Last Updated on May 27, 2022, 7:53 PM | Published: May 27, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) – The festival season is in full-swing now, and with OKC Arts Council’s sprawling Festival of the Arts and the chaotic musical energy of beloved Norman Music Festival both already behind us, all eyes are turning to one of the city’s most respected and unique artistic districts for the 45th annual Paseo Arts Festival.
For decades, the Paseo Arts District has shone a spotlight on grounded, hands-on art and the multicultural community creating it, and the yearly festival is the biggest showcase for not only the local community itself, but national and international artists that fit the same styles and sensibilities.
With painters, sculptors, jewelry makers, and performers all descending on the Paseo over Memorial Day Weekend, there’s no better opportunity to experience and support the kind of creativity for which the district is known.
Visual Arts
The primary focus of the Paseo Arts Festival will always be the striking works of visual art on display from artists and creators of all stripes, from traditional painting and sculpture to woodworking, face painting, and mixed media (both 2D and 3D.) A number of artists that saw success this year at Festival of the Arts will be appearing, including Edmond’s Katherine Sanders.
But Paseo’s festival is also well-known for its remarkable attention paid to the art of ceramics. With the architecture and aesthetic of the district presenting as characteristically “southwestern,” it’s no surprise that clay works get a prominent placement in the storefronts and galleries throughout the area and a special highlight among the featured art.
Keep an eye out for North Carolina’s Luis Guiterrez, whose stunningly painted pots and vessels combine Hispanic and Indigenous imagery, with animal figures overlaid atop one another, often interweaving to create different animals along with vibrant color work.
Performing Arts
Paseo Arts Festival, like seemingly any great festival, also features a diverse and exciting musical lineup, with performers ranging from previous Free Press highlights like Ken Pomeroy and Lunar Division to pop-rockers Don’t Tell Dena and locally legendary guitarist Edgar Cruz.
One band for whom this festival will be a particularly special occasion is Moon Possum, an instrumental modern jazz outfit formed from the remnants of local bands past and making their stage debut at 2:45 Saturday on the festival’s South Stage.
“We’ve always felt welcomed in the Paseo,” drummer Tony Rivera says of the jazz/funk fusion group’s members, all veterans of past years’ festivals. “When the Paseo Arts Festival happens, people want to see great art. You just have to be willing to put yourself in a position to see something or hear something outside your comfort zone. That’s what art is about.”
Thumy Phan – Featured Artist
The festival’s Featured Artist for 2022 is OKC-based painter Thumy Phan, whose deeply colorful and compelling works seem to pull equally from cartooning and pop-art as well as her own native Vietnamese background, showcasing her love of depicting plant life and nature alongside BIPOC representations.
All of these elements come together in her official poster for the festival.
“One of my favorite things about the Paseo is the colorful buildings and homes. It’s so vibrant. It always feels like a party, even on a sleepy Sunday,” Phan told me about her inspirations behind the poster art. “I wanted to draw that visually, luscious plants, colorful spaces, and confetti spilling out of a canvas with Black and POC folks in joy.”
Phan says that she’s honored to be recognized by the Paseo as this year’s Featured Artist, as she grew up enamored with arts festivals all over the city, even volunteering and getting involved in OKC’s first Teen Advisory Arts Council in 2009.
Her hope now is to use her spotlight to encourage others to pursue art to develop and embrace their own identity.
“These festivals are a big celebration of art, a little glimpse into the world I wanted to be a part of, so to be able to design the poster art for one of the city’s most celebrated arts festivals, is an absolute dream come true,” she said. “With the ongoing rise in hate crimes against Asian-American folks, I feel gratitude for the public support from the Paseo district. This experience has just made me even more excited for future opportunities that could center youth and artists of color in the Paseo.”
Her message to the Paseo, and to all the viewers, crowds, and appreciators that will see her work on posters, t-shirts, and displays all over the festival this holiday weekend, is a simple, but heartfelt one:
“Thank you for making me feel seen.”
The Paseo Arts Festival runs in the Paseo District of OKC May 28th through the 30th. For more information on the festival, including a full list of artists and a full schedule of musical performers, visit thepaseo.org.
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
