NavyDave Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-womans-art-featuring-weapon-toting-virgin-mary-gaining-national-spotlight/article/3465942 Oklahoma City woman's art featuring weapon-toting Virgin Mary gaining national spotlight Oklahoma City woman's art featuring weapon-toting Virgin Mary gains national exposure. BY CARLA HINTON Oklahoman Comment on this article Leave a comment Published: June 4, 2010 An Oklahoma City woman's art of a gun-toting Virgin Mary is gaining national attention for combining a beloved religious icon with weaponry. Oklahoma City artist Marilyn Artus stands with her latest work featuring images of the Virgin Mary with various weapons. The art will be featured in an exhibit titled "Our Lady of the Anti-Personnel Weapon, and Her Stepford Friends,” which opens today at the a.k.a. gallery at 3001 Paseo in the Paseo Arts District. PHOTOS BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN Marilyn Artus' exhibit "Our Lady of the Anti-Personnel Weapon And Her Stepford Friends” includes artwork featuring the religious icon holding a knife and a hand grenade. Another shows a nun holding a machine gun. The exhibit opens today at the a.k.a. gallery, 3001 Paseo in the Paseo Arts District. Artus, 42, and several pieces from her exhibit were recently featured in a local television news report. She said after several affiliates in other areas of the country also aired the report, a news crew from the Spanish-language network Univision from Los Angeles came to Oklahoma City to interview her. The artist said she found out some people found her work offensive when she viewed the comments on one TV affiliate's Facebook page. She said about 50 percent of the people commenting on the artwork were offended by it, while the other 50 percent were supportive of it. "I was really honored that they were coming out and talking to me, honored that my work was moving people and making people think,” Artus said. "I wasn't flattered that people were offended, but I can't control what people think.” Artus' exhibit will feature nine pieces of artwork that she calls collages. The weapons being held by the Virgin Mary in Artus' art are embroidered in pink or yellow. The artwork also features vintage ads promoting products for women such as lingerie and hair nets. For example, one picture of the Virgin Mary holding a pink-embroidered small handgun is surrounded by sections of a vintage Frederick's of Hollywood lingerie newspaper ad touting the promotion line "Make Her Over to Please You.” Artus said she was surprised some people found the art offensive. She said she created the images after meeting a Seattle artist who had a brooch featuring a gun-toting Virgin Mary. "It said so much about complexities of being a woman,” Artus said. She said she is hoping people look at the three parts of her collages — the images of the Virgin Mary, the embroidery and the dated advertisements — as a whole and not just the use of the religious icon. She said people often see the Virgin Mary and the weapons each as symbols of power. "I didn't think it would inflame people. They are assuming she (Virgin Mary) is attacking the faith,” she said. "It's looking at a woman externally only. I'm hoping other women can identify with them and men can get a glimpse of the complexities of a woman's life. I want to put them out there. I want people to define what they mean to them.” Ashley Griffith, art director of the a.k.a. gallery, said the exhibit is in keeping with the gallery's mission. "As a privately funded gallery, I believe all works have the right to be shown if they meet the gallery's criteria,” she said. "I'm happy to provide them a venue for that. An exhibit opening is set for 6 to 10 p.m. tonight. Griffith said the exhibit will run through June 27. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted June 10, 2010 Author Share Posted June 10, 2010 Odds this privately funded gallery will have any controversial pictures of Mohammed is ZERO percent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Odds this privately funded gallery will have any controversial pictures of Mohammed is ZERO percent. So you're ****ing because your country and religion are more tolerant than people you view as animals? ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monte51Coleman Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 If it were a painting of Palin he would be applauding it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 She had to know this would get people riled up. The Virgin Mary is a beloved figure, especially among Catholics. Having said that, it's not really all that offensive, in my opinion. Kind of the routine feminist art. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfitzo53 Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 She had to know this would get people riled up. I'm sure she knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A.C.O.L.B. Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rincewind Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Odds Navy Dave would have posted about his had it been a painting of Mohammed is ZERO percent. But that's okay, only libs are evil hypocrites. By the way - interesting side note: listening to a beautiful version of 'Amazing Grace' by Leon Russell right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeb Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teller Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 She's only offending the majority, which makes it neat, tolerant and wicked awesome!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rincewind Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 She's only offending the majority, which makes it neat, tolerant and wicked awesome!!!! Wait... wait... wait... I'm a white male. God dammit, I didn't know I was supposed to be offended. This is blasphemy... wait, no that's not right. This is sacrel... sacril... sackreli... ****, I can't spell that word. This here ain't right. **** the arts, take it down! Love ya, hog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teller Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Wait... wait... wait... I'm a white male. God dammit, I didn't know I was supposed to be offended. There are other "majorities" in this country. Why is it ALWAYS about race with you man? Give it a rest already. :pfft: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rincewind Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 There are other "majorities" in this country. Why is it ALWAYS about race with you man? Give it a rest already. :pfft: Sorry, sometimes there are just too many majorities for me to keep track of. I'd love to keep talking to you about this conversation, but I need to go to bed. Deytookurarts!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamingwolf Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 I dont think has to do with majorities, race or religion. Can anyone really say that is good art? I guess if you hate religion you would just out of obligation to your hate, but really her stuff is junk selfserving hate peices. She definately tries to collegiately make the crap smell like roses, but it is still crap. I know this for certain, it wont replace my velvet elvis and I dont even own a velvet elvis but if I did it wouldnt replace it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TradeTheBeal! Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Please God, take this curse away. No more religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokerPacker Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Its okay, NavyDave, Mohammed already had his: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brave Little Toaster Oven Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 ^ PokerPacker is trying to get ES suicide bombed :paranoid: :pfft: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokerPacker Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 ^ PokerPacker is trying to get ES suicide bombed :paranoid::pfft: I guess you weren't here for Everybody Draw Mohammed Day, were you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brave Little Toaster Oven Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 I guess you weren't here for Everybody Draw Mohammed Day, were you? I cant remember...its too late at night. but i agree, post away. this art doesnt really offend me...who the **** cares? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighOnHendrix Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 She had to know this would get people riled up. The Virgin Mary is a beloved figure, especially among Catholics.Having said that, it's not really all that offensive, in my opinion. Kind of the routine feminist art. She claims in the article that she was surprised anyone was offended by it. Not that I believe her. I mean, duh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scruffylookin Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 I don't think this was designed to offend. As a person raised Catholic and now an atheist, I am not opposed to taking shots at the church and their sacred cows but this is not what this ladys artwork is doing. Clearly what she was going for was taking an image of "the ideal woman" in Western society (in the past anyway) and incorporating symbols of what women can do now as their role in society has progressed and evolved. They were once "Virgin Marys" now they are soldiers in the armed forces protecting us. This is a far cry from the insulting depictions of Mohammed (though anyone who gets so offended that they call for the killing of the artist is a savage and unworthy of any respect). Despite the clear difference in intent, I guess the Stuck on Stupid crowd will be too dense to grasp the conceptual difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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