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PrintLoved and lost
Lavada Nicholls’ new exhibit is a valley of the dolls.
When Lavada Nicholls left Tulsa in 1999, she and her husband, Pete, took only two suitcases and moved to Belgium and then France. It is from Europe that Nicholls has worked on her current project, “Loved and Lost,” to be shown this month at Aberson Exhibits on Brookside.
Study her 35 mm film images for this project, and you’ll find yourself staring straight into the eyes of your childhood — that is, if you played with dolls. These haunting photos dig up old emotions, Nicholls says: sweetness, pathos, sadness, repulsion.
“We are attracted to these images out of nostalgia for our own past and the ‘beings’ we loved that helped us through the ages,” Nicholls says. “At the same time, we are repulsed that they have transitioned through love to become mere and sometimes grotesque objects. Were they not so human in their form, we could discount their decay. But we cannot, as we give pause to our own lost loves, and perhaps to our own beings.”
Let this Midwestern-meets-European woman rich in Tulsa roots — she took photography classes at Philbrook Museum in the ’70s, met her husband of 33 years at the Magician’s Theatre, took fashion photos for Marilyn Ihloff and hosted her first art exhibit at Living Arts of Tulsa in 1986 — transport you to the past with her craft.
Upcoming exhibits
Dia de los Muertos
If you really want to get out and be surrounded by a rich cultural experience, this is your event. Dia de los Muertos is a traditional Hispanic festival allowing people to remember and celebrate their deceased loved ones as a community. Living Arts teams up with other groups and hosts a day of music, food, dancing (including fire dancers) and Hispanic cultural activities. Cornerstones of this event are altars made by Tulsans honoring loved ones who have passed away. They are typically decorated with flowers and objects displaying the personality of the deceased.
Festival: Nov. 1 from 2-11 p.m.; altars on display until Nov. 7. Living Arts of Tulsa, 307 E. Brady St. Admission: $5 per person; children 12 and under admitted free.
Champagne & Chocolate: Holiday Sale and Silent Auction, Living Arts Fall Gala
I can imagine few more perfect combinations than champagne, chocolate and art. Steve Liggett, this year’s event curator, selected more than 100 of the best artists from Oklahoma and beyond to present their work — paintings, pewter vessels, jewelry, photography, pottery and much more — for sale or auction. Come raise your glass and the bidding prices to support local art. Visit www.livingarts.org for more details and an opportunity to attend the patron party.
Nov. 21, 6-10 p.m. Living Arts of Tulsa, 307 E. Brady St. Tickets are $20 at the door; advance tickets are available online at www.livingarts.org for $15 or from any Gala committee member before the day of the event.
