FOURTH ANNUAL MENTORSHIP EXHIBITION

2019–2020 MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Welcome to the Fourth Annual Mentorship Exhibition. The exhibition features pieces from Oklahoma City high school students that visit the ARTSPACE at Untitled studio each month. This exhibition celebrates the powerful impact arts education can have on developing individuals. During our Mentorship program, the students are expected to analyze their work through peer critiques and artist statements. Throughout the duration of the program, our Mentorship students work with locally and nationally acclaimed artists in the community as they expand their knowledge about artistic processes. This year we were honored to collaborate with Nicole Emmons for our Animation Summer Program.

ARTSPACE at Untitled inspires experimentation and exploration within our educational outreach. We are constantly looking for ways to expand and improve our curriculum so that the students are exposed to an array of artistic processes and mentors during the school year. There are two major goals within this program, the first is our annual mentorship exhibition and the second is the annual steamroller festival. Every student in our program is expected to work on a 2’x2’ woodblock that will be printed outside for the steamroller festival each spring. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our Steamroller Festival this year due to the pandemic. We do however hope to be able to facilitate a Summer program for our students in July and create studio hours that students may take advantage of. 

There are 10 high schools and over 100 students that we serve within the Mentorship program, and all individuals are treated as young artists rather than high school students while they are using our facilities. Each of our partnering schools come once a month for the entire day to form a creative incubator rather than a classroom environment. Our young artists have worked diligently to make the annual exhibition possible. Thank you to all the students, teachers, administrators, and mentors who make this vision a reality. 

ARTSPACE at Untitled provides high school students access to printmaking equipment that is typically used in professional or collegiate printmaking environments and gives our students access to artistic practices that could not be accomplished in any normal Oklahoma City high school setting. The students that participate in our program use the materials and equipment provided by the studio to learn printmaking and many other processes. We also like to expose our young artists to different exhibitions at establishments such as the OKCMOA, Factory Obscura, the 21C Museum Hotel. To accomplish this, we try to set up at least one local field trip a semester so that the students can experience artwork in different locations. 

ARTSPACE at Untitled can provide the Mentorship program each year at no cost to our partnering schools because of our corporate and individual sponsors: Bill Goldston, Riccarda de Eccher, Newman’s Own Foundation, Midtown Renaissance, Mickey Clagg, Trond Jenson, Todd & Deatra Huckabay, Michael & Jane Simon Family Foundation, Fred & Pat Schonwald, Dr. Elliot Schwartz, Pamela & our loving girls. We thank everyone who has donated to ARTSPACE. Without your support, this program could not continue. We would also like to thank our Founder Laura Warriner for making this dream possible. 

OUTSTANDING SENIOR

MYKA JOHNSON

SENIOR AT DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL
TEACHER: UNA ANDERSON

I have always been interested in creating art. I would scribble down images from my imagination as a child. Art allows me to express my feelings and communicate with others. It has always been a very therapeutic practice for me. 

I was first introduced to the ARTSPACE Mentorship Program by my AP art teacher Miss Anderson. This was my first year to attend and I am a senior. Unfortunitly my year was cut short due to the pandemic. I had just focused in on a concept I wanted to explore when everything was shut down. This is why I advocated to be selected for the 2020 Outstanding Senior Award. I had just discovered the relief process my last visit to ARTSPACE and although it was a frustrating medium to learn, I found myself very drawn to it. I would like to keep exploring relief and create many works throughout my year of free membership. I would also like to learn different techniques and work on my contrast and value. I could see myself being an artist because of the encouragement of my community and ARTSPACE. I believe that ARTSPACE is important because it creates curiosity, teaches new techniques, opens your mind to new perspectives, and allows me to bounce my ideas around the mentors that are provided for me. I hope that ARTSPACE continues to create opportunities for students like me. Art helps people find their passion, understand their feelings, and see each other for who we truly are. 

Thank you for this opportunity. Thank you to everyone who keeps this program alive. 

THANK YOU TO OUR MAJOR SPONSORS WHO HAVE MADE THIS MENTORSHIP PROGRAM POSSIBLE.

Bill Goldston
Riccarda de Eccher
Newman’s Own Foundation
Midtown Renaissance
Mickey Clagg
Trond Jensen
Todd & Deatra Huckabay
Michael & Jane Sigmon Family Foundation
Fred & Pat Schonwald
Dr. Elliott Schwartz, Pamela & our Loving Girls