About the Exhibition
In collaboration with ahha Tulsa, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, Holberton School and Black Queer Tulsa, Studio 66 presents an installation comprised of a mural in colored chalk and an augmented reality art installation to celebrate and honor International Transgender Day of Visibility, March 31, 2021.
Created by three emerging Tulsa-based trans artists Grace Fallon, Carle Jackson and Lance McMahan, the temporary chalk mural and AR component will be completed and go live on Thursday, March 31 in time for both the International Transgender Day of Visibility and Tulsa’s monthly First Friday Art Walk in April. The installation will remain on view through the first few weeks of April. The mural is visible on the south-facing side of the ahha Tulsa Hardesty Center at 101 E. Archer Street in downtown Tulsa.
Artistic Statement:
Not A Rose is an exploration of physical and digital identity, and the contrast of respect for identity between things and people. Traditional understanding of names and identity of objects is that they are arbitrary, albeit descriptive, yet not inherent. But that philosophy cannot be transposed to humanity, who contain the abstract of consciousness and are thus deserving of self-determination. Dead-naming and misgendering of trans people defies this respect, objectifying them and treating them with a dismissal that is tantamount to violence. Violence which is realized, most commonly and lethally against People of Color and trans women.
We aimed to build a piece which would dually memorialize our trans siblings who have been taken from us too soon, and yet hold up the resilient hope of the trans community. Positive, artistic collaboration among trans people in an environment that seeks to deny our truth and end our existence is a radical act. Live with us, love with us. Donate to TransLifeline to support the most vulnerable among our community: translifeline.org.
About the Artists:
Carle Jackson – In their first years sharing their art with the world, Carle Jackson has established themselves as a renowned local queer artist in Tulsa. They have displayed at Tulsa Pride three years running, and launched their own business, “Out of Mind Illustrations” in 2021 to facilitate commissions and public showing. They look forward to graduating Rogers State University with
a BA in Studio Art in the fall.
Lance McMahan graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in Interactive Entertainment and has recently worked at Studio Hitsuji as a 2D Character Rigger. Currently he is working on a graphic novel, Aster in the Mirror, published on WebToon.
Grace Fallon – A digital native, Grace Fallon’s first forays into art were experimental photo editing and sound manipulation installations. After five years working in film and television performance and production, she moved to Tulsa to study Augmented and Virtual Reality development at Holberton School. She graduates in June.
