OSU Update
Alum will exhibit ‘art and soul’ at OSU
Benjamin Harjo Jr. wanted to be a cartoonist, but fate played a joke on him.
Next week, the critically acclaimed artist will return to his alma mater to show how he got the last laugh.
His show, “Art and Soul,” will have a public opening reception Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Gardiner Art Gallery inside the Bartlett Center for the Visual Arts on the Oklahoma State University campus. It will be followed by a lecture from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The exhibition of about 25 pieces will be displayed from Jan. 13 through Feb. 5 with originals and prints for sale. Forty percent of the proceeds will go to the Department of Art.
Harjo said he wanted to help the department because art is often overlooked and doesn’t always receive the support it deserves.
“Art is a very important part in people’s lives whether they realize it or not,” Harjo said. “When they see a movie, ballet, opera or other form of art, there’s art involved. Some people will wear their finest jewelry. That involves artistic expression as well.”
Chris Ramsay, head of the OSU Department of Art, said the department is excited about Harjo’s donation, which “means a great deal to our students, faculty and the greater Stillwater and north central Oklahoma learning community.”
Harjo earned a bachelor of fine arts from OSU in 1974 after transferring from the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe. His one-way bus ticket got him there, where he discovered the cartooning class he was interested in had been canceled.
“I wasn’t coming home anytime soon, so I said I’d make the best of the situation,” Harjo said with a laugh. “My teacher, Seymour Tubis, involved me in woodblock print making. That opened a door for me. Through high school I had no formal art training and didn’t even know how to do a woodcut. Once I learned that, a door of creativity opened.”
Harjo may not have become a cartoonist like he originally envisioned, but he took what he learned in Santa Fe and Stillwater and has found success in three mediums – woodblock print, pen and ink, and acrylic and gouache. He still infuses his works with the same sense of humor he hoped would lead to a successful cartoonist career.
“I am drawn to the use of the primary colors and extras drawn from those colors,” Harjo said. “That seems to evoke a lot of happiness out of people when they see my artwork. The use of many colors helps to get that feeling out of people. I like bright color. I’m not afraid of color at all.”
His work is inspired by Native American imagery and legends, incorporating several symbols, patterns and colors of many cultures.
“Ben Harjo Jr. is an extremely accomplished artist who has a unique vision of storytelling that is expressed through his colorful graphic prints,” Ramsay said. “He is an important artist and an exceptional example of the creative spirit that is present in Oklahoma.”
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