M E M O R Y S C O R EL I V I N G A R T S O F T U L S Aa n o v e r t u r e t o o v e r t i m e

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

Memory Score could not have been possiblewithout support from the following:

Author/Research: Walt Kosty

Design: Nicole McMahan

Photography: Various (see individual photo credits)

Production Grant: The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

Volunteers/Funding Sources:George Kaiser Family FoundationThe Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Oklahoma Arts CouncilMid-America Arts AllianceNational Endowment for the Arts National Performance NetworkJean Ann and Tom FausserClark Phipps and Tommi Cox-PhippsLiving Arts’ Board of Directors and Staff, 1969 – present

Note: Living Arts has made every reasonable effort to identify the photographers and/or owners of photographs used in this book.We have interviewed many individuals to reconstruct the history ofLiving Arts; any omission of information or credit is strictly unintentional.

Cover: Original music score written by Virginia Myersand Living Arts Ensemble.

© 2013 Living Arts of Tulsa

Living Arts of Tulsa // 307 East Brady Tulsa, OK 74120www.livingarts.org // 918.585.1234

A B O U T T H E A U T H O R

Walt Kosty is a poet/writer/artist/performer – a virtual renaissance man who is a strong advocate for the arts, freedom of expression and justice in Oklahoma. He was a founder and active member of Tulsa Artists’ Coalition in its early years, as well as founder of the Phoenix Projext. Over the years, Walt has been one of the most progressive artists in the Tulsa area. He has been an ever-present help to Living Arts; the founder of the New Genre Arts Festival, Poetry Slam and had many great ideas that led to other ongoing Living Arts programs.

In his own words: “raised on a farm in northeastern Oklahoma, i am a self taught artist who has written and performed performance pieces and created several site-specific installations over the past 25 years…i’m rather like a neo-folk artist who uses and incorporates found objects into his work. improvisation and chance with a healthy dose of luck and magic are the keys.”

Memory Score is dedicated to the brilliant spirit of Virginia Myers.

M I S S I O N

Living Arts of Tulsa, Inc. was organized for the development and presentation of contemporary art in Tulsa Oklahoma.

It is interested in newly evolving ideas, in the creation of art forms, in exploring the relationship of art to other disciplines and fields of knowledge and in sharing its interests with the community by encouraging the public to attend and participate in creative workshops, performances, exhibitions, films, demonstrations of current art, lectures, related educational activities and research.

Living Arts considers art basic and its functional development essential to each person’s full development. It strives to help create an environment in which art may thrive.

It strives to be aware, informed and an active participant in cultural history-in-the-making.

THE BEGINNINGComing Together 6

Virginia Myers: “She Grew Things” 8

Chuck Tomlins Art=Life 11

Living Arts Film Series 14

Living Arts Poetry Series 15

Living Arts Theatre 17

BUILDING COMMUNITYMark Ross & The Phoenix Theater 20

Andy Trompetter & The Blackbird Theatre 23

Living Arts Chamber Ensemble 24

THE 1980’SJohn Cage 26

RayGun 27

Artists in Residence 28

Arturo Herrera 29

Outreach Exhibitions 30

The Living Arts House 31

Education Programs 32

A TIME OF TRANSITIONFranklin Wassmer 34

Virginia’s Passing 35

Kosty/Liggett Transition 36

RENEWALSteve Liggett 38

Myers Gallery Exhibition & Installation Program 40

The Inspiration of Outsider Art 41

Site-Specific Works 42

Living with Art in the Garden 43

Objets d’art – Champagne & Chocolate 43

Spoken Word Series 44

Drumming 45

Performance Art 46

New Genre Arts Festival 47

New Genre Spotlight: LelaVision 48

New Genre Spotlight: Merideth Monk 48

New Music 49

Contemporary Dance 50

EVOLUTION Dia de Los Muertos Arts Festival 52

Tulsa ArtCar Weekend 52

Liggett Studio 53

LAB: Living Arts’ Research and Development Space 53

Video 54

Living Arts Volunteers 55

Looking Ahead 56

Epilogue 58

C O N T E N T S

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once upon a timeonce upon a time it was 1969if you can believe in woodstockif you can believe in the beatlesif you can believe they put a man on the moon, andy

then you can believethat once upon a time in tulsathere was a dream of coming togethera coming together of art and artistsa dream of people who wanted to dream of the people and by the people and for the artista dream of dreaming together and to make a dream dream real real

chuck virginia max kitty john manly bob jerry carl alan marknames that in the haze of time and smoke when you blink are barely there

the photographs blur the newspapers crumble and memory sags beneath the accumulated weight of life’s relentless movement ahead in time and over timein this dream there was a myth of a professor who no one quite remembers a professor of the city who said yesyes come together and heal this woundthis nearly 50 year festering of a community dividedby track and trains and causes and color

come together and you shall show films and photographsblack and white and color will merge with time onto celluloidyou shall create plays and you shall make music and danceand you shall paint and sculpt and show and buildand in the dream of this coming together there will be an art that is art and is contemporary and is alive

yes they said yes and when and how and where and nowwe need a building where we can dream bigger

it was 1969 after alland they were in a big city that was still a small town stuckin the corner of no mans land and oil booms and race riotsa big city in the midst of constant renewala big city filled with minds sometimes tinier than you could even imagineradically narrow rigidly conservative and yet filled with dreams too

urban dreams of parking lots and wide open shopping mallsand how do we save downtown where no one wants to live

and how do we get rid of the bums and the drunks and the blacksand the scars

how do we reawaken main streetits furniture alleys and pawn shops and winos and broken down yesterdayslets push it all down raze the buildings and raise new onesthat are taller and better and yes we can save the city from itself

but wait said the kids who weren’t really kids except in the their heartsits not too late give us a buildinggive us a place to playgive us a place to create to act out and to act upand why not for a dollar a month toosince its not being used

and well why not said the wise city fatherswhy not give them what they wantthose long haired pot headed freaky minded artistswhat can they hurt in a building that will become rubble before they even know what hits themthere’s dedmon furniture on the corner of second and mainof downtown small city big tulsey town

and so the kids were alright with thatthey pretended briefly to be grown up and signedofficial documents which were registered and sealedwhich made it official for everyone who believed in the sanctity of being official and in the eyes of the man...all was good

and so first they partied and played as kids will doand then got down to the business of being seriousand swept and cleaned and cut and nailedand sawed and painted and played and smoked and drankand then stood back and said“what shall we call it?”it’s lively and its art and its livingand it’s contemporary and “it’s happening now...man!”

and that’s how Living Arts was bornonce upon a time a very long time ago kids

now...go out and play

walt kosty08092009

an over ture to over t ime

THE BEGINNING

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The first board of directors for Living Arts consisted of officers and directors of six disciplines: painting, music, literary arts, cinematography, theatre and sculpture. The connection with the University of Tulsa (TU) has never been more prevalent than from the initial conception of Living Arts.

Chuck Tomlins who was President, Director and Director of Sculpture, wore enough hats for him to establish a make-shift sleeping area in his studio on the second floor of the building. He was an instructor in the TU art department along with Max Mitchell, Director of Painting for Living Arts, and Carl Coker, who was elected Vice-President of the organization. Virginia Myers headed the music discipline and taught as an adjunct at TU. Jerry Pope and Alan Hill, students at the University of Tulsa, headed Cinematography and Kitty Roberts, another student, was Director of Theatre.

C O M I N G T O G E T H E R

“It was real simple how it happened,” explained Tomlins. “Urban Renewal said for a dollar a month you can have it, and we jumped. After that the doors opened. The first floor was for the performance works, we showed film, put on theatre pieces and had a gallery. Studios were on the mezzanine and in the basement. Your space was defined by plywood walls just to give a little privacy. Going in, we knew the building was going to be torn down, it was just a matter of time. But we were going to make the most of it. Art being created in the 1960’s was some of the most interesting work ever made...it was challenging, asking questions. At the vanguard were people who were connecting and creating pieces that were true inter-media works.”

Documentation of events held during the fall of 1969 are almost non-existent. A Tulsa World headline dated November 9, 1969, from a column called “Young Vibrations,” by Youth Editor Dana Caldwell, reads “From Comedy to Hallucinogenic Trip.” The column promotes a film program organized by Mark Ross,

Dedmon Furniture building – site of the first Living Arts location (2nd & Main), 19�9.

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Director of the Arts Council and Jerald Pope, a TU senior, to be held at the Living Arts Center on the following Saturday and Sunday, November 16 and 17. Caldwell describes the collection as a series of award-winning shorts “focused for young people in the youngest and most vital of the arts-film.”

Caldwell, also includes portions of an interview with Chuck Tomlins, who describes Living Arts as an endeavor to provide a single outlet for all the artistic mediums. Tomlins goes on to describe the group’s aim “…to maintain the highest professional standards of each discipline while taking care not to become bogged down in trivial modes of expression.”

By March of 1970, programming was in full force at the Center. All the disciplines were contributing to a heady atmosphere with a schedule of events that showcased music, theatre, film and the visuals arts in a way that was unprecedented in Tulsa. The Center had quickly become a hub for art and artists in the community to flourish outside of the realm of the establishment.

Although Tulsa had always considered itself a progressive city, opportunities for local artists and performers were few and far between. The atmosphere of Tulsa at the time was staid, conservative and almost claustrophobic to the group of energetic young people who were drawn to the Center. “The only rule was that if you had a studio at Living Arts you had to produce work to be shown,” said Tomlins. No one told you what you could or couldn’t show.

The key word was experimentation…game on.

[Living Arts’] aim “…to maintain the highest professional standards of each discipline while taking care not to become bogged down in trivial modes of expression.” C H U C K T O M L I N S

Volunteers paint the signage for the first Living Artslocation – the Living Arts Center, 19�9.

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V I R G I N I A B U F F M Y E R S : S H E G R E W T H I N G S

To gain a better understanding of Virginia Myers, one must look beyond the prism of her life as a co-founder and director of Living Arts for nearly twenty years; that perspective alone does little justice to her life as a woman, a mother and teacher. She was born in Arkansas, and spent her formative years in Oklahoma until she started college at the Linwood College for Women in St. Charles, Missouri. In 1938, she was accepted at the Eastman School of Music, in Rochester, New York.

At that time, Eastman was considered one the most innovative music schools in the United States. It was established in 1921, as a constituent college of the University of Rochester, and was under the direction of Howard Hanson, who was both a composer and conductor.

From 1947 to 1949, she was a piano instructor and graduate student at the University of Tulsa, it was during that time that she and her husband divorced. She graduated with her Master of Music degree in 1949, and accepted a position as Head of the Music Department at Joplin Junior College.

Upon returning to Tulsa, she opened a private studio in her home on south Oswego for piano lessons and to teach experimental classes in creative music. The studio remained her primary source of income until its closure in 1970, about the same time Living Arts was founded. She would live in that house near the fairgrounds for the remainder of her life.

Virginia Myers inperformance, circa 19�2.

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Poster from a New Music concert commemorating the day Living Arts moved out of the Living Arts Center.

Virginia was a teacher who tried to learn and to teach from an experiential model, the two ends of the spectrum united by process; but living in Tulsa was a challenge, because she took on the establishment, and the establishment was not always supportive of her. Living Arts enabled Virginia to share her gift with the community… J U D I T H A S H E R , V I R G I N I A’ S D A U G H T E R

As Virginia’s daughter Judith Asher remembers it, life in Tulsa for the Myers family wasn’t easy. As a single mother raising two children throughout the 1950s and early ‘60s, Virginia worked long hours to support her family. “I think her greatest gift of all was her ability to teach,” remembers Judith. “She taught piano from the time she was 12, and throughout my childhood she worked from 7:30 in the morning until 7:00 or 8:00 in the evening to support us. She did a lot of different kinds of things to make it work out for us.”

From early childhood Judith remembers thinking of her mother as an extraordinary person. “I enjoyed watching her teach her classes and I would often come out and sit in just to listen to her. She was very supportive of me and my friends,” recalls Asher. “She was interested in an array of things including women’s rights, although they weren’t called that back then. She used to say, there’s no such thing as to teach...there’s only to learn, she believed you created an environment in which a person is able to learn.”

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Asher remembers Tulsa as a community that was not terribly supportive for things experimental or avant-garde, and that’s where Myers heart was.”Virginia was one of the first if not the first to play Schoenberg and other contemporary composers in Tulsa. She was primarily attracted to working with what was new. She was very keen on electronic and chance music and had a ARP synthesizer, one of the first that was made. She challenged institutions and tried to bring progressive thought and flexibility of ideas to this environment.”

Left to right: Virginia and Chica Sanderson at Philbrook, circa 19��. // Virginia making scores with public school children

using electronic “sound makers,” circa 19�5.

VIRGINIA BUFF MYERS

:: Bachelor of Music, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, 1940:: Master of Music, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, 1949:: Private music lessons, Tulsa, 1951 - 1970:: Co-founder, Living Arts of Tulsa, 1969:: Founder, Living Arts Chamber Ensemble:: Posthumously awarded Distinguished Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, 1991

Self exploration was the key. Virginia Myers was a teacher who tried to learn and to teach from an experiential model, the two ends of the spectrum united by process; but living in Tulsa was a challenge, because she took on the establishment, and the establishment was not always supportive of her. Living Arts enabled to share her gift with the community and like an extended musical note it continues to resonate.

Even in her passing, she never stopped teaching or learning.

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C H U C K T O M L I N S : A R T = L I F E

On www.celtaecrwban.com, there is a key that sheds some light onto the life and the artwork of Chuck Tomlins, revealing that the two elements are virtually inseparable. The key is a quote that can be found on the aforementioned website, a remainder or if you prefer, an artifact of a nineteen year long performance ritual:

“The reason that art exists in the first place is that it’s a mystery...because unconsciously they [the artists/non-artists] produce art without knowing a thing about it.” Jack Burnham, from the CELTAE: 1983-2002

Although he has taught fine art at the University of Tulsa since 1966, been commissioned to create a number of permanent sculpture pieces throughout the nation, over the past forty years developed a series of unique site-specific performance sculptures, carried out in the United States and Germany and is the co-founder of Living Arts of Tulsa, Chuck Tomlins remains enigmatic and yet grounded firmly on terra firma. He is a master of drawing and yet considers the process of art to be of much greater significance than any aspect that remains of the resulting work.

Chuck Tomlins, circa 19��.

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On www.celtaecrwban.com, there is a key that sheds some light onto the life and the artwork of Chuck Tomlins, revealing that the two elements are virtually inseparable. The key is a quote that can be found on the aforementioned website, a remainder or if you prefer, an artifact of a nineteen year long performance ritual:

“The reason that art exists in the first place is that it’s a mystery...because unconsciously they [the artists/non-artists] produce art without knowing a thing about it.” Jack Burnham, from the CELTAE: 1983-2002

Although he has taught fine art at the University of Tulsa since 1966, been commissioned to create a number of permanent sculpture pieces throughout the nation, over the past forty years developed a series of unique site-specific performance sculptures, carried out in the United States and Germany and is the co-founder of Living Arts of Tulsa, Chuck Tomlins remains enigmatic and yet grounded firmly on terra firma. He is a master of drawing and yet considers the process of art to be of much greater significance than any aspect that remains of the resulting work.

Multi-media experimental performanceled by Chuck Tomlins at Harwelden.

“I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together”

i went to graduate school at the Ohio State Universityand they asked what do you want to major in art i said…all of itno you have to decide and I couldn’tsculpture was the catchall they gave me

my grandparents were cotton farmers in east texasfather was a medical doctor who worked at TB sanatoriumsthe sanatoriums were self contained they grew all of their food either through farming or the raising of livestockand i was given a connection to the earthreal farmers are mysticsthey understand the difference between good and bad soilthey taste it they feel the sky, the clouds, the weather, the earththey have a connectionroots in the dirtafter my first performance work using driftwood, river and beer attending the oklahoma state universityi was introduced to joseph beuys

after studying paintingI wanted something more

i believe inartists as shamanmaterials are my toolsanimals are our spiritual counterpartsthey are the interface the connection the flowbetween humankind and the spirit worldall ritual is a form of worship

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“During the latter phases of historical art, the role of the artist, the historian and the critic was to indoctrinate the public into the esthetic mystique, thus facilitating art appreciation. Presently in this post-historical period, we can begin by rediscovering art’s quintessential roots. By understanding our lives we can begin to restore art to its rightful function.” Jack Burnham

In his own words Tomlins has used Performance Art as “a method of examination, preservation, and celebration of a people’s heritage, my heritage; as well as a con-temporization of those ancient beliefs. And in the con-temporization of those ancient values I have rekindled my connection to the earth, my agrarian past and have sought the role of the artist-shaman.”

He is often identified with a Fluxus, an art movement that originated in the late 1960s, that encouraged a do-it-yourself aesthetic, valuing simplicity over complexity and typically using whatever materials were at hand. While he readily acknowledges the influence, that is merely a touchstone, that allows one to settle briefly on his complexity. He has remained a guiding light and key supporter of Living Arts since the early days of the Dedmon furniture store on 2nd & Main, and continues to share his magic with Living Arts as we move ahead in our history.

Top: Drawing for Fluxus West by Chuck Tomlins, 19�1.Right: Chuck Tomlins talking to drawing students, circa 19��.

i believe in // artists as shaman // materials are my tools // animals are our spiritual counterpartsthey are the interface the connection the flow // between humankind and the spirit worldall ritual is a form of worship C H U C K T O M L I N S

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L I V I N G A R T S F I L M S E R I E S

Although the Living Arts Center was intended to provide a nucleus for development of interdisciplinary work, most of the programs operated independently as Jerry Pope recalls. He was a TU graduate student who had studied theater, art and film, and became the first director of the film discipline.

In March 1970, Living Arts sponsored its first Southwest Film Festival, a juried show of super 8 and 16 millimeter films that spotlighted non-professional filmmakers working with cinema as a form of artistic expression rather than as a commercial endeavor. The Festival drew over 100 entries that were shown during a the two day event. One entry was from a group called the Tulsa Filmmakers Cooperative, that consisted of Jim Millaway, Gailard Sartain, Alan Hill and others.

Hill, who had known Chuck Tomlins at college was convinced to take over the reins as director of the Film discipline from Jerry Pope. Alan had a love for art house and foreign films and soon established a series that was based on old time Saturday afternoon double features that coupled a Buster Keaton type comedy with an RKO action serial. They would set the program for late Saturday night and show all episodes of the serial. Not intended for any high minded purpose except to build an audience for film, the support they garnered enabled them to later bring more serious films to the Living Arts Center over the next two years.

After the Center closed in 1971, the Southwest Film Festival continued for several years, moving to the University of Tulsa The film series was re-established in the late 1970s, at Philbrook with the assistance of Roger Randle, and served as an inspiration for the Friday Evening Film Series that is an ongoing event on the Philbrook grounds during the summer. As video became the significant electronic medium for artists in the early 1980s, Living Arts’ programming emphasis shifted toward that discipline as well.

Film posters, 19�0 – �1.

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Film posters, 19�0 – �1.

L I V I N G A R T S P O E T R Y S E R I E S

“Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotions know what it means to want to escape from these things.” T. S. Eliot

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, four o’clock Sunday afternoons inside Harwelden meant poetry. It could be readings by Alice Price or Ann Weisman, Winston Weathers or Lance Henson, Fran Ringold or Manly Johnson, Frank Parman or Mary McAnally, Carol Harrelson or Charlotte Stewart, all revered poets working during a time described by Tulsa World writer Judy Randle as a period when “Oklahoma poets were enjoying a renaissance.”

The Poetry Series was an annual event held over the course of five weekends that would showcase three or four Oklahoma poets per reading and was often accompanied by a visual art exhibition that related to poetry. Two memorable works were a series of concrete poetry pieces and a sculpture created by Ann Tomlins called “Tygre, Tygre,” which was described as a “a series of experimental systems involving the integration of the elements of form, color light, sound and movement, timed to the meter of William Blake’s ‘The Tyger’.”

Left to right: Ann Weisman, poet and Living Arts’ Assistant, 19��. // Manley Johnson, Director, Living Arts’ Poetry Committee, 19�0.

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CROSS DRESSERSby Ann Zoller

The stubble of your beardI put on my face. It does not fit.

The night game falls over usas we cross dress

and climb into the other’s skin.Tied together with jewels,

curls twine under the hot lights.

Confusion of the mind,yet the body holds steadyand the same bell rings

when we kiss.

We go inside each otherand come out ourselves.Sharing strange water,we know each other

like lovers in the desert.

As described in an early chapbook, the series was designed to “give area poets a comfortable time and place to share their rough and resplendent words with each other and with a constantly growing audience.” Although many of poets are no longer familiar names, they were original and powerful voices that inspired future writers throughout the city. The series also gave opportunities to promising high schools students. A former Holland Hall student, Tim Blake Nelson, who had his first public reading during this series, later went onto a successful career in films.

Circa 19�0.

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L I V I N G A R T S T H E AT R E

In the spring of 1970, Hank Barrows and Dr. Beaumont Bruestle, long time faculty members in the theatre department at the University of Tulsa were retiring. To Kitty Roberts and other members of the Tulsa theatre community, that created a vacuum that needed to be filled. At the time the Broadway Theatre League, “The Drunkard,” and Theater Tulsa were the primary outlets in the community for theatre productions and their fare did not truly fit the interests nor ambitions of the youthful group of artists who had worked at the TU Theatre Department.

Roberts had been enlisted to head the theatre discipline at the Living Arts Center and she proceeded to pull in a few of her friends including Bob Odle, Jerry Pope, Marilyn Young, Richard Ellis and John Baker. They mounted a evening of one act plays in July of that year and based on that success they jumped headlong into planning their next production.

With an eye toward presenting work that was edgy and thought provoking, their first full length production was “Boys in the Band.” When the play had premiered off-Broadway in 1968, it caused a firestorm of attention. For the first time, the lives of everyday gay men were being presented on stage. Not the sort of work typically produced in Tulsa, the weeklong run played to packed houses and convinced the group they were heading in the right direction.

The group began to call itself “Living Arts Theatre.” Although they worked out of the Living Arts Center, they worked somewhat autonomously, setting their own programming goals and procuring funds and support for the development and touring of their productions.

Kitty Roberts, first director of Living Arts Theatre, circa 19�0.

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After the Center closed in 1971, Living Arts Theatre continued to perform productions at Aaronson Auditorium and other facilities throughout Tulsa. But this was at best a temporary solution for a group that was striving to create a resident professional theatre company that was capable of paying actors, directors and production staff.

It is a testament to the talent and perseverance of the members of the group that in the late 1970s, they became the only nationally recognized resident professional theatre in Oklahoma. Now better known as American Theatre Company, this group has served as a role model for the theatre community of Tulsa.

Living Arts Theatreposters, 19�0-�2.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

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M A R K R O S S A N D T H E P H O E N I X T H E AT R E

In 1969, the Arts Council of Tulsa, as it was known, conducted a nationwide search for a new Executive Director. Mark Ross recalls seeing an ad in the Saturday Evening Post, and speculating what an Arts Council was. Tulsa was one of the leading cities in the nation in the fledgling arts council movement. Drawn by the people he met at the interview, Katie Westby, Ben Lubell, Ray and Nancy Feldman, Charles Norman and George Kravis he applied and was appointed to start in September when a vote was scheduled for a bond issue to include a new performing arts center.

Mark was an assistant professor at a small college in Tarkio, Missouri, where he and a group of students, townspeople and farmers had converted an old brick mule barn into a top-notch theatre, art gallery and restaurant space. Almost 29, he moved to Tulsa with his one-year-old daughter Gillian and wife Kay, who would later become a renowned performer with the Living Arts Chamber Ensemble, and proceeded to shake things up.

In addition to his role at the Council, where he launched a downtown arts festival that was the predecessor to Mayfest and established an artists in the schools program, Mark had a television program and a national award-winning KRAV-FM radio program, “Business and the Arts.” He also ran for school board, was a founding board member, with John Everitt, of the National Arts Council organization, appointed for two terms as US Commissioner for UNESCO and, in his down time, spent his evenings at the Dedmon furniture store, helping a fledgling arts organization turn a building slated for destruction into an arts center.

Mark recalls that what Living Arts was doing was embraced by a lot of people both inside and outside the arts establishment. Cleaning up an old building and launching an Arts Center was a natural progression of where the arts should be heading, toward a collective effort that wove together the community, the artists and the arts.

Previous page: Living Arts Ensemble. // Left: Excerpt froma Phoenix Theatre performance program, circa 19��.

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Not until the Arts and Humanities Council hired Wendy Thomas in the 1990s, would artists have such a strong advocate for their cause. Drawing upon his roots in theatre, Mark was single-minded in his purpose to take the arts to the people of the community.

He had been hired in part to create and manage a performing arts facility for the city, and when ten days after his arrival that bond issue spectacularly failed, he didn’t throw in the towel. Reviewing polling data he saw that support was lacking in key areas of the city especially north and west Tulsa. That information led to the creation of the Mobile Theatre, which was a first of its kind traveling theatre on wheels in the United States. Key to the fund raising for this community resource was Ben Lubell a long-time friend and supporter of Living Arts.

After Mark left the Council in 1975, he went on to establish the Phoenix Dance Theatre, a theatrical troupe similar in nature to the Living Theatre in New York. Drawing upon many of the talented artists he had met in Tulsa including Karen Moore, Charlotte Rhea and Manda Pie, the theatre created a series of multi-media performances that toured internationally during its heyday. Since 1991, he has directed the Diorama Arts Centre in central London, a multi-purpose arts complex of 70 spaces that offer a wide array of contemporary art programs, a theatre, galleries, and studio and rehearsal space for artists.

Mark Ross and RayGun performance poster. Artwork by Nancy Godsey.

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M I L E S T O N E S

:: Mark’s first theatre creation, “Dance,” a performance art piece for two dancing dummies and two Arthur Murray dance studio instructors (with designer Charlotte Rhea thanks to Chuck Tomlins) premiered at a Philbrook exhibition opening. It is remembered that one of the graying doyen of the arts was shaken from a life-long yawn and tottered down the corridor wine glass in hand, shouting, “Something’s happening! Something’s happening!”

:: Giving succor to itinerant arts people like The Blackbird Theatre in the basement and coach house of stately Harwelden earned Mark the epithet by a Junior League member of, “wall to wall hippies.”

:: One of Mark’s scintillating contributions to Living Arts’ contemporary music scene was, with Kay, to repaint the cigarette stained living room of their friend’s house thus rendering a fresh aura of visual and acoustic brilliance at the location of one of the first Moog synthesizers in America. Virginia Myers was a chain smoker.

:: Or taking, with Tulsan Jack Dawg, his one-act, “Mouth,” to the first Avant-Garde arts festival in Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett airfield to be sandwiched, in a disused hanger, between the shambolic art of Yoko Ono and a troupe of performing fleas.

:: Later, when writing, choreographing and producing an, off, off off off Broadway, Mark was directing the performing programs and ceremonies for the Winter Olympics. At a stroke he raised the ancient craft of nepotism to new heights by casting his 11-year-old Tulsan daughter in the key role of the closing ceremonies on ice.

:: Some discern that his achievements in Tulsa began not in Tulsa but in Missouri with the clearing out of the Mule Barn, where, with a keen nose for a fundraising and promotion opportunity for the arts, Mark sensed that the load of old crap could be bagged and sold to fund the project.

Mark defers to Basho, the ancientJapanese master of Haiku:

KatatsumuriSoro Sorono bore Fuji no yama

Slowly, slowlyA SnailClimbs Mount Fuji

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A N D Y T R O M P E T T E R A N D T H E B L A C K B I R D T H E AT E R

“They’ve all gone to look for America.” Paul Simon

There is a photograph on Amy Trompetter’s website that captures the essence of the Blackbird Theater and Andy Trompetter and maybe even the early 1970s. The photo shows an old repainted bread truck that’s broken down on the side of a dirt road somewhere in America. Four long haired young people sit smiling and waving at the photographer, a dog is stretched out sleeping in the middle of the road and you can see Andy’s legs sticking out from underneath the engine compartment repairing the truck.

One evening the troupe arrived in Tulsa, and broke down again on the side of a road. They made a few calls, met Chuck Tomlins and Mark Ross, influenced a boatload of Tulsa artists in a whirlwind of three to four years and then were gone.During the few years he was in Tulsa, Trompetter’s work touched many lives, from the performances he created with Living Arts, Philbrook, Mayfest, the Tulsa Parks & Recreation Department and on street corners where he would reenact pieces from his time with the Bread & Puppet Theatre.

When Andy passed away his friends and fellow theatre members held a ceremony on the grounds of Philbrook where many of them had first participated in the magic that was Blackbird Theater. During the presentation of “Hansel & Gretel” on the Philbrook lawn, the audience moved from set to to set over the course of the performance. The troupe had built a real gingerbread house with candy windows, created costumes and masks, and made a moon that still hangs in the Blue Moon Bakery on Peoria. Andy was from a rare and endangered species; artists creating art for arts’ sake.

Left to right: Blackbird Theater flag,circa 19��. // Andy Trompetter.

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Living Arts Chamber Ensemble,circa 19�9. Photo by Don Wheeler.

Living Arts Chamber Ensemble performance behind chiffon scarves with the musical score (book cover image) painted on it by RayGun, October, 1991. Photo by Steve Liggett.

L I V I N G A R T S C H A M B E R E N S E M B L E

In 1974, when Virginia Myers had the idea of creating a chamber ensemble that would specialize in presenting 20th century music, she was not interested in playing music for tea parties or for socialite gatherings, her sole aim was to bring Tulsa’s classical music scene into the present century.

Their repertoire was eclectic, their method of presentation often challenging and their players included some of the finest vocalists and musicians in Tulsa during that time. Virginia loved to challenge the sensibility of the classical music audience by asking, “What’s the matter with the musicians living today, why are we not hearing their music?”.

Founding the group was the realization of a dream she had held since receiving her music degree at Eastman School of Music, and it was also a major step forward for Living Arts. The first grant the organization ever received was for the initial season of performances by the ensemble. The group continued performing concerts through the 1970s and into the next decade, taking contemporary music to cities and communities throughout the state of Oklahoma.

THE 1980’s

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J O H N C A G E

One of the oddest phenomenon surrounding John Cage’s visit to Tulsa, isn’t that he played a toy piano, or that it was the first United States performance of “Muoyce,” or even that the tapes of his performance were later filmed over by aspiring TU film students. The weirdest occurrence was a proclamation issued from the office of then Mayor Jim Inhofe declaring September 30t, 1983, John Cage Day in Tulsa.

It wasn’t just the mayor who was taken by the spirit of the moment though. There’s a fabric piece in this exhibit called “Chiffon Lake”

that was created by Charlotte Rhea many years ago. It was inspired by a score written by Virginia Myers, that she interpreted from a piece called “Variations,” by John Cage.

That’s what happened. He came, they saw, they created, and created some more.

There are reams of material written about Mr. Cage; his compositions, the impact of his collaborative work with Merce Cunningham at Black Mountain College, his interpretation and reinterpretation of Joyce’s “Finnegan’s Wake,” his work with the I Ching, but nothing anywhere, about the Jim Inhofe experience.

Jim Inhofe, John Cage and Tulsa in the same sentence, now that’s conceptual art.

Previous page: Artists in Residenceartwork. // Left to right: John Cage,19�3. Photo by J.R. Jones. // Excerptfrom John Cage concert flyer, 19�3.

R AY G U N

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R AY G U N

There’s no mention of this dynamic duo on Wikipedia, nor on any search engine, but there are plenty of poseurs and wannabes who have usurped the name; there’s even a now defunct alternative rock zine that existed for a while.

But ask anyone who’s familiar with the Tulsa art scene in the late 1970s, about RayGun, and you’ll either get an excitable laugh or a discernible look of fear as though they’ve just entered a time warp or had a very bad flashback.

RayGun = Tacie Gunn + Charlotte Rhea, but not necessarily in that order. Two wild and crazy girls who lived, breathed, ate, drank and smoked art like their lives were on fire. They sewed, sculpted, painted, acted out and burnt their thesis on the lawn of TU; spit in the face of an unnamed observer who is now a Living Arts VIP, who later married and divorced one of the ladies.

Legend has it that Tacie got rich, found religion and moved to points unknown in the backwoods of Arkansas, while Charlotte, dear sweet Charlotte, got married a couple of times, had a kid, moved to the coast, returned and continued to create amazing work.

If it were me, I’d keep my eyes wide open brother.

RayGun promotional flyer,circa 19��. Photo by J.R. Jones.

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A R T I S T S I N R E S I D E N C E

Here’s the concept; take a house, any house, no take two houses and turn thirty artists loose. No boundaries, no restrictions, just create. It’s 1982, and the word site-specific installation had been said by maybe five non-artists in the state of Oklahoma. Then another idea germinated. Let’s promote this event like it’s a typical home tour sponsored by Tulsa Builders and see what happens.

The good natured and yet unsuspecting Tulsa citizen strolls in and sees a tornado in a basement, a plastic baby lovingly placed in an oven that’s in the middle of a kitchen re-imagined as an Andy Warholesque multiple brought into a three dimensional world. A closet is turned into the life size soft sculpture dollhouse, in the bedroom a pair of giant red lips sensually spill a tangerine tongue across the length of the bed while an old radio sputters static from the 1940s.

Way too much fun for words. The artists were out of the asylum. Another episode of “you’ve just entered the twilight zone” brought to you by Living Arts of Tulsa.

Left to right: “Artists inResidence” poster, byArturo Herrera. // LauraShafer in her installationroom at “Artists in Residence,” May, 19�2. Photo byDon Wheeler.

A R T U R O H E R R E R A

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A R T U R O H E R R E R A

Although you won’t find mention of it in his biographical information, Arturo was indeed a local artist in Tulsa circa the 1980s, attending the University of Tulsa, spending his free time designing posters for Living Arts. He received a BA from the University of Tulsa in 1982 and an MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

He was featured on art:21, a public television series that focuses on contemporary arts in the United States, and has received many awards for his work. He has had solo exhibitions at Centre d’Art Contemporain, Geneva; Dia Center for the Arts, New York; Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea, Santiago de Compostela; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, among others. His work also appeared in the Whitney Biennial (2002).

His poster for the John Cage performance, and for the “Artists in Residence,” are examples of the type of work he was creating during his time in Tulsa, before moving on to make his mark in bigger ponds.

Mail art by Arturo Herrera, sent to Virginia Myers – and never opened.

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O U T R E A C H E X H I B I T I O N S

The early to mid 1980s was an extraordinary period for Living Arts. The breadth of work the organization was bringing to Tulsa was stunning; John Cage, Joseph Celli, Pauline Oliveros, Robert Bly and Joan Jonas, all significant figures in the world arena of contemporary performance, poetry dance and music.

It was a simple coincidence that helped stimulate the growth spurt Living Arts experienced. Fred Myers had taken a position with Gilcrease Museum, and his wife, Mary Frances Myers, had a much greater affinity for contemporary art than for the western art that surrounded her at Gilcrease. Matching her unflagging energy and likability, with the ambition and drive of the other Myers from Living Arts, Virginia, created a synergy that elevated Living Arts profile in the community and accelerated their programming goals.

Thanks to the efforts of Laura Shafer, local visual artists were also given opportunities to work with Living Arts using spaces throughout the city. Two of the most memorable projects were

“Suspended Animation,” which transformed the Central Library located in downtown Tulsa into a kinetic playground, and “Appearances,” installed in Jim Corlett’s gallery at the Williams Center Forum.

During Mary Frances time as Administrative President, Living Arts was able to hire several part-time paid staffers and it seemed the organization was poised to become part of the cultural hierarchy of Tulsa. Russell and Celina Burkhart had started a weekly alternative newspaper, Uptown News, that was breaking new ground in its support and coverage of the arts.

Unfortunately, Tulsa’s economy, which was still heavily dependent on the oil industry, took a turn for the worse. The bottom had fallen out of the oil market and as corporate philanthropic budgets were cut, fund raising sources began to dry up. Living Arts’ financial stability seemed to change virtually overnight. Rather than planning new programs, the organization was now fighting for survival.

Left to right: “SuspendedAnimation,” Central Libraryinstallation, April, 19�3. //“Appearances” installationat Jim Corlett’s Gallery, June,19��. Photos by Dennis Fry.

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O U T R E A C H E X H I B I T I O N S T H E L I V I N G A R T S H O U S E

For the first time since 1971, Living Arts had a home. After the early years at the Dedmon furniture store, the organization operated out of Harwelden, the Central Library, and Virginia Myers’ home.

From 1986 until early 1988, the house on Gary Place was a center of activity for local artists who wanted a place to show contemporary art. Although the house, a residential home with bedrooms, a living area, a kitchen and bath, was not like any conventional gallery, that did not stop artists from transforming the space into a living art house.

Located just north of 11th Street, the house belonged to the University of Tulsa and was leased to Living Arts for a nominal monthly charge. The proximity to the University seemed to stimulate the interest of recent and current graduate students and before long, a gift shop was established, and a slate of poetry and short fiction readings, video festivals and installations were scheduled.

The installations included a collaborative piece by poet Ann Weisman, fiber artist Leslie Alden and videographer Georgia Williams called “Nestings”; and solo installations by Carter Hall, Michael Christopher, Charlotte Rhea, J. R. Jones, Dale McKinney and Laura Shafer.

The final installation, “A Synthetic Space,” created by Franklin Wassmer and Laurie Spencer transformed the entire house in a veritable plastic wonderland that you could crawl through as though in some sort of artificial maze. It was a grand time, but it marked the end of an era for Living Arts.

Living Arts House, 19��-��. Photo by Chris Horn, Tulsa World.

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E D U C AT I O N P R O G R A M S

Since the early days of Living Arts one of the basic premises of the Education Program has been to stimulate right brain activity. The program concentrates on working with school age children in order to encourage the development of this activity at an early age. The core concept, which was established during the Multi-Media Laboratory in the 1970s, focuses on expanding the imagination over producing an object. Although the methods of achieving this have changed over the years, the emphasis on process instead of technique has not.

Steve Liggett first became coordinator of the program in 1991 and he realized early the time limitations built into the daily structure of public school. He redeveloped the program into ArtCore Studios, an educational model that builds on the existing framework and enables artists to work with students for longer time periods. He later added ArtCore Residencies, which allows students to take a more active role in the formation of the creative process.

The Education Program, which is Living Arts’ longest running program, also includes a summer camp for children called New Arts Camp and various activities that are geared toward adults.

Left to right: Education programming in public schools, led byLaurie Spencer and many Tulsa artists, circa 19�9. Photo by Mel Lee.

// ArtCore Studios, led by Laurie Keeley, 200�. Photos by Steve Liggett.

A T IME OF TRANSIT ION

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T H E PA S S I N G O F V I R G I N I A M Y E R SF R A N K L I N WA S S M E R

Living Arts has always been blessed to be touched by key individuals in times of need. In the late 1980s, the Tulsa Ballet hired a dancer, Franklin Wassmer, who while trained in the disciplines of classical and modern dance, also had an understanding and a passion for interdisciplinary art.

In addition to his full-time role with the Tulsa Ballet, Franklin became active in the contemporary arts community, collaborating on an installation with Laurie Spencer at the Living Arts House, and creating several multi-media performance pieces with Michael Christopher and Steve and Charlotte Rhea-Liggett. At the request of Virginia Myers, he also participated in the Education Program, helping to conduct interdisciplinary workshops in classrooms at Tulsa Public Schools, and later becoming coordinator of the program.

Beyond his impact as a talented and multi-faceted artist in the community, he played a significant role in the history of Living Arts. As Virginia’s health and energy began to wane, Franklin took on the position of Administrative President, managing the financial affairs of the organization and ensuring that the Education Program, continued to be functional and funded.

From 1989 until 1992, with the assistance of a small handful of people, he literally kept the organization intact, even after a relocation to Washington DC. His counsel and clear-minded approach kept Living Arts solvent during this period, and continued to be a guiding force during the early years of re-organization under Steve Liggett.

Previous page: Virginia Myers’ shoes //Left: Franklin Wassmer, circa 1992.Photo by Steve Liggett.

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T H E PA S S I N G O F V I R G I N I A M Y E R S

Toward the end of her life, Virginia turned inward. She developed an interest in eastern religions and spent a good deal of time studying these philosophies. It was similar to how she approached everything in life, with an insatiable curiosity. A few years earlier, she had started a Sunday morning meditation program in the former Living Arts office located behind her home on South Oswego.

V I R G I N I A , H E R P O E MB Y A N N Z O L L E R

Playing indefinitely, in living electronic sounds,The Lame Lady of Loud Laughter

around her neck, strung stones,her students, bright and smooth

catch her now! she is moving soquickly her world spins

A collection of wishes and coinswill now be taken. Let her havethese things: an oscillator, her health,a lifetime supply of dog food,greater monetary compensation for her life-blood, many tape recorder and grandchildrenand whatever she wants

May she spend a dreamof tapes and string quartetsamong the Green Mountains of Vermontin the Valley of Many Arms, farfrom the Motor Under the Floor

This we ask, wewho are the spread fingersof her hands

Virginia Myers, 1990. Photo by Steve Liggett.

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The late 1980s, and the beginning of the next decade was a difficult period. Living Arts had moved out of the house on Gary Place, and all that remained of the organization was the Education Program, which she asked Franklin Wassmer to coordinate. The energy in the Tulsa contemporary arts community had moved on to newly established organizations. The Tulsa Artists’ Coalition, co-founded by Steve Liggett, was actively seeking a permanent home and Michael Christopher had created the Tulsa Contemporary Arts Center (TUCCA), which had carved out a top-notch facility in the developing Brady District.

A series of strokes left Virginia hospitalized and almost childlike. One of her meditation friends, Richard Stathem began sitting with her. Alhough she was unable to speak, they sat together quietly and communicated. He recalls his experience with Virginia by saying she was one of the two great teachers in his life. She

Although in retrospect it seems that her work in Tulsa with Living Arts was not fully appreciated or supported, on that day, it was clear in the minds and hearts of those who knew and loved her, a great lady had passed.

taught him about acceptance and about dignity. Stathem, who is also a yoga teacher, later wrote about his memories of Virginia in a book titled, “Just Notice…Just This.” He now volunteers at Clarehouse, sitting with end of life patients and continues to conduct the Sunday morning meditation classes.

A ceremony honoring Virginia’s life coordinated by Steve and Charlotte Rhea-Liggett, was held at TUCCA, in February 1991. It was fitting that an event in her memory was held in a contemporary arts facility that had named their gallery in her honor. Although in retrospect it seems that her work in Tulsa with Living Arts was not fully appreciated or supported, on that day, it was clear in the minds and hearts of those who knew and loved her, a great lady had passed. In June of that same year TUCCA closed. These two significant events in the contemporary arts community of Tulsa would serve to act as a catalyst for the rebirth of Living Arts.

T R A N S I T I O N : A C O L L A B O R AT I V E I N S TA L L AT I O NB Y K O S T Y / L I G G E T T

time froze and the flower wilted

within and without

before there to here after

each doorway leading to another room

an entry way entering

into another fall of cause

then rendered useless

when useful fell

down the stairs and the clock stopped

watching us

Walt Kosty and Steve Liggett at Phoenix Projext.

T R A N S I T I O N : A C O L L A B O R AT I V E I N S TA L L AT I O NB Y K O S T Y / L I G G E T T

RENEWAL

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S T E V E L I G G E T T

Throughout his career, this statement made by John Ploof has been a truism for Living Arts’ Artistic Director Steve Liggett. Whether making functional clay objects or handmade paper, creating video or performance, doing site-specific and collaborative art work, or migrating from artist to arts administrator; Steve has continued to evolve, challenging himself and those around him, to embrace and incorporate elements from the very disparate realms of the arts, the natural environment, from cultures around the world and to engage the community in this process.

He received a Master of Arts degree with a concentration in Ceramics from the University of Tulsa, studying with Tom Manhart and Living Arts co-founder Chuck Tomlins. After college, he was the artist-in-residence for the Tulsa Park and Recreation Department, and later the Director of Johnson Atelier. He has taught in both private and public schools and has served as the Artistic Director for Living Arts since February, 1993.

His own artwork progressed from ceramics to performance, to video and on to installation work, winning numerous awards along the way, including the Arts and Humanities Council Individual Artist Award, The Jingle Feldman Award, NextWorks Grant for Interdisciplinary Work, and the Diverse Works Interdisciplinary Artists Award.

Steve Liggett, 200�. Photo by Oklahoma Magazine. //Previous page: Living Arts’ first location on Brady.

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The artistic programs of Living Arts reflect his curiosity and wonder in their wide range of impulse and interest. During his time as Artistic Director, Living Arts has grown from an organization with only an education program to a nationally recognized contemporary arts organization. The programming has expanded to include Dia de Los Muertos, New Genre Arts Festival, Tulsa ArtCar Weekend, eMerge Dance Festival, OK Electric, Drumming, and a renewed emphasis has been placed on the educational component of all Living Arts’ activities.

To simply recite the accomplishments of his life does not truly convey the measure of Steve Liggett. He carries fully, maintains wisely and honors deeply the principles of the founders and keepers of Living Arts; Chuck Tomlins, Virginia Myers, Franklin Wassmer and all those who came before him and fashioned Living Arts in the mold of an arts organization defined by its mission, but firmly embedded in our community.

Without Steve, Living Arts would have ended with the passing of Virginia Myers, but as Steve would be the first to say, ‘Without you, there would be no Living Arts.’

An artist is someone who uses any medium to best communicate their idea. J O H N P L O O F T O S T E V E L I G G E T T

Top: Liggett Memory Seal. // Right: Steve Liggett as ‘George’ in “Blood Lines” performance at Nightingale Theater, 2009. Photo by Tom Payne.

S T E V E L I G G E T T

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Clockwise from top: “Bion,” by Andrew Fagg and Adam Brown. // “Fata Morgana,” by Robert Mueller, New Genre 200�. Photo by Tom Payne. // “Shed,” by Rollin Marquet, New Genre 200�. Photo by Tom Payne.

M Y E R S G A L L E R Y E X H I B I T I O NA N D I N S TA L L AT I O N P R O G R A M

The Myers Gallery is a program of Living Arts of Tulsa, which features work by innovative artists needing a venue to exhibit their thought-provoking works, but due to the non-traditional nature of their work may have not been able to do so. These presentations include both site-specific installations and gallery exhibitions at Living ArtSpace and in various locations around Tulsa in order to expand the city’s exposure to contemporary art forms. The Myers Gallery Committee reviews proposals each November for the following year’s program.

First founded in the Tulsa Center for Contemporary Arts, by Michael Christopher and April Panzer, Myers Gallery was named in honor of Virginia Myers’ significant the impact on the art community of Tulsa. The Myers Gallery at Living Arts hosts twelve exhibits per year. The emphasis is to show works containing social or political commentary that push the artist and audience to engage in an experience beyond a traditional gallery setting.

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M Y E R S G A L L E R Y E X H I B I T I O NA N D I N S TA L L AT I O N P R O G R A M

T H E I N S P I R AT I O N O F O U T S I D E R A R T

Outsider Art. Intuitive Art. Visionary Art. Self-taught Artists. These are all terms that have been used to describe this phenomenon. Think about the man down the street with several hundred rusting cars in his back yard. Then one day you notice he has been painting each one a unique color and then he starts welding odd hood ornaments to each one (see ArtCar Weekend). There’s a certain element of madness yet also a degree of single-minded passion that you have to admire. No formal training in art, but there’s something about what he’s doing that rings true. This type of work exists outside the boundaries of what is considered official culture, although The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art was founded in Chicago in 1991.

Several Living Arts exhibitions have reflected the influence of outsider art on artists working through the more conventional channels of the art world. A recent exhibit, “Inside-R-Out,” by former Tulsan S.K. Duff, grew out of Duff’s trip to New Orleans days before Hurricane Katrina devastated that city. The exhibit included colorful childlike paintings that were inspired by the experience and a series of photographs that Duff took of outsider artists and their work while he travelled the country. Another exhibit by Richard Bay, “Racism is Obscene,” used this motif to create a powerful series of works that graphically depicted the nature of racism in our culture.

Left to right: Mural by Tony Carrera at Living Arts, 19 E. Brady, 199�.// “Inside-R-Out” artwork, by S.K. Duff, 2011.

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S I T E - S P E C I F I C W O R K S

The term “site-specific art” is generally understood to represent work that is created either permanently or temporarily for a particular location. This type of work encompasses a broad range of media from sculpture to dance, to environmental art and even architecture. Among internationally known artists creating site-specific works are Andy Goldsworthy, Christo and Jeanne Claude, Dan Flavin and Robert Irwin, local examples would include the work of Tom Pershall, Chuck Tomlins, Glenn Davis and Charlotte Rhea.

Living Arts has sponsored several notable events to encourage the creation of site-specific work. For several years during the Art in the Garden tour, artists were commissioned to produce work for a specific location. One example is the work of Ashley Kyber,

professor of landscape architecture at West Virginia University, who created an environmental piece at 12th and Riverside Drive, incorporating found objects and elements from her residency with Tulsa Public Schools.

Another production, “Fire and Ice”, was designed to challenge artists to develop visual and performance work exploring the nature of these two elements. This event was produced twice, once at the residence of Janice Bawden & Carter Hall and a second time at the farm of Joe Schulte. “Dreamworks”, produced in 1993, involved a series of works developed for installation at an abandoned concrete facility in Tulsa.

Left to right: “Fire & Ice”installation, by Chuck Tomlins, circa 2001. // “Tree Crying

Woman,” by Erin Turner, 2011.

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L I V I N G W I T H A R T I N T H E G A R D E N

A fundraising event developed several years ago by Virginia Harrison, Andy Kinslow and Steve Liggett, the idea was to create an artistic take-off from the traditional garden tours where the focus is on the landscaping or the flora and fauna found in Tulsa gardens. Living with Art in the Garden redirected the attention to the artwork that people use to personalize their environments. The event typically began with a preview of one of the gardens during a patron’s party and then featured a weekend walking tour that showcased the selected gardens.

Installation art created by local artists was installed throughout the gardens, adding to the whimsical nature of the event. The type of installation work would vary from the humorous ‘urban multiples’ of Tom Pershall, to the delightful sound installations that the late Shawn O’Neal would create for specific garden settings.

Booths were typically set up at each garden, allowing local artists creating sculpture or artwork suited for an outdoor setting to make their work available for sale.

Top: 2009 Living with Art in the Garden postcard, design by Joe Steiner. // Right: 2009 Champagne & Chocolate poster, design by Nicole McMahan.

O B J E T S D ’ A R T: C H A M PA G N E & C H O C O L AT E

All of this programming is hard work, and sometimes you just want to have fun.

These are two names for our fall gala where the emphasis is on opening the gallery to local artists and giving them an opportunity to show and sell their work in an very conducive atmosphere. Living Arts takes a small percentage of the sales during the event, with most of the money going to the artist.

It’s our way of taking our hats off and wallets to honor that most precious of objects, the local artist.

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S P O K E N W O R D S E R I E S

One of the most vital and energetic movements in poetry during the 1990s, the slam has revitalized interest in poetry as performance. Poetry began as part of an oral tradition, and movements like the Beats and the poets of Negritude were devoted to the spoken and performed aspects of their poems. This interest was reborn through the rise of poetry slams across America; while many poets in academia found fault with the movement, slams were well received among young poets and poets of diverse backgrounds.

A slam is simply a poetry competition in which poets perform original work alone or in teams before an audience, which serves as judge. The work is judged as much on the manner and enthusiasm of its performance as its content or style, and many slam poems are not intended to be read silently from the page.

Since 1993, Living Arts has presented an annual poetry slam, an event connecting participations with enthusiastic audiences in a no-holds barred competition. But the Spoken Word Series has also encompassed much more than just slams. Former Living Arts president Ralph Bendel, Jr. developed a monthly series called “Uptown Underground,” through the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition that spotlighted the work of musicians and poets working in the realm of performance poetry, a form that blurs the lines between the disciplines of music and poetry and results in a truly collaborative form of the two. The series later became a Living Arts program called “Downtown Underground” that also featured readings and performances by Oklahoma poets and national poets such as Alice Lovelace.

Left to right: Alice Lovelace, circa 19��. // Alice Price, circa April 199�.

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D R U M M I N G

How does a person tap into creativity? What enables one to slip out of the left brain mode and open the doorway into the right brain, accessing the inner artist? Self-help books abound on bookstores shelves offering various suggestions and step by step instructions.

One ancient method of leaving the daily rational mind is through the power of the drum. A drum circle can be a potent and interactive way to get in contact with your own inner rhythm. The act of drumming can also be a catalyst for self exploration; stimulating an individual experience of empowerment or connecting a group of people through participation in an activity of shared improvisation and collective creativity.

Living Arts has been connecting with the members of the drumming community since 1993, as a means to reach out beyond the core art audience and offer a mechanism for individuals to investigate another realm of their creativity.

We’ve been graced with the guiding presence of individuals like Micheal Back and the late Sean Layton, who have led our weekly drumming classes over the years. Drumming classes continue to be held on Wednesday night and are open to the public. Additionally, there are four drum circles per year, as well as an annual drumming event led by Gordon and Zoe Ryan, that has become a traditional closing ceremony for Mayfest.

Left to right: Drumming circle, circa 2010 // Gordy Ryan, circa 2000 // Sean Layton, circa 199�.

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P E R F O R M A N C E A R T

If it’s not theatre, and it’s not an installation, and it’s not a painting, and it’s not television…what is it?

Typically pushing the boundaries of the traditional performing arts, performance art is unconventional in structure, in content and in method of presentation. Artists working outside of the realm of preconceived structures can challenge an audience to think and consider topics from a new perspective. Performance art will usually involve several basic elements; time, space, a performer and an audience. Although slippery to define, the resulting work can run the gamut of maddeningly inane or intolerable to the profound and magical.

Living Arts has become the go-to venue in Oklahoma, for performance art work, bringing in artists such as Joan Jonas, widely acknowledged as one of the most important artists to emerge in the late 1960s, and whose work influenced later practitioners of video performance art and conceptual art.

One extraordinary performance art event that simply developed was an unannounced visit to Tulsa in 2001, by the Cloud Seeding Circus of the Performative Object. This was a touring performance project produced collaboratively by ten visual artists. Using a mobile installation, exhibition space and vehicle, the group suddenly appeared, unpacked its wares and in the spirit of gypsies began to perform.

Their work drew inspiration from the traditions of buskers, freakshows, and rodeos, but they also operated within the equally compelling traditions of sculpture, video, installation, and performance art.

Left to right: “Birth Interview,” by Peng Jinquan and Dan Kwong, New Genre 200�. // “Egg Dance,” by Star Dance Swan, New Genre 200�. // “Chosen/Mercy,” by Circo Zero, New Genre 200�.

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N E W G E N R E A R T S F E S T I VA L

Across the board, the New Genre Festival best exemplifies the type of work that Living Arts is known for presenting. Year in and year out the work is provocative, innovative and stimulating. The idea for the festival was born out of an interest in presenting the art of today, as opposed to the systematically created art that was being shown in most festivals in Tulsa at the time.

The festival encompasses the synergy of all the art forms; music, performance, video and installation art, presented in one to two weekends, connecting local artists with non-local artists, then connecting these artists with venues throughout the city in order to present challenging and contemporary art work.

Beyond the goodwill and respect this event has garnered locally, the consistent quality has attracted the attention of the Andy Warhol Foundation, whose recognition of Living Arts was a significant boost to the growth and solvency of the organization at a time of real financial difficulties.

From humble beginnings on the corner of Cameron and North Main Street in 1993, when the event, “Sojourn: Enter the Dreamtime,” consisted primarily of a collaborative performance created by a group of local artists led by Walt Kosty, to fifteen years later being given the Travelocity “Big Find Award for Best Kept Local Secret,” the New Genre Festival is now recognized nationally for both its quality of presentation as well as for the warmth extended by the community toward visiting artists.

Left to right: “Johnny’s Got a Gun,” by John Fleck, New Genre 200� //Fausto Fernos, New Genre III.

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N E W G E N R E S P O T L I G H T: L E L A V I S I O N

Living Arts has had the opportunity to see the evolution of this group’s work over three separate appearances at the New Genre Festival. The groups co-founders, Ela Lamblin and Leah Mann, use sculpture, music, and movement to develop themes based on myth, nature, and spirit, that epitomizes the idea of cross-disciplinary work.

The name Lela is derived from two Sanskrit terms meaning “creation” and “creative spark,” with references to “play,” and it denotes the spirit of the performance group. They combine modern and aerial dance, music, theater, and large interactive musical sculptures to create innovative works of awe and whimsy. Their work is about the transfer of energy, the emanations of the soul, and the common denominators of the human experience.

Lela Vision performance at New Genre 200�. Photo by Tom Payne.

Since 1968, Meredith Monk has been working between the cracks of interdisciplinary art, pushing the boundaries of the voice in innovative ways that connect us to something both primal and futuristic. Beyond music, her work as a choreographer, film-maker and performer has had a profound influence on artists creating multi-disciplinary works. Living Arts brought Monk to Tulsa during the New Genre Festival in 2006, where she presented an evening of work with her vocal ensemble. For artistic director Steve Liggett, bringing Monk to Tulsa, was the completion of a full circle that had been initiated years earlier.

A visit to New York in 1984, where he saw Monk perform was virtually life changing for Steve. Not only did the experience broaden his understanding and awareness of work being created outside of Oklahoma, a chance discussion overheard by Virginia Myers evoked the challenge from her that he “get more involved with Living Arts.” The rest, as they say, is history.

N E W G E N R E S P O T L I G H T: M E R E D I T H M O N K

Meredith Monk.

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N E W M U S I C

Advocacy for the presentation and development of new music harkens back to the passion and love of one of Living Arts founders, Virginia Myers. In the pre-internet days, one connected to the larger world of the arts through personal friendships, periodicals, phone calls and yes, even hand written letters. Virginia’s passing was one of the great losses to our musical community. She was a vertiable store house of information and connections that she had cultivated within the larger national community of contemporary music. It wasn’t simply that she brought people like John Cage, Alvin Lucier and Pauline Oliveros to Tulsa through Living Arts, it was that she knew them, and she was respected by them.

The question of what new music is has changed dramatically over the past forty years. There’s conceptualism, minimalism, post-minimalism, world music, modernism, post-modernism, electronic music and avant garde jazz. But our focus continues to be to present and support artists creating works that reach beyond the traditional realms of the music genre.

We’ve sponsored concerts by the Kronos Quartet and Joseph Celli; presented sound works by Die Audio Gruppe and Bob Bellerue; supported local artists like Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and Bush of Ghosts; featured a series of site-specific sound installation by the late Shawn O’Neal, co-founder, along with Jake Thomason, of the OK Electric Music series that showcases the work of Oklahoma composers working in the field of electronic music, and really, that’s just the opening acts, because we’re just getting warmed up.

Left to right: Pauline Oliveros as Pinchus Olinsky. // Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Sept. 199�.

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C O N T E M P O R A R Y D A N C E

Although Tulsa has one of the finest contemporary ballet organizations in world, contemporary dance has always struggled to find an audience or a forum for presentation of new work. Over the years Living Arts has brought numerous dance artists to Oklahoma, including the David Gordon Pickup Performance Company, Deborah Hay and Lucinda Childs.

Most recently, Living Arts co-sponsored the Merce Cunningham Dance Company with Choregus Productions and sponsored an evening of Contemporary Dance Oklahoma during the New Genre Festival in February of 2009. We continue to look for innovative ways to encourage and inspire artists who work in this discipline.

Clockwise from top: “Leaving the House,” by Deborah Hay, 19�2 //Perpetual Motion Dance Company, New Genre 2009. // Rachel Bruce Johnson,

Contemporary Dance New Genre, 2010. Photo by Paul Moore.

EVOLUTION

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T U L S A A R T C A R W E E K E N D

The term “ArtCar” almost defies a clear definition. It’s clear that a car can be modified as an act of personal expression; people do that daily from all walks of lives, but where the intent enters the realm of artistic expression is often difficult to discern. But what is certain, is that this is a grass roots art form that is inclusive, eclectic, entertaining and definitely not about the money.

It’s an opportunity for Living Arts to show off the artwork of people who have a love affair with their car. The car becomes a mobile piece of sculpture, or painting, and often combines public art forms with performance. The artist may be a tradesman, an engineer or a retiree who is working outside of the mainstream and typically has no formal training, but a carful of passion. In terms of audience development it connects the world of art galleries and museums to a variety of lay people in a way that nothing else can.

ArtCar by Libby Auld, Susanne Barnard and Scott Smith, 200�.

D I A D E L O S M U E R T O S A R T S F E S T I VA L

This program draws its primary roots from the Latino holiday also known as “The Day of Dead,” which focuses on remembering and honoring friends and family members who have passed away. However, there are celebrations of a similar nature in many cultures throughout the world.

Since 1987, Living Arts has opened their gallery to artists and the general community for the creation of installations and altars to commemorate the the passing of loved ones. These hand crafted altars depict a wide array of creative expression incorporating food, personal effects, electronic media and found objects and help the public better relate to assemblage and installation art.

Beyond the gallery setting, is a street festival that is filled with music, food and dancing that provides an opportunity for people of different cultures within our community to come together with a shared purpose. The event is held annually on November 1.

Above: Fire dancers perform at Dia de Los Muertos Arts Festival.// Previous page: Procession from Kenosha to the new Bradylocation, during Kubos-Tesseract �0th Anniversary celebration.

ArtCar Weekend has become a signature program of Living Arts over the past five years and has grown exponentially, now considered one of top showcases in the United State for these vehicles and their creators. At first reluctant to take this event on, Living Arts followed the suggestion of George Kravis to see an event first hand in Houston and it became a love affair at first sight.

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L I G G E T T S T U D I O

With the single minded purpose that reflects his commitment to all things Living Arts, Steve has continued to personally step up when his sense of need travels beyond the capabilities of the organization. A few years ago he secured a space a few doors down from Living Arts when he believed there was a need for more space for Living Arts programs.

Access to the studio has enabled Living Arts to grow two events in particular; Momentum Tulsa, a spotlight of Oklahoma artists under 30 that is produced by the Oklahoma Visual Artists Coalition, and Dia de Los Muertos Arts Festival, an annual celebration that memorializes the departed. The space continues as a rehearsal space for dance and a studio space for visual artists.

Left to right: “Domestic Arsenal,” by Eileen Doktorski, New Genre 200�.

LAB : L IV ING ARTS ’ RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT SPACE

One key aspect of Living Arts’ mission is to provide affordable studio space for artists. Locating these studios in an environment that allows interaction with artists from other disciplines is important because of the interplay of ideas and concepts that can germinate when creative people are connected.

In the early years at the Dedmon building, artists put up simple plywood walls with doors to define and secure their work area. They were surrounded by like-minded individuals and constantly exposed to and inspired by work shown in the gallery and in the performing space by the Living Arts Theatre and other programs.

The importance of the creative symbiosis enabled by this type of environment was recognized by Steve Liggett and during his tenure as Artistic Director of Living Arts he has worked to ensure affordable studio space is an organizational priority.

Presently, Living Arts has nine individual studios that are occupied by working artists. As we moved forward with the relocation to the Brady building, we developed plans to expand this program and insure its long term viability. With the addition of an apartment in the Brady Lofts, Living Arts’ Artist in Residence program has reached an important milestone, as the program contnues to grow.

Artists develop new cross-disciplinary art forms at Living Arts LAB.

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In the late 1960’s, video as an art medium became accessible when Sony released their Portapak. Artists such Nam June Paik, Andy Warhol and Fred Forest began using video because the technology offered a means for instant playback and for editing or modifying the images. Video works soon began being combined with other media into installations, sculptures and performance art pieces. The interdisciplinary nature of the medium made it a natural for Living Arts, and it was a continuation of the Film Series from the early days of the organization.

In June of 1986, Living Arts presented one of the first video festivals in Oklahoma at Living Arts Space on Gary Place, which featured work by Bill Viola and Robert Staley. As the medium developed, Living Arts began showcasing work of a more exploratory or experimental nature rather than focusing on the narrative or documentary form. These events became known as Video Evenings and were a recurring program that continued over the next fifteen years. In addition to this ongoing series, installations incorporating video were another form of artistic expression that Living Arts developed a national reputation for presenting.

An educational component for the program was established through the development of the Video Lab, which encouraged artists to utilize the production facility to shoot and edit their own work. As personal editing equipment became more available, the Lab evolved and is now used primarily during Summer Arts Camp

“Imagescape:Soundscape:Landscape,” by Ursula Scherrerand Michelle Nagai, New Genre 200�.

for children and in workshops with teachers providing them with instructions on editing techniques.

The Living Arts Television Show ran for 150 episodes on cable access television and featured selected moments from events that occurred at Living Arts over the past twenty years. A fast-paced compilation of some of the highlights of this series is on display during the exhibit. Current video programs include a presentation of the Best of the Dead Center Film Festival, and the 24 Hour Video Race, a popular program co-sponsored with Philbrook Museum and the Individual Artists of Oklahoma, that is an annual theme based competition designed to stimulate the creation of new video works in the community.

V I D E O

Television has attacked us for a lifetime, now, we strike back. N A M J U N E PA I K

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O U R V O L U N T E E R S

Throughout its existence, Living Arts has been kept alive and vital by the sheer will and persistence of individuals like Chuck Tomlins, Virginia Myers, Franklin Wassmer and Steve Liggett. In turn, they have relied heavily upon assistance from the community to bring their dreams and goals to life.

Since 1969, thousands of individuals have contributed time, effort and money, but most importantly, they have shared in the collective vision of Living Arts. This vision, quite simply put, is to encourage and develop the presentation of contemporary art in Tulsa.

While Living Arts is often mistakenly perceived as a one man show, it is truly the volunteers who are the heart and soul of the organism that is Living Arts. Their day to day activities and support is what has enabled the idea of Living Arts to sustain over time and causes the organization to continue to evolve and renew.

Left to right: Mary Frances Myers and Virginia Myers show off new fundraising material, circa 19�2 // David Blust cooks for Tulsa ArtCar Weekend.

It would be impossible to list all of people who have contributed, worked and dreamt with us; we would surely miss someone. It is because of you, Living Arts has been possible. It is because of you we can step into the future.

Your input and ideas are always welcome, to help us build and expand upon who and what we are and shall become.

We will always be a community-based arts organization. You are our community, and have our unreserved and heartfelt thanks.

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L O O K I N G A H E A D

Dreams and aspirations, goals and possibilities, opportunities and challenges.

Through the support of the George Kaiser Family Foundation, Living Arts is entering into a period of unprecedented opportunity. With the move to our new building on Brady, we now have two connected but unique spaces that allow us the opportunity to develop a true contemporary arts center. Our exhibit space has more than doubled, and we have room to fully develop the educational aspect of Living Arts. The Board maintains the lease on the Kenosha building to expand our artists’ studio program and to initiate an Incubator Laboratory for the development of new works. What follows are a few of ideas for what the future of Living Arts may hold.

L I V I N G A R T S S PA C E - 3 0 7 E . B R A D Y

We are in the midst of phase two of a capital campaign to develop both wings of the Brady building. Our initial efforts were directed to creation of the exhibition area, and we will concentrate next on the build out of the educational wing. You will continue to see changes to our new home that will progress and evolve over time even while we continue to use the space to present programming.

M Y E R S G A L L E R Y

:: Expanded gallery space will allow for larger scale exhibit or programming of multiple shows:: Extended hours to include opening weekends and some evenings:: Beginning in January 2009, our openings coincided with First Fridays in the Brady District

:: Concentrate on presenting higher profile local and regional exhibitions:: West End space for community-based and student exhibits

N E W M U S I C C O N C E R T S

With the sprinkler system and acoustic treatment intact, we have been able to present an ongoing series of new and experimental music concerts.

N AT I O N A L P E R F O R M A N C E N E T W O R K

Continued expansion of our relationship with the National Performance Network to host more residencies for renowned regional and national artists to come to Tulsa to develop new works and work with local visual and performing artists.

Kristina Wong leads a community workshop during her residency, New Genre, 2010.

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The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. E L E A N O R R O O S E V E LT

N E W D A N C E C O M M I T T E E

One of our primary goals is to place emphasis on the development and presentation of contemporary dance works by Oklahoma dance troupes. Currently, the New Dance Committee is comprised of five contemporary dance companies in Tulsa. In 2012, the first eMerge Dance Festival was presented.

T H E E D U C AT I O N S PA C E

The role of the arts in the educational process has always been a key component of Living Arts’ mission. Our goals for development of this part of our building are ambitious, but are designed to nurture a greater understanding and participation in the arts by all of the people of our community. We plan to have areas devoted to performance, mixed media visual arts, and the various electronic media.

D R I V E - B Y G A L L E R I E S O N D E T R O I T

We have earmarked several unique spaces in the West End space that will allow for the presentation of smaller scale performances, installations and earthwork pieces that are visible from the street.

E N G A G I N G C O M M U N I T Y

Our relocation will enable us to forge ties with the organizations and businesses that are part of both the Greenwood and the Brady Districts. Our location at 307 E. Brady, is somewhat of a connecting bridge to both of these burgeoning neighborhoods. We look forward to partnering with our new neighbors, working together to encourage the growth of a new Tulsa culture for the 21st century.

A R T I S T I N R E S I D E N C E P R O G R A M

Eligibility: The Artist in Residence Program is cross-disciplinary and for research and development. Artists must be working in two or three disciplines, such as visual art, performance, dance,

video, spoken word or music and sound. Artists are expected to conduct workshops with students and adults in Tulsa to share ideas and the creative process. // Resident season: year-round // Average length of residencies: 2-5 weeks // Application and Selection Process: Artists are selected by the Artistic Director and Chairpersons of Living Arts’ Committees at the Proposal Review Meeting in December. Application is available online at: www.livingarts.org/call.htm // Application deadline: November 1

T O M O R R O W

You’ve seen who we are, what we’ve done and what we want to do. These are extremely hopeful times for Living Arts and for the City of Tulsa. There is a vitality in the air, a changing of the guard with a emphasis on renewal and redevelopment, honoring those things that are local, that belong to us, that say Tulsa.

Since 1969, our history has been amazing…are you ready for the future?

Kubos-Tesseract �0th Anniversary celebration, coordinated by Chuck Tomlins. Invitation design by Nicole McMahan.

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I met Virginia Myers on September 13, 1974 after my ceramics teacher Tom Manhart told his students that he was requiring them to attend a concert at Harwelden. I thought “why should a potter be asked to attend a concert of ‘new’ music?” But I went because I respected Tom. I had just transferred from Oral Robert University and when Virginia crawled into her piano at the concert and played the piece from inside, well, I knew about demons and stood up and walked out! Upon asking Manhart why he had asked me to go to that demon-inspired concert, he just laughed and said “You should hang out with that woman. I think she could teach you something you don’t know.” And so I did.

“What is it that we do, no matter what walk of life we are in, that makes us stop learning in one direction and start another?” Virginia would say later after I sat with her during meditation sessions. I eventually became an artist in the schools in what was called simply in those days the “Education Program” and later became the director of it when she was no longer able. But it was through these meetings that I knew the true meaning of “learning.”

I also remember a time in a drawing class with Chuck Tomlins after working on an 8 ft. by 4 ft. drawing for over a month with little guidance from him that I finally asked what he thought of it. I was pretty proud of the drawing, but to my shock, he said “Well, I think this part (and he ripped the drawing’s corner off) should go over here (and taped it to another part of the drawing) and this part (rip!) would look better over here (tape!).” And this went on for five minutes. I never understood that I was a student of a true conceptual artist and that the talk and discussions that Chuck would have with us were really more about making “idea art” than anything physical. After college, I finally learned what a great, but different, teacher he really was.

And so, it was with both of these mentors, that I decided to stick with Living Arts of Tulsa as the one organization where I would make my mark. I had already been the last president of Tulsa Designer Craftsman. I founded the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition (TAC) with a small group. I had been a founding member of the Tulsa Center for Contemporary Art (TuCCA). I had been the director

of Johnson Atelier (which now is called ‘Water Works’) and was now ready to make a stand. So, when Virginia died in 1991, Franklin Wassmer and I held a meeting at TuCCA and asked the arts community “Is there a reason for Living Arts to continue since we now have TAC and TuCCA?” The consensus was that ‘YES’ – Living Arts was the only organization at the time that valued the process of making art as well as the object of art. When Charlotte Rhea and I broke up in 1992, I moved into the Brickhouse Gallery. Lance Scudder, the acting director of the busted up TuCCA, came to me, I accepted the three Oklahoma Arts Council grants that TuCCA still had – one for the Myers Gallery for exhibits, one which I modified for video programs, and one for performances and new music concerts. I coupled these with the Education Program of Living Arts and voila! – the rebirth of Living Arts! But it was not until the three Living Arts Board of Directors (Laurie Spencer, Mel Lee and Miriam Spindler-Lynch) met with me on February 17, 1993 that I was made the Artistic Director and we really got to work.

Living Arts is an organic organization. It’s different than most non-profit organizations – it thrives on constant change. For the first twenty years after the initial Living Arts Center, Chuck and Virginia didn’t want Living Arts to have a building that they paid rent for and they received no pay, other than an occasional line item for “Administrative Fees.” Rent is expensive and so are utilities. But, I was tired of moving in and out of bank lobbies and shopping malls. I wanted a place – with lights and sound systems so we could concentrate on the programs. And as the programs grew, I paid all the bills. I lived in the back of Living Arts and devoted my life to making things work. I had started a small video business to help pay the bills. And by the time Living Arts left the Brickhouse Gallery in summer of 1995 (because we wanted the entire building), we had the beginnings of the Exhibits, Video, Performance, New Music, Drumming, New Genre Festival and Day of the Dead programs. Our first location on Brady Street was the second workspace for Jimmy French Studio, and when he had to cut back, David Sharp rented it to us because he moved us out of the Brickhouse.

E P I L O G U E : S O , N O W W H AT ?

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We doubled our space and events and, as the programs grew, I began to wean myself from paying all the bills with a line item as Artistic Director. We began calling the area “The Brady Arts District” just to get our little area of town some attention, which was still very much “in transition.” The new Brady location was great and many of the Tulsa community pitched in and made it a multi-purpose space. I negotiated a deal with David Sharp to throw in an apartment above Caz’s Bar as a place to live.This worked pretty well, except for the sleepless nights with those who had “over imbibed” from Caz’s and the constant train whistles blowing nearby. Living Arts thrived again. We had some amazing programs during those years. But in 1999, Caz’s put “the moves” on us. They wanted to take Living Arts’ space and make it into a catering kitchen. So, we were out. At first, we panicked, but David Sharp had another place on Kenosha that would double our size to 6000 sq ft. In 2000, we moved into Living Arts on Kenosha.

Our programs grew exponentially and I started looking outside of Tulsa for models for how to grow an arts organization like Living Arts. I had some really good models with Diverse Works in Houston and InterMedia Arts in Minneapolis and the Kansas City Artist Coalition. But it was the phone call from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts that changed the direction of Living Arts and “upped our game.” The Warhol Foundation had not given grants in 14 states and they hired a “geographist” to study why this was. They had been asking Oklahoma arts groups as to who was doing contemporary work here. Everyone (they said) pointed to Living Arts of Tulsa. They made a site visit and asked me if I would ever apply to them for help? Living Arts was exactly what they funded! So, in 2004, we got our first grant from this amazing foundation for $90,000, which funded the New Genre Festival and the Myers Gallery for three years. And I got a part-time salary as a result. This landmark experience led me to Los Angeles to visit, and subsequently court, the National Performance Network (NPN). In 2007, Living Arts was invited to become a Partner with NPN; this additional funding helped bring top contemporary performance and dance groups in the country. And in 2008, when David Sharp learned that we were looking for a building to purchase, he introduced us to the George Kaiser Family Foundation

(GKFF). Subsequently, GKFF invited us to be the first anchor arts organization in the newly forming Brady Arts District.

At first, I was skeptical and worried about the possible restrictions in partnering with GKFF. At the initial meeting, I said to Ken Levit that Living Arts could not be censored, if we went into this partnership. I had been censored before and promised myself that I would not do that again. But, to my amazement, Ken said, “That won’t be a problem, George and Myra Kaiser are very open-minded people and live in San Francisco half of the year.” I was happy, so we moved to Brady…again. I had been working as a part-time teacher at Holland Hall and then Riverfield Country Day School in order to make ends meet. I loved teaching art, but in order to devote my full attention to Living Arts, the Board approved a full-time salary for me.

Many great people have made Living Arts a success – believe me, it has taken a village, and Tulsa is a great village! It continues to be a long evolution from a totally volunteer organization to now having full- and part-time staff. Our programs have exploded since we have been on Brady. We have also developed a good infrastructure with the help of some great leaders in our Board of Directors. Wendy Thomas, our current President, has led the organization into having very important things, such as a policy and procedures manual. We owe a great deal of thanks to Tom Borrup and George Sutton, who have consulted with us about finances, a strategic plan and building a strong Board of Directors. The First Fridays on Brady have helped the entire Brady Arts District become a safe and fun way of seeing exhibits. The new Guthrie Green has added a wonderful gathering place for the District, also the inclusion of the Henry Zarrow Center with the University of Tulsa School of Art and Gilcrease Museum, the beautiful Hardesty Arts Center, 108 Contemporary, Philbrook Museum of Art Satellite, the new Arts Incubator and Woody Guthrie Museum, Tulsa is becoming a center for cultural activities in this area of the United States.

I’m proud of Living Arts. I’m proud of all of the people who stood by Chuck Tomlins, Virginia Myers, Franklin Wassmer

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and myself through the tough years and gave us their support and encouragement. With Living Arts’ new Artist in Residence Program, we will continue to support experimental and cross-disciplinary local artists, bring in outside artists to work with the community and build the cultural bridges between the different groups in Tulsa. One of our continuing goals is to better engage the community. We will continue to “present and develop contemporary art forms in Tulsa, OK,” which has always been our mission since 1969. We are all creative people and need an uncensored atmosphere to be stimulated and inspired by art work that is beyond “the obvious.” So if you sometimes feel “lost in the forest” when you experience a work at Living ArtSpace, be happy! Because that may be the only time you have encountered something truly new and have a chance to “burn new pathways” in your mind; that is Living Arts – Art that makes you talk!

Steve Liggett, Artistic Director

Living Arts’ Staff and Board of Directors, December, 2012.