OCU’s Norick Art Center hosts socially conscious exhibits

·         By Darla Shelden, Oklahoma City Sentinel Senior Reporter
·         Jan 4, 2022 Updated Jan 4, 2022

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Norick Art Center at Oklahoma City University will open two exhibits in January with an emphasis on “societal improvements” – one recognizing the #MeToo movement and the other to celebrate Black History Month.

The center’s Hulsey Gallery will host the works of artist Jessica Lichtenstein in “Do They Make a Sound?” from Jan. 10 to April 1. A panel discussion about abuse against women will be held at 6 p.m., on Thursday, March 3. The discussion will include Lichtenstein along with advocates from the YWCA.

Lichtenstein’s show, first exhibited in New York City, uses the female body as a mechanism to explore deeper themes of power, female representation and objectification. The work was created in the wake of the #MeToo movement to initiate a dialogue around consent and female sexuality in the modern age, according to the press release.

“We are all familiar with the saying ‘If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?’ It is a philosophical thought experiment that raises question regarding observation and perception,” Lichtenstein writes on her website.

“If an event occurs, and no one is there to witness it, did it occur,’ she asks. “If a male and female engage in activity, and no one else is around to witness, and both stories diverge, who do we believe.

“If preponderance of circumstances show that the male is more believable, who are the women who come forward and what do we as a society do to those women- believe them, disbelieve, mock, celebrate? The last year has been filled with more ‘me-too’ movements. Voices of women actually making that sound,” Lichtenstein said.