The real and imaginative adventures of Dennis Spielman

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Art & Victory: Lessons Production Update

The Art & Victory brand is expanding into three different series: Discussions, Lessons, and Sessions. The Discussions videos are the panel discussion talks with creatives that the series started. Sessions are one-off arts educational videos with the goal of having fun while the Lessons are longer, multi-part, and more in-depth educational content.

A behind-the-scenes photo of me filming the Jazz-based dance lesson with Samatha Russell

I’ve partnered with the Arts Council of Oklahoma City to elevate and expand the educational content they offer to schools and the public. I’ve been working with the arts council at the start of the pandemic providing live streams of their concerts and events, as well as some educational videos too. We’ve worked out a deal where we both get copies of the videos, one version with their branding and one with Arts & Victory branding. I plan to work with more arts organizations, offering the same deal to expand their arts education videos. Basically, I’m spinning plates right now, starting one at a time.

Yesterday, I filmed three Jazz-based dance lessons with Samantha Russell. I’ve included a behind-the-scene photo and a still from the first video. Again, I started yesterday and it’ll be a while before the videos are released, but I wanted to share a production update.

I’m excited production is moving along and I’ll be sure to keep you all posted.

Artist Talk: Off The Wall

To celebrate the opening of Off the Wall at Oklahoma Contemporary, Pablo Barrera hosted a conversation with Sarah Ahmad, romy owens and Marium Rana. The Oklahoma-based artists discussed their process and the various themes prevalent in Off the Wall, ranging from the artists’ relationship to time, chaos and tradition to modernity and cultural interpretation.

Working in three distinct styles, Ahmad, owens and Rana created immersive and interactive installations to transform the Mary Leflore Clements Oklahoma Gallery. Rather than being confined to the walls, their artwork extended into the air and explore the physical, vertical volume of the gallery using paper, textile and mixed media.

Off The Wall will be on display until June 20, 2022.

Nora Gomez of 59 Food Mart - photo by Dennis Spielman

Progress OKC

I partnered with Daisy Munoz, the Capital Access Manager for Progress OKC, a nonprofit that strengthens and preserves the social and economic fabric in Oklahoma City’s underserved communities. Thanks to their sponsorship, we visit Anointed Hands, FlasHOLR, Focus Urban Farms, 59 Food Mart, and K Luxe Beauty Bar. These five small business have received support thanks to Progress OKC.

Learn more about Progress OKC and our mission by visiting ProgressOKC.org and following ProgressOKCCDC across all social media platforms.

I was originally commissioned to make a testimonial video for Progress OKC, but I added this episode to highlight their clients as a bonus deal for their videography package. I enjoyed working with Daisy and getting to know their program and these businesses.

Unreal: Up Next in Gaming

Unreal: Up Next in Gaming

Oklahoma Contemporary hosted a conversation and demo with James Simpson, CEO of GoldFire Studios, Jeff Price, chair of game design and animation at Oklahoma City University, and Linh Terford, independent game illustrator and concept artist. The speakers shared their experiences contributing to a growing video game industry in Oklahoma and gave insight into what’s on the horizon in game design, development and VR.

Seed Reef - photo by Dennis Spielman

Seed Reef at Factory Obscura

I’m getting back into the swing of things for Uncovering Oklahoma and first up is a story about the art experience, Seed Reef. I went in a different direction, focusing on more of a mellow pace. For example, I pause the interview a few times, turning up the music to showcase footage of the installation. In addition, I used my camera’s highest quality settings (that I’ve nicknamed the Netflix settings as they are what Netflix wants for video production with my S1H). I used this setting because besides being an episode of Uncovering Oklahoma, this story will be part of another episode of a new series that I’ll talk about another time. 

Seed Reef is an immersive, sculpted paper installation of a coral reef, created by artists Emma Difani and Malcolm Zachariah, in collaboration with Factory Obscura. Participants may walk “underwater” through the kirigami (cut and folded paper) reef as it transitions from a colorful, vibrant section full of corals, fish, and other sea life to a barren wasteland of bleached coral skeletons.

Participants are invited to restore Seed Reef by constructing and adding their own corals and other reef animals to the installation. By crafting corals, you are helping seed the reef, bringing it back to a healthy, thriving state.

Artists Malcolm Zachariah and Emma Difani’s artistic partnership formed through a shared love of material, nature, and ecology. Emma will use dye, silkscreen, and woodcut printmaking techniques to create patterns and imagery based on reef life. Malcolm will design, cut, and shape the printed paper to create stationary and suspended kirigami sculptures.

Seed Reef will be open for General Admission on Thursday, February 10, 2022. Tickets are $8 for Adults, $6 for Kids 12 & Under, and Free for Children 3 & Under. Save $2 when you bundle with your Mix-Tape tickets.

Factory Obscura’s Mix-Tape is located at 25 NW 9th St, in the historic Automobile Alley district of Downtown Oklahoma City. More information is available at www.factoryobscura.com.


Thanks to my superstar supporters, Revolve Productions, and the Keller-Kenton Family, as well as all of my supporters on Patreon. If you love what I’m doing, please join me on Patreon for bonus content, including early access to new episodes. Be sure to visit my online store with various Oklahoma-themed merchandise. 

Happy Adventures!

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