This week, Modella Gallery provides a variety of events from an artist talk on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. to Monday@Modella at 7:30 p.m. and a poetry reading Thursday at 7 p.m.
The artist talk Sunday at 1:30p will be led by artist, Norman Akers, an Osage artist, who explores issues of identity, culture, place, and the dynamics of personal and cultural transformation in his artwork. He will discuss the concepts of borders, boundaries, and the migration of peoples and the relationship with his work. “Current issues in the news about immigration laws and talk in public media about strengthening national borders is leading my work into a new direction. Questions about who is the ‘other’ and terms such as indigenous, immigrant, and illegal alien have entered my vocabulary,” Akers said. In addition to a power point presentation, there will be a question and answer period.
This month’s Monday@Modella headlines singer/songwriters Martha Fields, Miss Brown to You, and Kyle Reid. Hosted by Nadia Pitrowsky, the musicians perform in the round, taking turns playing their own music in an intimate listening room. Doors open at 7:15 p.m.
The Ai Poetry Series leads off with two poets whose work deals with identity, place and what it means to be an immigrant. Janine Joseph, author of Driving Without A License, and Luisa Muradyan, author of American Radiance, will give a reading, beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Reviewers have stated Joseph’s sensibility is as psychological as it is political, reminding us that concealment is more than a physical act; it is also a profoundly disruptive emotional and psychological position, one that informs not just the speaker’s sense of the world, but her sense of her self. Joseph’s sensibility is as psychological as it is political, reminding us that concealment is more than a physical act; it is also a profoundly disruptive emotional and psychological position, one that informs not just the speaker’s sense of the world, but her sense of her self.
Modella Gallery is a non-profit art gallery dedicated to bringing contemporary arts to Stillwater, Oklahoma. Intended to be a conduit for the arts, the gallery presents a continuing program of art exhibitions of local and national artists, visual, music and performance events, screenings, and special projects. Modella Gallery is located at 721 South Main Street in historic downtown Stillwater, OK. Hours are Thursday and Friday 5-8 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. For further information, please contact the gallery at (405) 880-4434 or visit modellaartgallery.org.
