State of The ARTS
Words by Christopher Ferguson, AIA Photos by Eric Morales
In a year with little precedent, four artists embody the enduring spirit of Austin’s art community. Their diverse bodies of work span generations and geography, yet resonate with the ethos of a city – and world – confronting change.
Punk Noir
Dawn Okoro
I had almost given up on art when I was offered a solo show at the Amon Carter Museum. It was the largest show I had ever had and a turning point in my life.”
Dawn Okoro is a Nigerian-American artist living in Austin. Enthralled by the world of fashion as a child growing up in Lubbock, Texas, her artistic roots can be traced back to her early paintings of fashion models. Unable to see people who looked like her in magazines, she began painting her own figures based on photographs she had as reference.
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Process Prowess
Hunter Ash
“I have a deep belief that we are designed to create things,” explains Hunter Ash, an emerging contemporary abstract impressionist painter with a background in graphic design.
Arriving in Austin in 2019 after completing her studies at Baylor University, Hunter has put that core belief into practice, producing a steady series of commissioned work deeply rooted in a meditative and personal process with both herself and her patrons.
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Natural Order
Danika Ostrowski
“There’s something special about leaving land as wild as possible.”
As the daughter of two architects, Danika Ostrowski spent her upbringing surrounded by the creative arts. Early childhood memories include countless summer vacations spent visiting national parks, and it was during a nostalgic visit to Big Bend with her family that she felt compelled to paint a landscape for the first time.
The instinct was prescient, and after completing an artist residency the summer before her graduation from Texas A&M University, she soon found herself renting a small studio in Austin and committing to make art a full-time career.
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Becoming One
Nevena Bentz
“I was asking myself, ‘Who cares about abstraction when the world is on fire? Is this really the best use of my time?’ So, I quit art to go plant trees,” Nevena Bentz laughs, tossing her hands in the air as she recalls her art career’s meandering path.
After growing up in Bulgaria, she studied and practiced law in France and the United States and also lectured at the American University campus in Bulgaria. After receiving her Juris Doctor from The University of Texas in 2003, she found herself with a young family and a demanding career in state government: one that left her feeling overstretched, unfulfilled, and artistically adrift.
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