Art Gets Wild in This Norman Museum Exhibition

Animals have been a muse for as long as people have been carving on cave walls, and through September 22, visitors can get an eyeful of contemporary creature creations at Un/Natural Selections: Wildlife in Contemporary Art at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman. The exhibit was organized by the National Museum of Wildlife Art, a Jackson Hole museum that houses more than 5,000 animal-related works that date back to 2500 B.C.E. Through a variety of media, Un/Natural Selections looks at the relationship between humans and the natural world. And although they may not understand the larger context, even young children will probably find this exhibit entertaining. With all the textures, colors, and interesting animals on display, perusing this gallery is a beautiful and thought-provoking way to spend an hour.

The piece you’re bound to notice first is Paul Villinski’s Pegasus. To create it, Villinski recycled materials like discarded wood and beer cans to make treasure from trash. Instead of wings, aluminum butterflies made from the aforementioned beer cans encircle its body, creating a visual representation for substance abuse recovery.

Pegasus by Paul Villinski. Photo by Megan Rossman

I'm a sucker for anything with birds, and this exhibition has plenty of them. One of my favorites in the show is On the Edge by Mark Eberhard. "But when the birds are gone, and their warm fields return no more, where then is paradise?” is a line written at the top of the painting that comes from "Sunday Morning," a poem by Wallace Steven that inspired this oil painting.

On the Edge by Mark Eberhard. Photo by Megan Rossman

This untitled silkscreen on paper by famous American author Dave Eggers is straightforward in its message: "Courage, may it be common." Eggers has two other pieces in the show with similarly straightforward messages: "Please don’t tell me about the sixties" and "Doomed by charm."

An untitled silkscreen on paper by Dave Eggers. Photo by Megan Rossman

Belgian artist William Sweetlove’s Cloned Penguin with PET Bottle is displayed here in a rainbow of colors. Fitted with footwear and water bottles, the birds are "prepared to face environmental adversity wrought by climate change."

Clined Penguin with PET Bottle by William Sweetlove. Photo by Megan Rossman

Nicola Hicks created a straw and plaster form, and then cast it in bronze to create Little Bear, a piece inspired by a children’s book and the Ted Huges poem, "The Bear."

Little Bear by Nicola Hicks. Photo by Megan Rossman

This cotton jacquard tapestry, Cathedral, was created by multimedia artist Kiki Smith, and is one of twelve in a series she made between 2011 and 2017. The series was inspired by the Apocalypse Tapestry, which is actually six tapestries depicting the Book of Revelation that were commissioned by Louis I during the fourteenth century.

Cathedral by Kiki Smith. Photo by Megan Rossman

The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is located at 555 Elm Avenue in Norman. (405) 325-3272 or ou.edu/fjjma. Admission is currently free, but beginning October 1, admission for adults will be $12.

Written By

Megan Rossman

Megan Rossman is Oklahoma Today's photography editor.