OKCMOA’s new monthly event, Third Thursday, will be inspired by the grace and athleticism of the Oklahoma City Ballet in August. Third Thursday: Raise the Barre will take place Aug. 16 from 5 to 10 p.m. and feature live jazz from Brian Gorrell & Jazz Company and a cash bar on the Roof Terrace, 6:30 p.m. curator’s tour of the new permanent collection reinstallation, a special small plates menu in the Museum Cafe, and performances by the Oklahoma City Ballet in the “Isabelle de Borchgrave: Fashioning Art from Paper” special exhibition galleries. Third Thursday is presented by Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores.
“One of our goals for Third Thursdays was to collaborate with other OKC organizations to find new ways to interpret the art on view,” said Bryon Chambers, manager of tours and adult learning. “One of the fashion collections in our special exhibition, ‘Isabelle de Borchgrave,’ is inspired by the Ballets Russes, the historic ballet company operating in Paris in the early 1900s. The OKC Ballet was the perfect partner for this event and we are thrilled to work with them on special ticketed performances in the galleries.”
Choreographer Penny Askew, Director of the Oklahoma City Ballet Yvonne Chouteau School and a Ballet Master for the professional company, has created a guided tour and choreographed performance through the exhibition, utilizing dance and dancers to reflect and respond to de Borchgrave’s stunning paper creations. These progressive performances will be offered at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. and tickets will be limited. Tickets will be $25 for members and $35 for non-members and includes admission to Third Thursday. Performances will be 20 minutes. Links to buy tickets are as follows:
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“Isabelle de Borchgrave talks about rhythm in her work, in painting, and, as a dancer, I have always loved that idea – that even art creations that one might think are still objects can have a sense of rhythm and movement about them,” said Askew. “So we are exploring the rhythms, the cadences, of the different time periods represented in this exhibit.”
“Additionally, we will explore the idea of sculpture – the de Borchgrave dresses have been described as ‘paper sculptures’ and dance also often has sculptural elements. Lastly, the ephemeral nature of dance – it exists only in the moment – allows a subtle parallel to be drawn to the delicacy and fragility of artwork made from paper.”
“Isabelle de Borchgrave: Fashioning Art from Paper” features the life-size, trompe l’œil paper costumes of contemporary Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave. Following a visit to the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum in 1994, de Borchgrave began working in the new medium, creating trompe l’œil paper works in what eventually would become four major paper fashion collections.
In the “Les Ballets Russes” collection, de Borchgrave pays tribute to Sergei Diaghilev, Pablo Picasso, Léon Bakst and Henri Matisse, who all designed for the extraordinary ballet company. Working from a combination of photographs and artist’s drawings, de Borchgrave created dynamic sculptures that bring the boldly colored costumes to life. The OKC Ballet dancers will be costumed in very simple undergarments so as to seem that they have either just stepped out of the exhibition works of art or are ready to step into them.
Admission to the Museum on Thursday evenings is $5, and no other discounts apply. Admission for Museum members is always free. More information about Third Thursdays, including how to purchase tickets, can be found on the Museum’s website, www.okcmoa.com.
