Art in Bloom —the annual Northern Oklahoma College student art exhibition is on display through May 7 in the Eleanor Hays Art Gallery in the Kinzer Performing Arts Center at NOC Tonkawa.Visual art students Brooklyn Loney and Myra J. Mehojah of Ponca City, and MaeElla Seaboy Clift of Blackwell, planned and organized the exhibit as part of the requirements for a credited Portfolio/Gallery Seminar at NOC. Art in Bloom highlights the original art of these three artists along with works of other students enrolled in visual art and digital imaging classes during the 2023-2024 academic year.Under the guidance of Audrey Schmitz, gallery director and art instructor, Loney, Mehojah, and Seaboy Clift gained experience in developing the infrastructure of the exhibit, including choosing the show title and collaborating with NOC graphic designer Paige Larson on the poster design. The poster was inspired by 1970s motifs and fonts and details of each student’s art is included in the floral design. They also prepared their own work to be exhibition-ready, produced artist statements and title cards and installed dozens of additional curated works made by other students, all as part of their professional growth as working artists.The origin of the show’s title reflects a variety of ideas: art comes into bloom after an idea is nourished and given care and creativity. Also, during the spring of the year, much of nature comes back to life and in another aspect, the students are coming into bloom in their careers. It also relates to the complexity and time involved in putting together a professional art exhibition – in order for the gallery to bloom into life.“Overall, there is great diversity of media, subject matter and style in the works on view in Art in Bloom, and the student show is always the most popular event in the Eleanor Hays Gallery,” Schmitz added. “This year we have added a ‘gallery gift shop’ of affordable art, making it a perfect opportunity to buy original work at great prices from talented artists early in their career.”With over 150 works on display, visitors will find watercolor and acrylic paintings; sculptures; pencil, charcoal and ink drawings; pottery and ceramic forms; digital media; masks; bas relief tiles and mixed media works. Select items are available for purchase.A reception honoring all students is scheduled from 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. Sunday, April 21 in the art gallery. The exhibition and reception with ...
