(Bartlesville, Okla.) Looking for a little indoor cultural excitement as the Oklahoma grasses turn brown and the kids head back to school? Price Tower Arts Center’s current exhibition is entitled From Process to Print: Graphic Works by Romare Bearden and is on display through Sunday, September 2. This colorful arrangement of large prints and examples of the artist’s print making process demonstrates the commitment to great design that Romare Bearden (1911-1988) had.
The exhibition will be open free to the public on August 18th from 12 – 5pm for Free Family Sunday. “Offered on the third Sunday of each month, Free Family Sunday gives visitors the opportunity to explore the galleries and open up new lines of communication about art between parents, grandparents and children,” says Tim Boruff, Executive Director. He adds, “All are welcome to view the show, so we encourage the community to bring friends and family.”
This exhibition is part of a traveling national centennial tribute to Romare Bearden an African American artist who is widely acknowledged as one of the most talented and original visual artists of the mid 1900s. His work exemplifies key themes and motifs like rituals, rural and urban scenes, jazz, and mythology which helped extend his artistic imagination beyond simple collages.
Focusing on the later period of his career, From Process to Print explores Beardenʼs graphic techniques from the 1960s through the early 1980s. Included are prints based on collages like the “Untitled Street Scene” (1972) and “Come Sunday” (1976).
Although Romare Bearden was best known for his work in photomontage and collage artistry, Bearden also was a prolific writer of political and artistic essays. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan awarded Bearden the National Medal of Arts.
"From Process to Print offers a powerful statement about Romare Bearden's amazing journey through innovation and collaboration to master the graphic medium. Best known for his master of collages, Bearden was also very enthralled with printmaking throughout his long and prolific career. Printmaking allowed him the opportunity to experiment and push boundaries to produce a wonderful piece of art,” said Scott W. Perkins, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, Price Tower Arts Center.
From Process to Print: Graphic Works by Romare Bearden was organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA, and will travel to museums throughout the country through 2013. The Romare Bearden Foundation, a New York based, public foundation dedicated to the legacy of Romare Bearden organized the three-year national tour.
While visiting Price Tower, consider taking an historic guided tour through the restored 1956 interiors of the upper floors, available with reservations. Then, take the elevator up to Copper Bar, located on the 15th floor of Price Tower. Copper hosts monthly events including food and drink specials from 4:00 to 6:00pm, Tuesday through Saturday.
For more information on exhibitions and event registrations please call Price Tower at 918.336.4949 or visit the website at pricetower.org.
The landmark destination for art, architecture and design, Price Tower Arts Center, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit, provides local, regional and global audiences with the experience of great art, architecture and design in an arts complex whose centerpiece is Frank Lloyd Wright's only skyscraper, the Price Tower.
This National Historic Landmark building, completed in 1956, contains a museum with permanent and changing exhibition galleries, original and restored historic Wright interiors (available by tour), and The Wright Place museum store. The building has also been nominated as a World Heritage Site.
Visitors may also experience Wright's masterpiece as guests of Inn at Price Tower, a high-design hotel that the Arts Center has created within Wright's skyscraper, along with the Inn's eclectic Copper Bar.
Historic tours are available with advanced reservations. Admission is $12 adults, $10 seniors (65+), $10 for children 18 and under and includes admission to the museum exhibitions (applicable sales tax not included). For more information, call 918.336.4949 or visit the web site at www.pricetower.org.
