Date Night Special - Cutie Pie and 2 Coffees $8
Tree & Leaf - OU Print Club’s “Dirty Laundry” Show with Live Screen Printing
The Society - Featured Artists - Jackie Miller and Amber Rae Black
Urban Wineworks - Valentine's Pre-Fixe Menu with live music from Adam Miller

Food Trucks:
MotoChef
Kaiteki Ramen
Taste of Soul
Frank's Wurst

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