While some institutions have exhibited “street art,” it is rare to have one focused on First American artists. The exhibit “Red Streets,” held at the Red Earth Art Center in downtown Oklahoma City, does just that.
The Red Earth website describes the exhibit as “a gallery exhibition of original work by Native artists influenced by street and urban visual culture, including graffiti and lettering styles, skate-inspired work, poster-like graphics, stencil aesthetics and other contemporary forms connected to city life.”
This approach is different from most gallery exhibits as it focuses on styles and subjects that have not always been given the same respect as more traditional forms of art.
Of the 23 artists included, two of them have Chickasaw heritage: Jay Laxton, a Chickasaw citizen, and Brent Greenwood, an artist of Chickasaw and Ponca heritage.
Laxton, who typically creates in glass, submitted a skate deck to the show titled “Tushka.” Laxton said he entered the exhibit because he wanted to try something different.
Laxton made “Tushka” for his oldest son, Zachary Boldt, while he was in Africa with the Oklahoma National Guard. It is spray paint on a wooden skate deck. Laxton used a silhouette of a picture of Boldt sitting on a case of MREs (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) with an osprey in the background. At the top is a blend of Boldt’s dress patch mixed with their combat patch. At the bottom is the name of the deployment and the year.
Laxton is typically inspired by his natural surroundings, and he often attempts to recreate things that spark creativity in him through his glasswork. The skate deck project marked a departure from that approach. He credits his Chickasaw heritage, especially the can-do attitude and perseverance, to be able to embrace a new artistic challenge successfully.
Even though Laxton is new to street art, he is interested in exploring it further.
“I think street art is a great idea. I do not think it gets the respect it deserves,” Laxton said. “It was a lot of fun to do the skate deck, to get accepted and participate in this show. I do hope to do more.”
Greenwood was excited to be a part of this exhibit because he got his start as an artist on the streets of south-central Oklahoma City.
“I want to be a part of it because that’s what I grew up knowing,” Greenwood said.
Greenwood said when he was growing up, graffiti was rarely accepted or recognized as art, but he approached it as such. He said attitudes have shifted in recent years, and many people now see graffiti not as vandalism, but as a legitimate art form.
“It’s always been about creating art, even before I knew about public art or murals,” Greenwood said. “And even if you go back centuries, man has been creating art on walls forever. Our first graffiti artists, if you will, were using bird bones and blowing pigment onto walls. And so, it’s always been happening. It’s just another kind of continuation.”
Greenwood has two pieces in the exhibit. “Snag” is spray paint and acrylic inspired by Los Angeles artist Ruben Rojas’ painting “Love.” Greenwood said he really liked that artwork and wanted to take a First American approach to it. He replaced the word “love” with “snag,” which he said refers to Indigenous humor and what one might refer to as a not-so-serious relationship.
His other piece, “Stomp Crossing,” reimagines a crossing sign, with a stenciled figure in regalia dancing across the road. He tagged “Gumby,” “South Side” and “405” to reference his tag and growing up on the south side of Oklahoma City.
These works, as well as many others, are on display at the Red Earth Art Center in downtown Oklahoma City, 100 N. Broadway, until Aug. 14. For more information, contact Red Earth Inc. at 405-427-5228 or Info@RedEarth.org.