Artists with local connection featured in new gallery

Monday, June 9, 2014

 

Two artists featured this summer in new gallery

The Oklahoma State University Museum of Art will open two new exhibitions on Monday, June 16, featuring the works of artists with local connections. Artwork by Belinda Chlouber and Althea Wright will be featured together in the new Malinda Berry Fischer Gallery at the Postal Plaza. The new gallery honors Fischer for her dedication and advocacy for the arts. Every summer, the space will feature engaging exhibits with a regional flair or local connection.

Chlouber’s exhibit “Words and Paint: a Collaboration with Family Writings” will showcase more than 15 pieces by the California-based artist, who graduated from high school in Stillwater. Her artwork includes a variety of paintings and monoprints that were inspired by the poetry and short stories of her mother and grandfather. She discovered the writings after their deaths.

“As I look toward the future, learning from and understanding the past has enabled me as an artist to find my own path,” Chlouber said. Her work will be displayed alongside poems and family writings from June 16 – August 30. The public is also invited to opening reception for Chlouber’s exhibit is set for 5-7 p.m. on June 19. She will discuss her works at 6 p.m.

Wright, who taught at OSU in the Department of Family Relations and Child Development for 20 years, started painting in watercolors when she retired. Having been involved in sewing, decorating and other creative pursuits, she only began exploring painting in recent years. Many of her pieces are inspired by the beauty of nature.

Wright is very active in the Stillwater community where one of her works, a fiberglass butterfly that she designed as a fundraiser for Wings of Hope, can be seen on Main Street in downtown Stillwater. She is active in the Stillwater Art Guild, Stillwater Community Singers, and on the OSU Emeriti Faculty Board.

Her exhibit, “Watercolor Paintings by Althea Wright" is open from June 16 through August 30, with a reception on Thursday, July 10, from 5 – 7 pm. The reception will include an artist talk at 6 p.m.

For more information about the OSU Museum of Art and upcoming programming at the Postal Plaza Gallery, visit http://www.museum.okstate.edu or call 405-744-2780. The Postal Plaza Gallery is located at 720 S. Husband Street in downtown Stillwater. All exhibitions and programs are free and public parking is located on the south and east sides of the building.