The Race is On

I was invited last year to be on a team participating in the 24 Hour Video Race, but I was too pregnant and too exhausted to accept. I wish I had.

I'm actually probably more exhausted now that I have a nine-month-old than I was when I was pregnant, and caring for said nine-month-old means that this year, again, I had to forgo any opportunity to participate in the race, which Living ArtSpace hosts this weekend.

The race is in its fourth year and involves teams of eight creating a short film or video in a matter of 24 hours. Sponsored by Living Arts, Philbrook Museum of Art and Individual Artists of Oklahoma, the event kicks off at midnight Friday, Feb. 6 at Living Arts. Teams are given a theme, a prop and a line of dialogue that must somehow be incorporated in the video, and they are sent out into the city (or elsewhere; some teams participate from a distance, finding the pertinent information they need online) to plan, shoot and edit their work, using their own equipment.

Each entry is $30 and must be dropped off at Living Arts or at IAO in OKC by midnight Sat., Feb. 7.

The entries will be judged and screened at Philbrook, 2727 S. Rockford Road, Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6pm. Prizes will be awarded the same night at Living Arts in various categories: 18 and under student, college student, 19 and over non-student, animation, jurors' choice and viewers' choice.

Those interested in participating in the 24 Hour Video Race can register online at livingarts.org or by calling 585-1234. Then, show up at Living Arts, 308 S. Kenosha, at 10:30pm on Friday for a pre-party and late registration.

And maybe I'll see you there next year.

All in the Eyes

Opening Thursday, Feb. 5 at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center gallery, nestled beneath the Chapman Music Hall, is Eleanor Davy Carmack's "Portraits of Tulsa Artists and Their Art."

Carmack is a long-time Tulsan and taught for 35 years at Holland Hall Preparatory School. Her portraits of local artists have become quite well-known, but, for the first time, she will exhibit them alongside a work painted by her artist subject.

In a recent Art Focus magazine interview, she told Janice McCormick, "My approach to a portrait is that 'the eyes tell all.' I try, if possible, to take my own photographs, focusing only on their eyes, creating the illusion of a mask on the face. I think if you only saw the person's eyes, you could recognize that person. ..."

Carmack's exhibit will hang at the PAC through March 1. The exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10am to 5:30pm and during Chapman Music Hall events.

Between the Lines

The Oklahomans for Equality art gallery, at the Neill Equality Center, 621 E. 4th St., opens an exhibit of charcoal drawings by OU art student Maegan Kauffman on Thursday, Feb. 5, with an opening reception from 6 to 9pm.

Originally from Tulsa, Kauffman studies at OU's Fred Jones Jr. School of Art and draws much of her inspiration from the human form.

"I am inspired by the human condition and the way we not only deal with the challenges we face out in the world, but also with the inner battles we have within ourselves," said Kauffman.

Kauffman attempts to capture emotion and thought through her portrayal of the physical body, the angle of limbs, the tightness of lips.

"I consider my artwork realistic expressionism, in which I portray my subjects in a photo realistic manner," Kauffman said.

Kauffman's drawings are made by charcoal, and the artist said, "I have learned to manipulate the charcoal by shading, blending and crisping edges to achieve the image desired."

The exhibit will hang at the center through February. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 3 to 9pm.

Little Works

On Friday, Feb. 6, the Tulsa Artists' Coalition Gallery, 9 E. Brady, will open "Minors' Major Works: Great Art by Tulsa Elementary School Children," curated by local artist and teacher Steve Tomlin.

The work is that of elementary school students in the Greeley, Grissom, Kendall-Whittier, Mark Twain, Patrick Henry and Zarrow International schools.

An opening reception for the exhibit is Friday, Feb. 6 from 6 to 8pm. The exhibit hangs through the month of February and is free and open to the public. Hours are Thursday through Saturday from 6 to 9pm and by appointment.

Get Together

The Collective, that little 11th Street bistro offering delicious coffee sandwiches and even better ambiance also offers art exhibitions by local artists, the newest of which opens Saturday, Feb. 7.

"Broken hearts, black eyeliner, pain and suffering" are the subject of work by new artists D.A. Boone and Meredith Fajardo.

Their work explores the "emo" culture and considers whether or not the pain felt by suburban teenagers is "real" or "developmental."

"Is it comical? Or cliche? Emerging artists in the local scene... felt comfortable collaborating on a topic that has not been discussed yet in a serious artistic way. Is all pain acceptable and valid?"

I'm pretty curious to see how the artists approach and depict this subject matter. Having a younger brother who went through an "emo" phase, I have a difficult time giving it any credit, so I look forward to seeing these artists' take on it.

If you don't feel like waiting to see what I thought, you can see the exhibit through the month of February at The Collective, 3148 E. 11th St. The opening reception is this Saturday from 6 to 9pm.