Chisolm Trail Arts Council reception to feature works of CU instructor Cox

The Chisholm Trail Arts Council in Duncan will present "The Full Circle," a special exhibition showcasing the works of Cameron University art instructor Alyssa Beth Cox, along with three other artists who influenced her career. An opening-night reception is set from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 17.

Cox is a CU alumna and currently serves as a part-time instructor at Cameron. Alongside her work will be that of three guest artists: Marlow High School art instructor Arlyn Brantley and Cameron art faculty Jack Crouch and Christen Humphries.

Cox's connections with the arts council trace back to Marlow High when she volunteered to assist her teacher, Brantley, at the Arts Explosion summer youth art camp. She continued to participate in CTAC events, winning the 2016-2017 CTAC Live Playbill Cover Contest, receiving the 2018 CTAC Art Scholarship as a high school senior, and eventually joined the arts council as administrative assistant in 2021.

After graduating from Marlow High, Cox went on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from CU, specializing in painting. She was then accepted into the Visual Arts Program at Texas Woman's University and earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in studio art. As a part-time instructor at Cameron, Cox teaches studio courses in drawing, color theory and watercolor.

She actively takes part in local, regional and national juried shows, receiving numerous top placings and honorary awards. Cox is a registered Choctaw artist, participating in in juried tribal exhibitions, competitions and markets that celebrate Native American culture.

Alongside Cox's art in the exhibit will be a sampling of works from Brantley, Crouch and Humphries - the artists who have profoundly impacted her artistic journey.

Brantley is in his 22nd year teaching high school art, teaching students the fundamentals of drawing, painting, and pottery, as well as helping create murals for the community. One of those is a huge "Marlow" mural on Broadway Street, which Cox helped design when she was one of his students. Brantley's personal artwork includes scenery from local landscapes in rural Oklahoma. Their rustic imagery of barns, livestock, and machinery are visual reminders of his agricultural roots in this area.

Raised in rural Illinois, Crouch was immersed in an artistic environment from an early age. His parents - an artist and a preschool teacher - nurtured his creative inclinations. He pursued a formal art education, earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Western Illinois University in 2009, followed by a Master of Arts and terminal Mater of Fine Arts degree from Bradley University. He joined the faculty at Cameron as an assistant art professor in 2021, teaching drawing, painting and printmaking. His academic role allows him to share his passion and expertise with a new generation of artists, fostering their development while continuing to evolve his own artistic practice.

Humphries was raised - and still resides - in the Comanche area. An adjunct art instructor at Cameron, she teaches art appreciation, foundational drawing, Design I, watercolor and sketchbook workshops. Humphries exhibits with the Davis and Blevins Gallery in Saint Jo, Texas, and Clash Gallery in Bloomington, Ind. Her work focuses on nature using graphite, watercolor and egg tempera on paper as her medium. While her pieces are representational, she uses the natural world as a metaphor for life.

"The Full Circle" is open to the public at no charge from April 17 through May 28. The Chisholm Trail Art Gallery is located at 810 W. Walnut in Duncan. For more information and gallery hours, call 580-252-4160.

CTAC is a nonprofit organization with a mission of promoting and inspiring the arts in southwest Oklahoma. This project was supported in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts. CTAC also receives support through the McCasland Foundation, businesses, and memberships.

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