Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
Posted on | March 30, 2009 |
Christian Pitt
MAINSITE Contemporary Art gallery director Christian Pitt is mentoring local artists and bringing national attention to Oklahoma’s art scene, she’s planning a free indie music festival with 25,000 people expected to attend, and she’s organizing monthly art walks in downtown Norman.
Through her day job, volunteerism and artwork, Christian is creating magical moments for artists and art lovers alike. But creating magic is nothing new for her.
Christian grew up in Oklahoma City assisting her grandfather in magic shows — levitating, jumping out of life-sized doll houses and having her head chopped off (and magically reattached, of course).
“He cared for me daily while my mother and father worked. We were virtually inseparable when we lived in Oklahoma, and I was never want for toys.”
Today, Christian’s artistic work includes creating toy monsters and life-sized monster costumes. “I make toys because I have a 10-year-old daughter. Play is important to people — it’s one of the most important things a human can do.”
Christian says her mission is to create more opportunities for artists in Oklahoma. At MAINSITE, she helps artists promote their work and develop business skills. As a board member for the Norman Arts Council, she organizes Second Friday art walks in the Downtown Arts District. She’s also on the planning board for the Norman Music Festival, a free music festival featuring over 50 local and national bands.
My husband and I have experienced Christian’s enthusiasm for local artists firsthand. She sold us our first piece of art — a photograph by J. Michelle Martin-Coyne. The photograph (of her husband Wayne Coyne crowd surfing in a giant bubble at a Flaming Lips concert) is in my office and makes me smile every day.
I asked Michelle about Christian’s influence on her success as a photographer. “Christian is easily one of the most generous and encouraging people on the face of the earth. She goes way beyond what is necessary to make something work, which is a rarer quality than we would like it to be. I have done two shows with her and am always surprised by how she seems to magically get things done that I hadn’t even considered yet.”
Christian says she loves helping local artists package their work and get noticed. “I’m friends with so many artists and I want to make it so we can pay to go to the dentist. I also want to bring national attention to Norman. I’m astonished when people complain because there’s really nothing better than this. I’ve been to New York, Paris, Chicago, Spain, LA… and nothing compares to this.”
Norman Music Festival chairman Jonathan Fowler said he has worked with Christian on several projects, including the festival and Second Fridays. “She is one of many super heroes in our arts community. Playing the unsung hero of downtown staple MAINSITE art gallery by day, and volunteering her time after work to the arts and arts education — making her community better and asking nothing in return.”
Christian says she feels like she’s done her job when there are lots of things to do in Norman on the weekend — from exhibit openings to music festivals to art walks. “Twenty years ago, there was nothing going on. We’re layering on a new quality to Norman.”
When I asked Christian if she thought there was anything magical about Oklahoma, she told a story about her grandfather thinking there was something in the water — something that made Oklahomans just a little more creative.
“People here have always had to create their own fun and manifest their own destiny because we’re so cut off here. It typically takes 8 months for trends to seep into Oklahoma. If we waited on trends to come here, it would be pointless. We have to take control of our own destiny.”
Tags: Art > MAINSITE > NMF > Norman > Norman Arts Council > Norman Music Festival
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April 7th, 2009 @ 4:48 pm
Christian Pitt nails it in her explanation of why Oklahoma’s special, and also what she says about making it so artists can afford to go to the dentist. (In the seventies, we had a dentist in Norman (Charles Wesner) who was willing to trade for art. Wonder if there’s anyone else like that.) We are lucky to have this catalyst and advocate among us!