STORIES FROM THE CORE
by Sarah Ahmad
“Ephemeral displays can function as a physical take away. They can encourage individuals to interact and reconsider their own private and public retreats, landscapes to reflect their own experiences, the past, present and possibly future experiences. And possibly gain new perspectives in the process.”
Tulsa Artist Fellow Sarah Ahmad’s collaborative state-wide art project, “Stories from the Core” is opening at eight pilot locations in public libraries across Oklahoma. “Stories from the Core” engages eco-therapeutic principles to facilitate intimate moments of mourning and connection with the earth’s extraordinary restorative properties. Oklahomans have a deeply fraught relationship with the land: it has long been a site of conflict and contestation. “Stories from the Core” welcomes people from all backgrounds to experience the land as a healing force. Art cards pair enigmatic images of Oklahoma’s public parklands with meditative prompts. The meditative prompts were written by Maryam Ahmad, a creative non-fiction writer and medical student whose work on Narrative Health articulates the personal and social meanings of illness. The digitally collaged art cards allow participants to take Ahmad’s art away with them, to reflect and share with others. “Stories from the Core” thus expands Tulsa’s traditional ‘arts district’ outward, to engage rural communities, in particular communities adjacent to the public parklands featured on the art cards.
Ultimately, “Stories from the Core” is not a traditional gallery installation: artistic exchange and engagement are its key components—both among the general public, and also the librarians, who are largely facilitating interaction with the artwork. Using art to bring people together, to connect with their creativity and with the earth as a community: these experiences are the essence of “Stories from the Core.”
For more information see Ahmad’s webpage: https://www.sarahahmad.com/stories-from-the-core
Black Mesa Rock Garden, 2022, photo collage
Collaborators and Partners
kara lynch (May–Dec, ’21) and Maryam Ahmad (May ‘21–present).
Partners include Oklahoma Department of Libraries
Oklahoma Oral History Research Program, Oklahoma State University Library
Third Floor Design, University of Tulsa (Twila Bouldin, Madeline Fossett, Sarah Power, Abbey Ames, Megan Ames), School of Art, design, and Art History
Julie Peterson Little Thunder
With profound thanks to William Cordova for his mentorship
About lead artist Sarah Ahmad
Sarah Ahmad is a multi-disciplinary artist and resident Tulsa Artist Fellow. Ahmad’s work looks to nature as a healing force while investigating themes of displacement, belonging, and renewal. In the face of everyday chaos and uncertainty, Ahmad seeks solace through the patterns and rhythms of nature; she invites others to share in moments of immersive transformation through her artwork. Sarah Ahmad’s work has been exhibited across the U.S. and internationally, from the Sharjah Art Museum in the United Arab Emirates and Koel Gallery in Karachi, Pakistan, to the Gilcrease Museum here in Tulsa.
Participating Libraries & Schedule
“Stories from the Core” opens beginning June 16, 2022 and lasts a minimum of four weeks. Libraries will be provided with ‘postcards’ that will be freely available as long as supplies last. Seven of the participating libraries are located near public parkland featured in the project—one in each of the traditional geographic regions of Oklahoma—and in Tulsa, Ahmad’s city of residence. Installation dates for each:
June 16: Central Library, Tulsa City County Library (Northeast Oklahoma)
June 21: Pioneer Library System, Norman (Central Oklahoma)
June 22: Lawton Public Library (Southwest Oklahoma)
June 24: Talihina Public Library, Southeast OK Library System (Southeast Oklahoma)
June 25: Spiro Public Library, Southeast OK Library System (Southeast Oklahoma)
June 28: Tahlequah Public Library, Eastern OK Library System (Northeast Oklahoma)
July 3: Ardmore Champion Public Library, Southern Oklahoma Library System (South Central Oklahoma)
TBD: Soutar Memorial Library, Boise City (Northwest Oklahoma)
“Stories from the Core” is made possible with funding by Tulsa Artist Fellowship and supported by Thrive! Grants, an initiative of Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition: www.thrivegrants.org
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