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By Casey McLerran
TULSA, OK — The April installment at the Black Wall Street Gallery, a subsidiary of Black Wall Street Arts, which opens Friday, April 5th, features Austin Gober and Gary Mason.
Doors open at 6 p.m. for the eighth installment in the Conciliation Series at the Black Wall Street Gallery, 101 N. Greenwood Ave.
The Black Wall Street Arts mission is to create platforms, grant access, and bridge the racial gap in Tulsa.
Austin Gober is a Tulsa-born artist working primarily in paint. After receiving his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, he moved back to Tulsa where he is currently based. His works have been shown throughout Oklahoma and Missouri and have been published in the Kansas City magazines Ink and Bohemian.
Austin’s art is characterized by his use of abstract shapes, both organic and angular, and his affinity for solid colors, geometric patterns, and cartoonish outlines. His subject matter is primarily abstract but also includes abstracted figures and still-lifes. Described as “…that of a freshly-conscious robot attempting to create new deep-sea creatures in Microsoft Paint…”, his unique style and compositions are his most defining artistic traits.
@nosamyrag, also known as Gary Mason, is native to Tulsa and returned to the area in 2012 having spent much of his upbringing in Dallas, Texas. While @nosamyrag had no intention of pursuing photography when he returned to Tulsa the community fostered and encouraged his vision.In 2018 @nosamyrag joined BLACK MOON, a collective of black artists breaking standards and cultivating creativity. This collaboration has elevated @nosamyrag’s volume and created a catalyst for deeper exploration of intention in his mediums.
Gary Mason (@nosamyrag) uses photography and social media to project his perspective. Using a free and widely available platform, Instagram, @nosamyrag cultivates his perspective and allows the world to mirror back what he wants to see through social events that invite the black community to take space and explore culture publicly. Mason’s photography has been published in The Tulsa Voice and OVAC Art Focus Magazine.
Artistic director Dr. Ricco Wright said “conciliation” suggests mediating between parties at odds with one another. It also allows space for acknowledgment, apology, and reparation.
“The Conciliation Series seeks to generate positive relations between, primarily, Tulsa’s black and white communities. Our shared history evidences the imperative of working collaboratively toward amicable, productive, and sustainable engagement,” he said.
This twelve-month series will pair black and white artists of various media to build personal and group relationships that cultivate meaningful, lasting bonds.
THE CONCILIATION SERIES UPCOMING EXHIBITS
April: nosamyrag and Austin Gober
May: MOLLYWATTA and Matt Phipps
June: Tailynn Tindall and Taylor Painter-Wolfe
July: Boomintree and Cheyenne Butcher
August: Melody Allen and Julianne Clark
PAST FEATURED ARTISTS
September: Alexander Tamahn and JP Morrison Lans
October: Monarch Jones and Andrea Martin
November: Diamond Walker and Laura Elisabeth Voth
December: Abdallah Alislam and Frida Cornelio
January: Elizabeth Feahther Henley and Nicole Donis
February: Christina Henley and Western Doughty March: Stacie Monday and Marjorie Atwood