Yep, it’s that time of year again! The 44th Annual Paul Laune Memorial Art Competition for High School students kicks off on February 2nd and runs through February 29th. There will be a special reception for the participants on February 29th from 11-1 here at the Museum. Awards will be presented during the reception.

Please come out to view some incredible art made by regional high schoolers and pay tribute to one of Northwest Oklahoma’s greatest artists.

Artist Reception Saturday, December 2nd, 2-4pm

Kim Hensal is an artist living in Woodward, OK. Kim graduated from Oklahoma Christian University with a degree in Advertising Design and a focus on Illustration. She has been married to her best friend for 23 years, and they have 4 beautiful children. She has been blessed to travel all around the world, and loves to incorporate those experiences into her artwork. As a freelance artist, she has been able to create artwork for numerous clients, including the Pioneer Women. Whether she is teaching art students, or exploring a new medium like encasutics, she loves the opportunity to create and share her view of the world with those around her.

Kim’s work includes encaustic art pieces and a variety of tea towels and ornaments that will be on exhibit and available for purchase. Come experience the unique art of Kim Hensal.

Now showing “Cheyenne’s Along the Wolf River”, an exhibition by Southern Cheyenne artist George Levi. Experience the unique ledger art of George Levi along side two of his children, Harding and Halcyon Levi. This exhibit runs through November 25th, with an artist reception the afternoon of the 25th from 2-4pm

George Levi is a member of the Southern Cheyenne tribe in Oklahoma, and he was raised in western Oklahoma. He also has ties to the Arapaho and Oglala Lakota communities who were historically, strongly allied with the Cheyenne. George’s art is influenced by the art and history of the Cheyenne people, particularly in Cheyenne and Arapaho artists of the past. “My work is about my people. It's about who I am and where I come from. It's about a history that still lives on.” Aside from ledger art, George also creates custom beadwork, rawhide items, acrylic paintings, computer-generated art, and textile art.

Come July 22nd through August 26th, 2023 we welcome Judy Barton with an exhibition of mosaic art. Judy is self-taught, creating mosaics since 2013. She attended a workshop in Connecticut to learn how to make pebble mosaics. While there, she saw an installation of a glass mosaic which peaked her interest. She ordered the book, “Mosaics for the First Time,” to learn the basic technique and connected with other artist on Facebook where she has gained a wealth of knowledge.

Much of her art is inspired by her love of nature and gardening, so the sky is the limit when it comes to design ideas. Because of the opportunities afforded by the diverse colors and shapes of glass, she finds it very therapeutic and relaxing to create each piece. Each artwork is one of a kind, and many require over forty hours to complete form design to finish.

Her work carries special reward when she sees a person’s facial expression, holding up a piece to discover how the play of light brings extra dimension and beauty to the glass. She is always interested in exploring new techniques and challenging herself with more difficult projects such as creating pieces with water and reflectivity.

Make plans to attend an artist reception on Saturday July 22nd from 2-4pm, for you chance to meet the artist and talk with her about her creative journey.

Come June 3rd through July 8th, 2023 we welcome Inga Ojala with an exhibition of western and wildlife art. A successful Artist from a family of Hollywood heavyweights, Inga Ojala has always simply considered herself an Artist and Teacher.

Daughter of the legendary Hollywood gunslinger/holster innovator/gun safety and gun coach Arvo Ojala and actress/model/figure skater Doris Naga Seversen, Ms. Ojala was born in Seattle, Washington and is of Finnish and Norwegian descent. Whether it's creating one-of-a-kind murals or displaying her skills at faux finishing, Ms. Ojala admits her greatest love is Art - and her outlet. For those who do not know, Ms. Ojala's father, Arvo, is a world-renowned gunslinger, working with such luminaries as Paul Newman, James Garner, James Arness, Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, Kevin Costner, Sharon Stone, Michael J. Fox, and Mari Blanchard (to name only a few of those he trained in the art of gunslinging). But perhaps he is most famous for his work in front of as well as behind the scenes of one of the greatest television Westerns, Gunsmoke. Mr. Ojala is the man who challenges Marshall Dillon in the opening sequence of each episode. His filmography, much too lengthy to mention here, includes all of Hollywood's A-List celebrities, including Ronald Reagan as well.

Ms. Ojala is also a horse and dog trainer, expert marksman. She has also worked on films as a stunt coordinator and even performed some of the stunts herself. She's also pretty handy with a bull whip, from when she was a stunt gal on ‘No Mans Land'. In all, Ms. Ojala has been in countless films – including parts in 'The Wild Life', 'The Man with Two Brains', 'Protocol' and 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' - and numerous television programs, such as 'Love Boat' and 'Fantasy Island', just to name a couple.

"Inga specializes in paintings of wildlife, fish, and western art, although she has the ability to paint, draw, carve to sculpt just about anything her client’s request. When Inga is out fishing, kayaking, and exploring she is studying the great outdoors, to put the realism into her paintings. When she is snorkeling she studies the natural feel of the water and the fish’s natural environment and puts that into the painting. She sometimes adds one of her hand-tied one-of-a-kind flies or lures to the artwork. It adds a certain realism to the art and makes her paintings stand out. "When she is teaching, she shows the students that there are many different ways to make their art jump out at the viewer and bring them in to the painting, drawing, or sculpture.

She is working on murals this summer at the Greensburg Hospital and restoration work on the waterfall she had built at Dodge House Hotel. Other murals locally are in St John, Eisenhower Park, Dodge House, Wright Park Zoo. So many other murals are located throughout the US in both residential and commercial areas. Along with upcoming art shows, art classes and so much more. Make plans to attend her Artist reception set for Friday June 16th, 2023 from 5-7PM.

They say April showers bring May flowers, and this May brings Artist, Amber Andersen to exhibit in the Robert Roberson Exhibition Gallery starting May 6th and running through May 27th, 2023. Amber is an Oklahoma native, born and raised in central Oklahoma.  She studied art at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.  Outside of her role as an artist she is also a mother, wife and most recently the new gallery director at the Larry K Hill Studios in Woodward, OK. Her subject matter typically involves fauna and flora with a heavy emphasis on entomology and mycology, making her a wonderful fit for the May exhibit. 

Her work often focuses on the natural balance and relationship between life and death, fulfillment, loss, and overcoming tragedy.  Her accomplishments include the illustration of a children’s book titled “Millie Finds Her Miracle.” Her other accomplishments include being in two juried group exhibitions at the Mulvane Art Museum in Topeka, Kansas. Amber has also painted a few murals, one in the court of colors behind Larry K. Hill Studios, and one on the Buffalo Main Street in Buffalo, OK.  We look forward to having Amber as a first-time exhibitor with us, please join us for an Artist reception Saturday, May 6th from to 2-4pm for your chance to meet Amber and experience her unique and beautiful work.

In the meantime, check out her Etsy Shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/AmberAndersenArt?ref=shop_sugg_market

Come experience the photography and digital art of Linda Guenther. Linda’s exhibit will be on display in the Robert Roberson Exhibition Gallery from April 1st through April 29th, 2023. Linda is an award winning photographer. Her works have been published in magazines such as the High Plains Journal, Hobby Farm Homes, and Persimmon Hill to name a few.

She is proud that her works are exhibited at the Contemporary Art Gallery in the Paseo and the Tallgrass Gallery in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. We are excited to be bringing her to Woodward in April. Many of Linda’s prints are limited additions. Linda likes to vary the print process by printing on metal, canvas, and wood. Some images are framed in vintage windows. Sizes can be customized. Join us for an Artist reception Saturday, April 1st from to 2-4pm for your chance to meet Linda.

Check out her website www.llgdesign.com