From the Curator
Cedar Marie
The University of Oklahoma School of Art & Art History and the Lightwell Gallery present FISH, a
multimedia art exhibition that explores a concern for one of the planet’s most diminishing food
resources. The exhibition is on display from Tuesday October 23 through Wednesday November 7,
2012 in the OU School of Art & Art History’s Lightwell Gallery. A free, public reception will be held
on Thursday, Oct. 25 from 6-8 p.m. Coinciding with the exhibition, The School of Art & Art History
welcomes visiting Guggenheim Fellowship artist Ray Troll. Troll will give a public lecture on
October 30 at 10:30 a.m. in the Mary Eddy and Fred Jones Auditorium at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum
of Art.
FISH offers a compelling range of perspectives on the culture of fishing. Interpreted broadly, the
artworks in the exhibition include sculpture, painting, video, and good old-fashioned storytelling,
among other media, from both U.S. and international artists. Oklahoma artist Donald Longcrier
speaks to some of the “American West’s foremost contemporary issues, particularly water and its
management.” His nine-foot wide paintings of native trout act as sentinels in the main entry to the
Fred Jones Art Center. Tim Waldrop and Catherine Reinhardt broaden these environmental and
habitat concerns, addressing topics related to Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon Oil
Spill. Dave Beck makes historical connections, referencing Americankitschandpatriotismofthe1960s.Bangkok-based photographer Jane Iverson documents the simplicity and fragility of Asian
fishing culture, while Brooks Dierdorff and Brenda Oelibaum fish the Internet for appropriated
images to deconstruct notions of the trophy.
FISH also comprises artworks that foster community awareness and education. Texas-based artist
Christine Foerster creates interactive installations based on green design. She takes her work to
public schools and universities where they are integrated into the curriculum. The Sitka
Conservation Society in Alaska works to deepen youth understanding of local food resources with
their “Fish to Schools” program, which develops strong connections with local fishermen and the
fishing community, and integrates locally-caught seafood into public school lunches.
FISH recognizes and includes the voices of fishermen, the men and women who risk their lives
daily on the open sea in order to bring a quality food product to the table. In her audio story
Sisterhood, writer and commercial fisherman Tele Aadsen explores what it means to be a woman
“trolling for truth” in a male-dominated field; while Fisher Poet and performer Moe Bowstern
catches—and releases—stories written by the various “species” of fishermen in her arty zines. In
his photograph Ryan Harris Sea Rescue, commercial fisherman and photographer Joel Brady-
Power guides a Coast Guard rescue team in a miraculous save of a nineteen-year old fisherman.
Visiting Guggenheim Fellowship artist Ray Troll’s quirky images based on the latest scientific
discoveries bring a street-smart sensibility to the worlds of ichthyology & paleontology. His
drawings and paintings are also a delightful commentary on the fishy behavior of humans. The
author and illustrator of nine books and lead band member of the Ratfish Wranglers, his unique
blend of art and science has reached a wide audience in major shows at the California Academy of
Sciences in San Francisco, the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, and the Denver Museum of
Nature and Science. He has been awarded a Gold Medal for Distinction in the Natural History Arts
by the Academy of Natural Sciences, and is the art director for the Miami Museum of Science’s
Amazon Voyage traveling exhibit. Sharkabet: a Sea of Sharks from A to Z, and a new exhibition
based on his book Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway–written in collaboration with Dr. Kirk Johnson–is
currently on tour.
Taking a stream to plate approach, FISH offers the public an opportunity to consider how we tend to
our relationships with the food we grow, harvest, and consume.
The University of Oklahoma’s School of Art and Art History is located in the Fred Jones Art Center
(FJC), 520 Parrington Oval, in the OU Arts District. The Lightwell Gallery is located on the second
floor and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and closed on holidays and
weekends.
For special accommodations call 405.325.2691 or email art@ou.edu.
