space for joy

Organized by Guest Curator Alexa Goetzinger and Guest Curatorial Assistant Virginia Sitzes, Materials and Boundaries is the 2025 edition of the Oklahoma Contemporary ArtNow biennial exhibition, highlighting new and recent art from a selection of artists active in the state. This exhibition is an exploration of Oklahoman identity showcasing work created by contemporary artists utilizing the themes of place and self with experimental materials and new practices.

Oklahoma has a complicated past which has shaped both the landscape and the people living within its boundaries. Many artists explore how place and identity can be manifested through materiality, but contemporary Oklahoma artists have an interesting position based on where they find themselves geographically. The state is not considered south, midwest, or west; Oklahomans are directly in the center—a difficult place to define while being an all-encompassing mixture and a nonentity.

The artists selected for ArtNow have a range of unique perspectives regarding their relationship to the Oklahoma cities in which they live and their broader familial histories of living within this state. They present thoughtful, nuanced, and methodical practices attuned to global trends while remaining grounded in the cultural and environmental shifts shaping contemporary Oklahoma.