Art, Technology, and Human Presence: Jordan Vinyard Earns Elite Vermont Residency
Kinetic installation artist Jordan Vinyard, professor of art at the University of Science of Arts of Oklahoma and Director of Art Wrecker Studios has been selected for a prestigious artist residency at the Vermont Studio Center - joining a select few of Oklahoma’s finest creators to be chosen in the program’s 40-year history.
The Vermont Studio Center is the largest international artists’ and writers’ residency program in the United States, welcoming top-tier creators from around the world through a highly competitive jury selection process. Vinyard is among an exceptionally rare cohort of visual artists from Oklahoma to receive the honor in the center's four-decade history.
Preceding the competitive residency selection and installed during her faculty sabbatical research, Vinyard will debut her latest body of work in a solo exhibition, Scut Work, hosted at Living Arts in Tulsa. The exhibition opens Friday, September 4th, with a reception from 6 - 9 p.m., followed by an artist talk on Saturday, September 5th, from 1 - 2 p.m.; where visitors are encouraged to ask questions about Vinyard’s work and fabrication process.
Scut Work explores the socio-technological shifts driven by automation and artificial intelligence, transforming the gallery space into a fictitious mechanic’s shop outfitted with autonomous vehicle parts, video installations, and kinetic sculpture. Performers enact ritualized gestures of labor and futility alongside machines in search of companionship.
"Our lives are based on a concession of volts; the numerics of bars, power, and connection are our confidant and security," Vinyard said. "My work is about re-establishing the virtue of the physical body. Technology can be utilized to re-humanize by prompting an audience to begin asking not, 'What is that thing doing?' but rather, 'What am I doing that makes that thing do what it is doing?'"
At USAO, Vinyard leads the expanded media program, directing coursework in kinetics, bio-art, installation, and performance, while also directing Art Wrecker, an experimental project space dedicated to any and all forms of art.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to further my research and ultimately make USAO a stronger institution," Vinyard noted, emphasizing that research experiences like the Vermont residency directly inform university curriculum and offers students various learning opportunities – as many of them travel with her to learn the functionality of gallery installation.
Vinyard holds a Master of Fine Arts from Florida State University. Her artwork has been exhibited globally, including at the International Symposium of Electronic Arts in Dubai, the Czong Institute for Contemporary Art Museum in South Korea, Art Basel Miami, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson, Arizona. The numerous awards and grants she has received include the Oklahoma Artist Fellowship Award, the Not Real Art Grant, and two nominations for the Joan Mitchell Award.
About USAO:
The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma is Oklahoma’s only public liberal arts college. Located in Chickasha, USAO is a distinctive institution offering a challenging interdisciplinary curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving. With a focus on broad-based education and civic responsibility, USAO prepares students to become well-rounded, adaptable leaders ready to contribute meaningfully to their communities and the world.
Contact: Hannah Thompson | 405-574-1362