Make Contemporary Art a Part of Your Routine

Maquette for Sparky, collage, 2004 by Sarah Atlee
Collage maquette by Sarah Atlee

No matter where you live, you live near an artist. We are everywhere! Visiting gallery shows, poetry readings, theatre, live music shows, and other art events is a great way to support your local arts community, and enjoy yourself to boot.

If you're in the Oklahoma City area, it's easy to stay in the loop for local arts events. The Weekly Gazette arts calendar is fairly comprehensive. You can also read about local arts in ArtBeat, the Daily Oklahoman, and the Norman Transcript.

If handling paper isn't your thing, visit the OVAC and Plaza District blogs, and sign up for the Untitled Artspace E-newsletter.

To find out about art events in the Tulsa area, Holly Wall's blog is a great place to start. Also, feel free to explore the Oklahoma Artists section of my Links page. Many of those artists have their own blogs, Facebook pages, and Twitter streams.

Never been to a gallery show before? Everyone is welcome, and artists are always happy to answer questions about their work. Dip your toes into the monthly First Friday Art Walk in OKC's historic Paseo District, this coming Friday from 6 to 10 pm. Highlights for July include the Flora & Fauna show at aka gallery, 3001 Paseo. As always, there will be food, art, music, and plenty of atmosphere.

Get'cherself some cultcha, yeah? Your neighborhood artists will thank you.

This post is part of NaBloPoMo for July 2009.