Allen, H., War Dancer, n.d. Pastel on Felt Paper. Oklahoma State University Museum of Art, Charles Little Collection, 2015.013.005.

Exploring the Art of Movement: Student-curated exhibition opens at OSU’s Orange Wall

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Media Contact: Casey Ihde | OSU Museum of Art Marketing and Communications | 405-744-2783 | casey.pankey@okstate.edu

“A Sense of Movement: Native American Art from the Charles Little Collection,” a student-curated exhibition by Ruth Sanchez, opens March 1 at the Orange Wall in the Oklahoma State University Student Union.

“A Sense of Movement” features 11 pieces of Native American artwork from the Charles Little Collection that study movement through their composition and form.

Sanchez is the academic initiatives intern at the OSU Museum of Art. She is currently an OSU senior, majoring in arts administration with a second major in studio arts.

She was inspired to curate this exhibition when looking through the Charles Little collection and noting a theme of dance regalia.

“I noticed the attire that they would wear, represented in the pieces,” Sanchez said. “You could see the movement of the feathers and the dresses, and that really caught my attention, even in the little details.”

“A Sense of Movement: Native American Art from the Charles Little Collection” — Andy, Woman in Desert with Spirits Above, 1973, Watercolor on Matboard. Oklahoma State University Museum of Art, Charles Little Collection, 2015.013.010.

“‘A Sense of Movement’” is about the way we see movement in art and the different techniques used to portray that movement,” in Sanchez’s words.

She said, “It could be through line, texture, or form,” describing how one might experience movement in the artworks that she chose to display. Sanchez strives to examine the connection between movement and its relationship to indigenous culture.

A featured piece in the exhibition is “War Dancer” by Allen H. “The movement, the forms of the dancer, and you can see the regalia in a lot of detail,” are descriptions Sanchez explained encapsulate the piece and the theme of the exhibition.

“A Sense of Movement: Native American Art from the Charles Little Collection” is on view March 1-31 at the Orange Wall in the Student Union Basement. A closing reception will be held from 5-7 p.m. on March 24. This exhibition is made possible through partnerships with the OSU Student Arts Alliance, the OSU Center for the Sovereign Nations and the OSU Native American Student Association. Learn more at museum.okstate.edu