Gaining perspectives

Joy Jenkins

I am constantly amazed by the diversity of Tulsa’s arts scene. Every week, the city’s museums and galleries offer up a wide array of artists and works, from paintings to sculpture to photography to performance art and everything in between.

This weekend, Philbrook Museum of Art opens an exhibit offering a unique take on the American West -- through the eyes of two renowned female artists -- and other local galleries are introducing exhibits featuring the works of local artists. No matter which exhibit you visit, you are sure to encounter art that will both inspire and enlighten you.

“Black on Black & White: The Southwest of Laura Gilpin and Maria Martinez,” Philbrook Museum of Art

The American West is often thought of as a manly place. The mere mention of this iconic region conjures images of expanses of land filled with rugged cowboys braving the elements on their trusty steeds.

On Feb. 5, however, Philbrook Museum of Art introduces an exhibit that presents a different perspective of the Southwest, one that has a decidedly feminine influence.

“Black on Black & White: The Southwest of Laura Gilpin and Maria Martinez,” the first exhibition of Philbrook’s 2012 series, celebrates two renowned American artists who work in different media but whose lives, and works, are irrevocably intertwined.

Photographer Laura Gilpin (1891-1979) had a career that spanned more then six decades, during which she used black-and-white photographs to capture images of the Western landscape as well as the lives of the Native people who lived there. Philbrook’s exhibit includes 40 of Gilpin’s photographs from a 40-year period, including examples of aerial landscapes and portraits of Southwest residents.

One of those residents is Gilpin’s contemporary and friend, Maria Martinez.

A potter, Martinez (1887-1980) worked with her husband, Julian, to create traditional San Ildefonso ceramics. Encouraged by Edgar Lee Hewett, director of the Museum of New Mexico, Maria and Julian experimented with various techniques to a create a unique black-on-black finish that their Pueblo ancestors made thousands of years earlier. The couple’s work struck a chord, and their ceramics were featured at art shows, expositions and fairs across the country.

In “Black on Black & White,” dozens of Maria Martinez’s ceramics, drawn from Philbrook’s holdings and the Eugene B. Adkins Collection, are paired with Gilpin’s photographs to “present an alternative perspective on the Southwest contrary to dominant 19th and 20th century precedents, which typically cast the American West as a masculine place of staged romance or rugged conquest,” according to the Philbrook website.

The works of Martinez and Gilpin, rather, “offer documentary and physical connections between the land, the people and their art-making traditions.”

Taken as a whole, the photographs and ceramics feature similar content and themes, revealing aspects of the artists’ relationship and shedding new light on a romanticized American region.

“Black on Black & White: The Southwest of Laura Gilpin and Maria Martinez” will be on view through April 15. Visit www.philbrook.org for more information.

“Eye 4 Eye,” Living Arts of Tulsa

On. Feb. 25, Tulsa Opera offers a new take on “Dead Man Walking,” inspired by the 1993 book that was adapted into a 1995 film. “Dead Man Walking” describes the relationship between a nun, Sister Helen, and a convicted murderer on death row, Joseph De Rocher. Beginning as a pen pal to De Rocher, Sister Helen eventually becomes his spiritual adviser, helping him find truth and redemption as he awaits his punishment.

In conjunction with Tulsa Opera’s presentation of “Dead Man Walking,” Living Arts of Tulsa will open the exhibit “Eye 4 Eye” from 6-9 p.m., Feb. 3.

The exhibit, curated by Walt Kosty, a local installation artist, spoken-word artist and contemporary arts advocate, will explore various artists’ perspectives on capital punishment. During the opening reception, Tulsa Opera will also present selections from “Dead Man Walking,” as well as comments from guest conductor Jonathon Pape.

This exhibit offers an opportunity to explore artists’ perspectives and begin your own dialogue about a controversial topic.

The exhibit runs through Feb. 24 and will be displayed in the Living ArtSpace North Gallery. Visit www.livingarts.org for more information.

“Portraits of a Generation: Sons & Daughter of the Red Earth,” Tulsa Historical Society

This weekend is your last chance to see an exhibit that captures the people of Oklahoma through unique and memorable photographs.

M.J. Alexander’s latest photography series is on display at the Tulsa Historical Society, offering images depicting profound moments in the lives of young Oklahomans. The photos show children keeping traditions alive — through rodeos, harvest festivals and ethnic ceremonies — and experiencing life in Oklahoma for the first time. Other images show “children at food pantries, looking for their next meal; children rooted for seven generations to the same piece of land; children already on the road to national recognition; (and) children looking to make a difference in ways big and small,” according to the Historical Society’s website.

“Each child is unique, a self-contained poem, arranged here into verses, stanzas, chapters,” Alexander says. “Their portraits distill something of their essence, and of the story of Oklahoma in the 21st century.”

Explore what it means to be an Oklahoman through the eyes of its youngest generation, as well as the perspective of a talented photographer, at this engaging and insightful exhibit.

“Portraits of a Generation: Sons & Daughter of the Red Earth” is on display through Feb. 4. Visit www.tulsahistory.org for more information.

“The Works of Patricia A. Glasco,” Dennis R. Neill Equality Center

From 6-9 p.m., Feb. 2, Oklahomans for Equality will introduce the next installment of its monthly exhibitions of local artists. This month’s featured artist is Patricia A. Glasco, whose paintings reflect a mix of art deco and art nouveau. Visit the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center to meet the artist, take in her colorful work and mingle with other art lovers.

The paintings will be on display through Feb. 29. Visit www.okeq.org for more information.