Oklahoma Christian University students staged original art in downtown OKC show this summer

OC students were invited to showcase their work in late August at the Downtown Sheraton Hotel.

September 19 2019 - For many young, professional artists, being invited to show their work in a prestigious location is a dream that may take years to realize. Two Oklahoma Christian University students realized that dream this summer. 

Trey Gause and Marcus Leonard hosted their first art show Aug. 26 in downtown Oklahoma City. After Leonard’s successful live painting demonstration at the Downtown Sheraton earlier this summer, hotel management asked him to come back and stage an expanded show of his paintings. Leonard invited Gause to participate with him. 

Gause emphasized that art shows benefit more people than just the artist. Art can be a way to look at a snapshot of someone’s perspective. The importance of creating art and having art shows are topics most do not think about, but Gause uses art as a tool to invoke empathy and perspective in others. 

“When you sit down to talk to someone or you sit down to read a book, you read with the intent to immerse yourself in the other person's perspective and intend to learn from them,” Gause said. “It is the same with art. For our show, people drove all the way to the hotel, maybe to support us as artists, but you’re going to look at these things on the wall with frames on them. Through them, the artist is trying to tell you ‘look at this; it is important, and you might learn something’. In our world, everything blurs together because we are moving so quickly. People are seeking information fast, but we are not able to learn as much. I think art helps people slow down.” 

The show featured a collection of each artist’s work. Gause brought works that he curated to make a cohesive series, and Leonard featured a series he had been working on for a while. Leonard’s series is composed of pieces that mix Renaissance paintings with modern styles to show people a snapshot of his perspective. 

“I took religious iconography and gave it a modern twist, representing how I am at this time in my life where I am trying to understand where my religious beliefs fit into this modern day life that I am living,” Leonard said. “The series was kind of a release of my emotions and my frustrations that I have been having within myself and my beliefs and things that I want to follow for the rest of my life.”

Many students wait until they have more work samples or a larger portfolio to hold an art show, but when asked why he decided to do a show now, Leonard replied, “Why not?” 

“It takes so much work to get your name out there as an artist,” he said. “Why would I not start now when I’m young and have the time to do it?”

Professionalism and networking are important skills that students can learn through staging art shows. The shows benefit the community by adding more beauty to the world. OC students are actively seeking to bring more of that beauty into the community. Click here to learn more about OC’s Department of Art and Design. To learn more about fine arts at OC, click here.