PRESS RELEASE – In honor of one year in Oklahoma City, 21c Museum Hotel, located at 900 W Main St, will host an anniversary celebration on Thursday, June 1, from 6 – 10 p.m. The celebration begins with the opening of 21c’s latest exhibition, including a special presentation by featured artist Frances Goodman, live music, performance art, and culinary creations by Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge.
Curated by Museum Director and Chief Curator Alice Gray Stites, OFF-SPRING: New Generations is a group exhibition featuring works by internationally acclaimed and emerging artists from around the world exploring the role of rituals in the development of personal and group identity. The exhibition will open with a reception starting at 6 p.m., with a special presentation by featured artist Frances Goodman.
Rituals—religious, cultural and domestic—provide the thematic infrastructure for OFF-SPRING: New Generations. Daily rituals and communal rites continue to shape identity and define the politics of family and society; in OFF-SPRING, transformations of iconic imagery from spheres both sacred and profane generate a new power, the power of potential and change.
“In the family home, at the wedding altar, or in the classroom, within the fantasy of childhood play or the familiarity of grown-up habit, these new, old narratives generate a spectrum of meditations on the contemporary construction of self and society,” said Stites. “Frances Goodman’s alluring and insightful investigations into the rituals and regimes traditionally associated with female identity and representation include her monumental installation, The Dream, which will have its 21c debut in this exhibition. We are thrilled to host Frances Goodman at 21c Oklahoma City, and to hear more about her practice at the opening reception on June 1.”
The celebration continues following Goodman’s presentation with live music from 8 to 10 p.m. Throughout the evening, guests will experience performances by artists Wil Heuser and Lauren Argo from Louisville, Kentucky, custom poem creation by Short Order Poems, and screenprinting demonstration by Oklahoma City Shirt Company. Light bites and specialty cocktails by Mary Eddy’s will be offered, featuring specialty ice cubes by Vault Ice. Cash bar will be available for guests ages 21 and above. The event is free and open to the public.
“Art is the heart of the 21c experience. I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate our first year than sharing a new exhibition with the community,” said Matt Cowden, General Manager at 21c Oklahoma City. “We have a lot to celebrate; none of which could have happened without the generous amount of support we have received from Oklahoma City’s community. We look forward to celebrating many more years to come.”
For more information, please visit 21cOklahomaCity.com.
About Frances Goodman
Frances Goodman is an artist who lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa. Working with objects commonly associated with female identity, such as acrylic nails, false eyelashes, and jewelry, Goodman explores how beauty regimes and perfectionism foster obsession and neurosis, particularly within a media-saturated, consumer-driven culture. Her multi-media installation, The Dream, 2010, featured in the 21c exhibition OFF-SPRING: New Generations, is comprised of satin, silk, and organza wedding dresses flowing from the ceiling to the floor in waves of pinks and whites. Goodman interviewed dozens of women ages 20 to 60 and integrated their candid emotions of hope, envy, angst, uncertainty, and desire about the tradition of marriage, into the work as both hand-embroidered words on the dresses and as sound excerpts from the interviews she recorded. Frances Goodman’s work has been collected and exhibited at museums in Africa, Europe, and the U.S., including the Pretoria Art Museum, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Museum of African Art, and others.
About 21c Museum Hotel
21c was founded by Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, contemporary art collectors and preservationists who are committed to expanding access to thought-provoking contemporary art. A multi-venue museum, each 21c property features exhibition space open free of charge to the public, combined with a boutique hotel and chef-driven restaurant. 21c presents a range of arts programming curated by Museum Director, Chief Curator Alice Gray Stites, including both solo and group exhibitions that reflect the global nature of art today, as well as site-specific, commissioned installations, and a variety of cultural events. The organization collaborates on arts initiatives with artists and organizations worldwide, including North Carolina Museum of Art, MASS MoCA, Contemporary Art Museum Houston, The Barnes Foundation, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Creative Capital Foundation, and others. Since opening in Louisville, KY in 2006, 21c Museum has presented nearly 100 exhibitions, including Cuba Now!; Alter Ego: A Decade of Work by Anthony Goicolea; Hybridity: The New Frontier; Aftermath: Witnessing War, Countenancing Compassion; Seeing Now; Wild Card: The Art of Michael Combs; Dis-semblance: Projecting and Perceiving Identity; Albano Alfonso: Self-Portrait as Light; Pop Stars! Popular Culture and Contemporary Art; Labor & Materials; Fallen Fruit: The Practices of Everyday Life; The Future is Female; and Truth or Dare: A Reality Show.
About 21c Museum Hotel Oklahoma City
21c Museum Hotel Oklahoma City is a combination boutique hotel, contemporary art museum and chef-driven restaurant. Building on its mission of engaging the public with contemporary art and supporting the revitalization of American downtowns, 21c rehabilitated the historic Ford Motor Company Manufacturing Building on the western edge of Oklahoma City’s Film Row. The 135-room property features 14,000 square feet of exhibition, meeting and event space and presents rotating curated exhibitions, interactive site-specific art installations and a full roster of cultural programming. Exhibition space is open to the public free of charge. The property features a unique round Main Gallery, a spa, and a gracious, 3,000-square-foot suite, which occupies the original penthouse, featuring a rooftop terrace, two bedrooms, living and dining rooms. 21c Oklahoma City is home to Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge, led by chef Jason Campbell, with a restaurant and bar menu focused on bold and flavorful dishes and drinks.
For more information visit www.21cMuseumHotels.com.
For press information contact:
PR@21cHotels.com
Image: Frances Goodman (South African), The Dream, 2010-2016. Silk, lace, organza, satin, beads, embroidery thread, wedding dresses, sound installation.
