by Morgan Harvey

Brotherboy is a local band is in the process of recording a new EP that explores themes of identity and belonging within Southern culture.

“This project explores the idea of finding an identity in the midst of Southern culture. Through a three-song EP (tentatively titled “Sad on the Range”), we would look to communicate the struggles of finding oneself outside of different messages received in southern culture about how to act, and who you’re expected to be. These messages can be found both covertly and overtly in family systems, personal relationships, or simply within broader cultural narratives in the South. The messages we’d be exploring would involve messages of “how to be a real man/woman”, “family over everything” and “always choosing others over self.” We believe this to be an important EP contextually, in that it would provide more artistic space for both ourselves and others to question and process these narratives and how they shape the lives of real people in OKC.”

by Jillian Chapman

Local cartoonist Jillian Chapman is working on a pitch for a middle-grade graphic memoir titled Star Ceiling.

“I plan to write and illustrate 20 fully colored comic pages for a middle-grade graphic memoir pitch titled Star Ceiling. The memoir captures my experience as an 11-year-old girl growing up in a historic Texas suburb with my mother, father, and two sisters. The story is told through snapshots of childhood games, adventures and milestones, culminating in the experience of my father’s death from cancer and the way it impacted our family life. With each scene taking place in and around our 80-year-old home, readers will experience the magnitude of the mundane, and wonder alongside the characters how much more life there may be beyond the familiar.”

by Lauren Kelly

13 Moons is a series of paintings depicting women-aunties, sisters, cousins, mothers, and grandmothers-as poetic figures corresponding to the Anishinaabe 13 moons teachings. These works explore both modern and ancient Indigenous womanhood through the visual languages of metaphor and iconography.

“13 Moons is not a series of literal portraits of living women, nor is it an entirely made-upNew-Age mish-mash of symbols divorced from their cultural origin. Instead, this series is a collection of visual metaphors mapped to our traditional teachings. According to our culture, each one of the 13 full moons in a given year corresponds to various social, spiritual, hunting, and permaculture traditions. Likewise, the 13 Moons paintings correspond to the moons and their symbolic meanings for the seasons of our lives.”

by Megan Wimberley

Megan Wimberly is partnering with Cowgirl Artists of America to seek funding to produce high-quality art show catalogs for our upcoming exhibition, "Women's Work," celebrating the nuanced contributions of women in the American West. The catalogs will provide attendees with an engaging visual experience and serve as a lasting record of the event.

“Our hope is to expand the Western art catalog to include a more realistic portrayal of women and their varied roles in the American West and to bring awareness to their full contributions and work. “Women’s Work” seeks to craft an artistic narrative that not only captures the essence of women’s lives in the West but also stands as a testament to their real-life work and contributions. The exhibition runs from August - September 2024 at the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art in Trinidad, Colorado. The opening weekend will include a dinner reception, opportunities to visit with artists, and artist and partner talks and demonstrations.”