Honorable Mention - Open
"5 to 9" Artists, Norman

"Welcome to Norman"
Est. 1889

The members of the "5 to 9" Artists viewed showing tidbits of our hometown, Norman, Oklahoma, a privilege so we used a map of Norman as a springboard for our collage. Wanting to illustrate elements we consider essential to getting around Norman, we emphasized the four major dividers: Interstate 35, Highway 9, the Canadian River, and the railroad.

This direction inspired a search for historical documentation and stories abut these thoroughfares. We focused, however, on the Santa Fe Railroad because like many frontier cities, the drive westward by that entity helped to establish the fledgling city.

Originally Abner E. Norman, a young surveyor with the United States Land Office, was contracted in 1870 to survey this central area which was a part of Indian Territory. He led a survey crew who, in a teasing gesture, burned the words, "NORMAN'S CAMP" on an elm tree near a watering hole. "Sooners" -- those who headed west before the official Land Run date, April 22, 1889 -- and other early settlers liked and kept the name. Today, Norman has an estimated population of 102,195 and is the third largest city in the state.

The railroad allowed Norman to flourish into a prominent city where instead of battling to be the capitol, Norman's Mayor, T. R. Waggoner, proposed that Norman would be the home of the state's first institution of higher learning. Land was donated by the residents, and they were successful in their bid. The University of Oklahoma enrolled one hundred students by 1895. Currently, more than twenty-nine thousand students attend the university each year.

Norman has been recognized as one of the most progressive cities in the state. Lifestyles are rich and diverse. Residents have many recreational and cultural options among the forty-nine developed parks; Lake Thunderbird; Sooner Theatre; festivals and events all year; museums highlighting natural history, Native American Culture, art and local history; and, of course, the University of Oklahoma sports, drama, and dance programs.

After deciding on the major boundary features, the "5 to 9" group began to photograph Norman. Fanning out individually, the nine of us collected
several hundred photographs. Originally we wanted to lay out the photos of specific sites on the map where they are located. But, we had too many pictures so we spread them out leaving small sections of the actual map showing with the Canadian River exposed as it appears on the map.

We liked the idea of recessing the highways and railroad for emphasis. Painting began the minute the enlarged map was glued on the plywood sections. The painters used earth colors -- ochre, muted violets and grays -- including real Oklahoma red dirt mixed into the rusty border.

We cut and tore the photographs into sections and fitted them into spaces that formed cohesive wholes. Photographs of crowds were cut into tiny pieces and glued on Interstate 35 and Highway 9 representing the thousands who pass that way every day. Also, Oklahoma mud plus Elmer's glue was laid down as a foundation for the railroad. Straws painted black were used for the tracks.

Photos of a group of early Norman firemen, barber shop, and a covered wagon are distributed among the contemporary scenes. In another photo, circa 1920, we found a representative group of residents who seemed to typify the solid citizenry of this city. A portion of that photo was enlarged and glued to a plywood cutout located on the left side of the map. Obviously, the city has changed since 1920, so the buildings behind the group were discarded and a small collage of newer Norman buildings was created behind them to illustrate progress.

The "5 to 9" Artists are a diverse group. We have skills in the following areas: engineering, bookmaking, painting, mixed media painting, installation, ceramics, and printmaking. In addition to our previous knowledge about collage, the Hideaway requirements for this venture have added to our artistic experiences in a positive way.

Finally, we love Norman and. enjoy living here!