Work by a Rogers State University professor will be included in a juried exhibition at Living Arts of Tulsa this week.
The installation titled “Homeless in Tulsa” by Bryce Brimer, associate professor of fine arts, is one of more than 100 works on display during the “Oh, Tulsa!” exhibit, which opens Friday, August 2 and continues through August 23.
The purpose of the exhibit, juried by former Tulsan Ann Weisman, is to celebrate or critique the city of Tulsa. Weisman also is the Deputy Director of the New Mexico Arts Council.
For his interactive sculptural installation Brimer chose to address the topic of homelessness in Tulsa.
“There have been a lot of changes to downtown Tulsa during the past few years, but the increases in development and entertainment overshadow an ongoing need in the city’s center,” Brimer said. “On any given day there are more 1,200 homeless people in Tulsa.”
Brimer designed his 12-foot-tall piece to explore the dichotomy between the very rich and the very poor. At the front of the piece stand some of the iconic downtown buildings and at the back is a replica of a shanty that serves as a doorway into the artwork.
The artist worked with individuals from the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless.
The clients (including children, teens, adults and elderly) were supplied with paint and materials and asked to share their thoughts on the subjects of home and Tulsa. The artist spent four weeks working with Day Center clients and used their painted panels in his piece.
“Working with the people from the Day Center was an incredibly rewarding experience, I was surprised by their positive attitudes and artwork,” he said.
The opening reception will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, August 2 at Living Arts of Tulsa located at 307 E. Brady St. in Tulsa. For more information on the exhibit visit http://www.livingarts.org/ or call 918-585-1234.